Freezing My Ass Off in this Naturally Gorgeous City

The last few days have been relaxing, yet I hate sitting in one place so I've explored quite a lot. Staying in hostels is always interesting because there's always someone to talk to and someone to go out with.

Although Cape Town is gorgeous and there's tons of outdoorsy stuff to do, it is extremely cold! The first few days it was raining, but at least today and yesterday there was no cloud in sight. Planning according to the weather I crossed a few of the museums of my list when the weather was crappy and then ventured to the Waterfront and Boulder's Beach when the weather was near perfect.

With a plethora of museums to choose from, I wanted to start with museums that explained Cape Town's racial and social history, including the Apartheid. Oftentimes in class I'm presented with the question of 'what makes you tick?', as in 'what are you passionate about?' and I learned that understanding race, class, and socioeconomic status; and deciphering exactly what factors prevents those areas from achieving equality makes me tick. One reason why I chose South Africa as a place to study is because despite the obvious societal hierarchies, if you will, that are obviously present - somehow everyone is able to coexist - or are they? Racial tension is undeniably alive in

Cape Town and you can feel it. 

Slave Lodge

"At the Cape From 1711 to 1795 Slaves Outnumbered Colonists."

Walking Down Government Lane

District 6 Museum - www.districtsix.co.za. Too lazy to explain right now, but I promise to update with the background story District 6 deserves some time soon.

I went to the National Library of South Africa to do some research. Yes, I know its weird to think I came all the way to South Africa to spend my entire afternoon in a library, but I am here for school. Anyways, the library operates on a 'reference only' basis, meaning you can't check anything out. I wrote the title and shelf number of the book I wanted and they brought it to my table. I noticed a sign on the wall that read: "92% of South African Schools Don't Have A Library". Information is definitely not free and this library made it loud and clear. 

Other indoor activities include pasta-making at the hostel with Zebra Crossing family.

Several 'Note to Self' Moments While in Cape Town:

• 'Braai' is slang for BarBQ, not an eating establishment. When someone says "We are going to braii for dinner, come join" the response should never be... "Awesome, where is braai? I'll meet you there."
• Don't walk around after dark alone. Okay maybe a golden rule for anywhere, but I sure felt a lot safer in Ghana at night than I do in Cape Town. Don't worry nothing crazy happened to me, but if I'm out alone and the sun starts to set I always make sure I head back towards the hostel.
• Girls don't drink beer. I was hanging out at a local bar with some friends I met, and one of the girls I was with went was from Cape Town, but went to college in Boston, MA. She was telling me how she was so amazed that girls ordered draft beer at the bar. Girls in Cape Town will drink Hunters (cider) or Smirnoff but they just don't drink beer, she said.
• The weather people are magically always correct! Capetonians swear by the weather forecast and they have a right to. If someone tells me tonight that tomorrow will be bright and sunny all day, sure enough it is. If the news says its going to start raining on Tuesday, no doubt about it the rain clouds start rolling in Monday night.  

Heading to Stellenbosch tomorrow! So far I have one confirmed meeting on Friday August 3 with the CEO and Manager of Koopmanskloof and another meeting with the CEO of Van Loveren next Tuesday August 7 - both wineries. Excited! Until then, I have research to do and draft meeting agendas to prepare. Work, Work, Work. 

Certification Thoughts - Helping Some While Hurting Others?

I had an interesting conversation with someone at Wine Concepts, one of many wine shops on Kloof St, just down the way from my hostel. As I walked by I was drawn in by the bottle displayed front and center - it was Fair Trade USA certified. In efforts to accustom myself to Fair Trade USA certified wine before heading to Stellenbosch tomorrow, I asked the sales associate if they sold any other lines of Fair Trade certified wine. His answer was unexpected - "In South Africa all wineries are fair and BEE regardless of what the label says. We only source our wine from estates and growers who practice fair and sustainable methods. Every worker on the estate helps out and shares profits." Did I believe him one bit? Hello no, but kudos to you - diplomatic answer indeed.

After explaining to him why I was asking if they sold wines specifically Fair Trade USA certified, his initial answer made a little bit more sense. He was comparing the concept of BEE to US's Affirmative Action. By paying attention to such labels such as Fair Trade certified, BWI (Biodiversity & Wine Initiative, an environmental-related certification), or BEE its placing those companies on a pedestal and by default claiming that other companies aren't committed to fair trade, biodiversity, or BEE practices. So back to his Affirmative Action example - its like if businesses in the US had to be certified to advertise the commonly used phrase "we hire regardless of race, gender, sexual orientation". While the certification process definitely helps businesses who comply with strict guidelines of any certification label, at the same time it hurts those who are not. When for all we know, they may very well may be employing the 'fairest' practices of them all. Who's to judge?

