Eric noticing contrasts while enjoying the slower pace

Ever since we got off the plane in Cape Town after 26 hours of traveling, these last few days have been a whirlwind. I had a lot of mixed emotions saying goodbye to my family and   girlfriend at the airport, but when I sat together at the gate with my co-educators, the   excitement for our journey was palpable. The flights went by with relative ease, and before we knew it we were greeted by Marita, Vernon, Renee, and Molly and whisked away in our bus to move into our homes for the semester. Just on the drive from the airport, I can recall looking out the window and being struck by the omnipresent mountains and diverse biology, and suddenly encountering a community of houses built out of sheets of metal and cloth. Seeing this disparity not 10 minutes after arriving in Cape Town really set the tone for what we would eventually observe during our orientation when we ventured outside of Rondebosch. As we wound our way around the peninsula, we would see luxurious waterfront communities, followed by townships once we turned inland. As we walked through downtown Cape Town, we would see apparent 5-star hotels and restaurants with beggars standing just outside their doors. It is a contrast that I am certainly not used to seeing in my everyday life back home or at school, and one that I don’t anticipate getting used to any time soon. It is a deeply rooted issue that I look forward to dissecting in our classes when they start up next week.

On a different note, I want to mention my observations on the service industry in South Africa versus that in the United States. All meals (which have been equally unique and delicious; tonight at Mama Africa I ate every bite of my warthog, venison, kudu, ostrich, springbok, and crocodile dish) have been over 3 hours long. While this might be seen as egregious in the United States, here it makes the experience that much more enjoyable. The food is spaced out so that all of us at the table are able to converse, socialize, and bond with each other. At South African meals, relationship forming is the main attraction, facilitated by good food. I now realize that back home, going out to dinner mostly means getting your   food as quickly as possible and eating it so that you can pay and move on to the next   activity. I have found that dinner in South Africa is itself the main event of the night. I have already noticed the pace of life is much slower here, and it certainly shows itself at   mealtime.

Dinner at Mama Africa