So, it was windy and cold, but we managed to make our way to a great organic market where I spent way too much in the fair trade store. After a lunch with the American University students who are getting ready to leave, we went to the shore and hung out in a very sleepy little tourist town. It’s winter here, so most everything, including the bathrooms, are locked up tight. I managed to ask a waiter at the coffee shop for a napkin to wipe up the milk that I spilled, and he looked at me horrified until I pointed to what I wanted– apparently I inadvertently asked him for a sanitary napkin (or, maxi-pad) and he had no idea what to say. Just for future reference, they’re serviettes here. Sigh…
We spent an hour or so at the nature reserve for the African penguins- pictures to follow. One escaped and made his way down the walkway/bridge reserved for viewers. One of the park staff had to catch him with a net, which really just ended up being her chasing him around and smacking him over and over again with the pole until finally she scooped him up and dumped him over the side. It was so ridiculously windy I could barely take pictures, and my lense is now caked in salt. Totally worth it though- who doesn’t like penguins?!
We spent the evening at a dance party with the domestic workers’ union. They’re celebrating their victory at the International Labor Organization meeting in Geneva this year where they were lobbying for rights for domestic workers. It was quite the party- those grannies can boogie. Though we were tired, and some people were not comfortable with the food that was served up (I loved it, but that’s just me…), it was such a treasured moment to be witness to this momentous occasion. Most domestic workers here are treated as subclass citizens. If they don’t travel hours to get into the neighborhoods where they work each day, they live in tiny accommodations just inside the security gate- as a sacrificial first line of defense if someone were to break into the rich people’s houses. They aren’t paid fairly, as much of their work isn’t government regulated, and they are expected to be invisible within the house. My professor has been working with the domestic workers’ union here since she first came to do research for her PhD. It’s a great story of perseverance, though there’s still a long way to go to secure fair wages and dignity for all workers. I suppose it’s not unlike the illegal labor force that’s employed in many homes across America to cook, clean, and care for children of the privileged.
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| Catching the rogue penguin |
Today’s a free day- we awoke to the cacophony of church bells ringing all over the city, calling Cape Town residents to church. Some of our group headed off to a township church to see what that was like, but I stayed behind to catch up on some sleep. I’m sure there’s another exciting day awaiting. If you haven’t seen the pictures I posted in my previous posts, have a look at days 1-4!