Further the man said fact is, South Africa is home to the world's top-class wineries. Pressuring businesses to 'get certified in this, and adhere to standards of that' only endangers what consumers care about - the quality of the final product! This picked my brain a little. Usually I'll buy a product because of its certification label - a testament of the company's commitment to a societal good, whether it be environmental, economic, or promoting equality. And then if the wine, in this case, tastes good... icing on the cake! But by paying too much attention to certifications, I'm limiting my selection choice to the best of the best within the small percentage of certified products available on the market. Perhaps as learned today, we should value a product for its taste, craftsmanship, and beauty first and then investigate the fairness of its business practices second?

Last Days in Accra and First Days in Cape Town

I didn't get a chance to post photos from my last few days in Accra, but also wanted to recap on my first days in Cape Town, so I decided to combine the two into one post. By the way, my page reached 500 views today - awesome!

On my last full day in Accra I headed to the beach of course, where else? Unfortunately the weather was overcast, but HEY I love the beach no matter what. I thought we were going to Labadi beach, but found myself at Bojo beach instead. Bojo is located about an hour outside of Accra (but can be much longer depending on traffic), but is much much nicer than the closer, more frequently visited Labadi. The beach is technically on an 'island', or a sand bar, separated by a small river that you must cross by canoe. 

Bojo was peaceful, extremely clean, and the water was warm. If the weather wasn't so cold I would have jumped right in, because I obviously came prepared in my bathing suit. However swimming is highly advised against because its said that this part of the coast has an incredibly strong undertow.  

Kinglsey, my go-to and life saver while in Accra.

On the last day at the International Student Hostel a friend of mine bought me breakfast as a surprise. He ordered what he usually eats of breakfast: plantain, chicken, and eggs. You can buy a meal like this for oh, GHC 3 or less, or $1.50. Food runs cheap at the night market near our dorms on campus where you can find all the local dishes - jollof rice, plantains, groundnut soup, fufu etc - and almost anything else you can imagine. Usually for breakfast I'll buy an egg sandwich from my 10-year old friend Porshia for GHC 1.50 ($0.75) and fresh fruit, mango and pineapple for GHC 1 ($0.50). That's breakfast for $1.25... gotta love it. 

My first day in Cape Town was rough. I was extremely tired from the 9+ hour trip and wanted to sleep all day. However, in efforts to save money I skipped the shuttle service from my hostel and decided to take the MyCiti bus instead. Rather than paying R180 (180 South African Rand), equivalent to USD $22 I opted for public transportation at a price of R57 which is about USD $7.50, paying less than half the original price and familiarizing myself with the city. Score! 

MyCiti bus had a direct service from the airport to Civic Station in the City Centre. I was impressed! The bus was clean, quick, and convenient. As of July 2012 they started a digital service where you purchase a card similar to a credit card and recharge it with money. I bought a card for R23 and loaded it with R20, about enough for 4 one-way rides. When I'm done with the card I give it back and get my R23 refunded. I was surprised at how empty and underutilized the public bus was, making me wonder how long its been around.

Look how pretty South Africa Rand bills are! 20 Rand is about $2.50. Each bill has a different animal printed on it. The R100 bill has an elephant, R20 has an ox, and R10 has a rhino. 

Back of the bills.

Don't mind my nail polish.

But, I forced myself to walk down Long Street, or the main street in Cape Town's city center with a majority of restaurants and tourist life. I met a friend on the bus on the way to the City Center from the airport and hung out with him and his friends on Long Street (after a LONG nap). They introduced to some of Cape Town's infamous drinks while exploring the area's night life:

'Springbokkie' - Peppermint Liquer and Amarula (left) and a 'Suitcase' - Jack Daniels and Passion Fruit 

One of the many murals and buildings that decorate Long Street.

Morning views from the hostel, Zebra Crossing.

Table Mountain in the background, taken in front of Zebra Crossing.

Today I'm still going to take it easy - visit some of the cultural museums, do some more online research, and follow-up with a few producer groups. I'll have time at the end of my Cape Town trip to do the outdoorsy stuff - Table Mountain etc. and I don't want to burn myself out. Oh yea, and its FREEZING here. By New York or even California standards its not that cold, but after spending 6 weeks in Ghana my tolerance for cold weather obviously flew out the window. I miss my collection of scarves in New York right about now...

