Port Elizabeth

I don't like time going this fast. I realise that I enjoy my life here so much, that I do not want to see this year end. I have never been so motivated to do things as I am here, and never felt such strong feelings, both positive and negative, towards a country. I was afraid of the fact that in South Africa you tend to lose the freedom you are so used to having in Finland, as crime is an unfortunate fact of everyday life here. I guess I don't have that sort of freedom that I am used to having, but it has not bothered me so far. I cannot walk alone at night, and with some things you just need to be extra careful. And you cannot leave all the news about crime happening around you unnoticed.
Today I walked at the campus and saw ADT security guards take one man in handcuffs away. Didn't really think of it much, but something like that happening at our campus in Finland would definitely be a big thing. So yes, life here, especially as a white woman, is not so free and easy all the time, but when you know how to do things you will be most likely fine. I am sometimes worried of the international students, because some of them don't seem to worry about the crime at all. They leave their doors open and walk alone. I just don't want bad news. I guess the fact that it has never happened to you is enough to make you feel safe. Not the fact that it is happening around you all the time. I just try to remember that, but yet do the things I want to do and not be overwhelmed about the sad statistics.

I went to Port Elizabeth for a few days. It felt like going home. Port Elizabeth is not as fascinating and unique as Cape Town is, but Port Elizabeth has a different feeling to it. It is more natural, more down to earth and has many beautiful places, you just need to find them. The old centre is full of beautiful houses and buildings that are just waiting to be rediscovered and renovated to look as pretty as they used to. The centre of the town has buildings that resemble a beautiful past, at night the centre looks ghostly empty and the isolated and abandoned flats with broken windows are a lonely sight. I would love to see this centre become alive again. Like it does during the day, when the streets are full of people busy with their daily duties. I hope the centre of Port Elizabeth will become more open to everyone and become a centre where it is safe enough for anyone to walk about. One thing that frustrates me in PE is the shopping centres, which have become the new safe place for people to shop and to do their daily businesses. It is nice and convenient, but it gives you a hollow feeling that it is not a public space as a city centre can be, it is private property. They can get rid of unwanted people if necessary. It is still nice and convenient, but it does make things even more segregated and it is a way of escaping the fact that you cannot run away from the unpleasant difficulties of a city so broken and from people sometimes worlds apart from each other.

On a more positive note, Port Elizabeth and surroundings are one of the most beautiful places I have even been to. The beaches are so natural and wild, and they just go on and on. Places like that don't really exist in Europe anymore. And South Africa does quite a fantastic job in keeping the beaches natural and preserved.






I had a fantastic time in Port Elizabeth. I stayed with Denise and Roy and had a lovely welcoming face wash from Emma. She is a miniature dachshund. I got her when she was the size of my hand, and watched her grow during the first time I was living in South Africa. She still remembers me, which is amazing. She still comes to sleep next to me and follows me everywhere. I guess dogs never forget.

I also went to have a look at the projects of the NGO I used to volunteer for during my year in Port Elizabeth. The student union of the university of Helsinki is funding one of their projects and it was fantastic to go and see the project actually working. It is a self empowerment project which educates previously unemployed women to run a small business of their own and learn how to be able to sustain themselves in the end. A Great Great project.

I had a look at the project I used to volunteer for myself. It was a relief to see it still going but quite disappointing to see that progress was not happening and the project is struggling to sustain itself. I guess when conditions are poor, life is uncertain and everyday survival is a challenge, you cannot expect things to always run smootly. It is something that you need to get used to. It is not a point to lose hope or give up, but to be flexible, look into the problems and always try to make a solution for them.
I attended this workshop for the ladies who are working in the self empowerment project, and when a problem occurred and we were trying to find a solution to it, I asked what if somethings are not possible to solve? She said that in South Africa there is always a solution to a problem. If the plan A does not work, we go for plan B, all the way to X, Y, Z and then start all over again. I have a lot to learn from this.

We had a great time over the weekend. We took Emma to Sardinia Bay and did a small hike there. We found beautiful big sea shells in the rock pools. After that we went shopping with Denise and found a beautiful Afghanistan carpet for me. Roy cooked us delicious South African food from curries to bobotjie and of course, a real braai in the African bush. We went to Addo National Elephant Park on sunday and we saw the most incredible thing, a lion killing a baby kudu. I have never seen anything like that. Nature is simply amazing, everything has their place in it and it shows you how fragile yet adapting and self-sustaining life can be...

I flew back to Cape Town overlooking the coastline of South Africa. I was able to spot the different places I have been to, and the different memories connected to them. I guess I am feeling at home.