Yesterday Sue and I drove to Cape Town for the day. It was a good day off from studies and the library. I had just done my Xhosa exam and starting Max Weber right the next day was not a good option. It was my first time driving in Cape Town, the traffic is not the lightest, and it is a hectic city. We drove to Woodstock first, there was a huge 2nd hand shop, with the upper floors full of 2nd hand books. Sue and I spent almost 2 hours there, looking at the shelves full of interesting books. I have never bought so many books in my life. They are so cheap too, I got 10 books for just over 20 euros, and really interesting ones on South Africa.
We were talking how suddenly we tend to rather go to ordinary places in Cape Town, places like in every town, where people live their daily lives, go to work, do their business. You can do so many amazing touristy things in Cape Town, without having to see the other areas. Some people even visit CT without ever seeing the CBD, because it is thought of as dangerous. Or they take the sightseeing bus, to safely drive around the centre and take photos. Nothing wrong there, I have been on those sometimes as well. But it does not make you know and understand the city from within.
Understand what is the reason behind the big empty patch of land called District Six, why W&A Waterfront is predominantly white, Cape Town Railway Station almost totally black, what is the history of Bo-Kaap, what traditional meaning does Table Mountain have for local people, why are almost all the African people on Long Street non-South African, why is there informal business like street vendors selling fake Gucci sunglasses next to a building of a multinational company, or why does the centre become ghostly empty right after dark settles?
I still don't know Cape Town well enough, or understand it. It is unpredictable and so many things contradict. But now and then it does good to you to leave the safe and small Stellenbosch and spend some time in Cape Town. I think it makes you exposed to an African city life better than Stellenbosch, which could be another town in Europe.
I had a change in plans with my holidays. I will be going to Sambia and Zimbabwe instead of Namibia. Jacques and I got flights to Livingstone. I am so happy, it will be so good for both of us. I know it is another major tourist attraction in Africa, Victoria Falls, but we plan not to let it be the only thing we see. I am especially interested in visiting Zimbabwe, seeing what life looks like there right now. How are the people doing despite the economic crisis and poor service delivery due to the Mugabe-mess.
Two exams to go before that. Political Sociology and Sociological theory. It started to rain in Stellenbosch. Good time to run to the underground library, once again, with my mug of coffee, woollen socks, piles of books and a little bit of motivation to get through the studies hopefully with success...
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