Tentative Cape Town Itinerary

Switching my Ghana Brandt for the South Africa Lonely Planet

Just touched down in Cape Town, South Africa! Im tired and the flight was long including a one-and-a-half layover in Windhoek, the capital of Namibia. Can't believe I'm here but I'm ready to hit the ground running. I've had this post in draft version for a while... but here's my tentative plans for the Cape Town leg of my journey- 

Upon arrival I'll head straight to the Cape Town city center and stay for about five nights or so. During this time I'll let Cape Town soak in, get situated, and familiar with my travel options to my two main destinations: Stellenbosch, Cape Town's vast wine land, and Citrusdal, located a few hours North of Cape Town and home to citrus and rooibos tea farms. Stellenbosch makes for a first stop because it's a popular destination from Cape Town, only about 45 minutes outside of the city center. There are some wineries I've bookmarked in my handy dandy Lonely Planet that are a must-visit. From Stellenbosch I'll make my way towards Citrusdal, located North of Cape Town and much more rural and less-travelled than Stellenbosch. 

It might help to explain a little bit more about what I'm researching in Cape Town before I list the places I intend to visit. My trip is two-pronged, hoping to research the impact of two interrelated areas in the South African context:

• Fair Trade impact, specifically the impact of Fair Trade USA certified organizations. Please note that my visit is completely voluntary and is not by any means an official audit on behalf of Fair Trade USA.
• The impact of the Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment (B-BBEE) legislation of 2003. As a final assignment for the NYU Wagner's Food Security and Hunger course we have to write an independent research paper exploring any issue related to food security and/or global hunger. Since I needed to conduct research on Fair Trade in the South African context anyways, I decided to research and explore a Fair Trade standard unique to Fair Trade organizations in South Africa. The B-BBEE Act of 2003 is unique to South Africa because it was initiated by the South African government as a result of the apartheid, aimed to distribute wealth as evenly across the peoples of South Africa as possible- including blacks. So far I've found some controversial information regarding the impact of B-BBEE which I've decided to explore further. 

Below is my tentative itinerary and prospective sites I plan to visit, all of which are FTUSA certified producing organizations. About half of them are confirmed, while the other half is still TBD.

1. Cape Town (5 days)
2. Stellenbosch (5 - 7 days)
1. Koopmanskloof Wingerde - wine grapes
3. Robertson, about an hour east of Stellenbosch (3 days)
1. Van Loveren (Pty.) Ltd winery - wine grapes; also notable for their commitment to B-BEEE
4. Citrusdal (5 - 7 days)
1. ALG Boerdery (Pty. Ltd) - lemon 
2. Bergendal Boerdery - wine grapes, oranges, rooibos tea
3. Mouton Citrus - citrus fruit
4. Citrusdal Wines - wine grapes
5. Clanwilliam, about an hour north of Citrusdal (3 nights)
1. Wupperthal Original Rooibos Cooperative/ Heiveld - rooibos tea
6. Return to Cape Town (~ 2 weeks)
1. PARTY! haha, only kidding. Wrap up data collection & NY job hunting

Other notable FT, not necessarily FTUSA certified, or B-BBEE associated sites worth adding to my itinerary, depending on their accessibility and ability to fit into my schedule (description credit goes to Lonely Planet):

• Both Solms-Delta and Van Loveren (www.vanloveren.co.za) have made their employers shareholders in newly purchased joint-venture wine farms. Nelsons Creek, north of Paarl, (www.nelsonscreek.co.za) donated land to his workers to produce their own wines under the label New Beginnings.
• Thabani (not open to the public) is SA's first wholly black-owned wine company
• Thandi, Elgin area, (www.thandi.com) first winery to become FT certified
• Tukulu, Darling area, is the flagship BEE brand in the stable of industry giant Distell

Although was sad to leave Ghana, good news is that I'll be back! I fly from Cape Town to Accra on August 26^th before departing back to New York August 28^th , giving me 2 days to do last minute souvenir shopping, pick up extra yards of fabric from Kaneshie market, and say bye to some friends. Until then, see you later Chale! (Chale is slang for 'dude'... pronounced 'Chaa-Lay' although I mistook it for 'Shalane' long before I understood what it meant.)

University of Ghana Campus Life and Asanka Local

For the past two weeks or so I've been staying at the International Students Hostel (ISH) at the University of Ghana. Since its summer session, the campus is extremely quiet. The campus is beautiful. serene, lush, and huge. I haven't had the necessity to explore very much, except when I go for an occasional jog (and I reiterate, occasional).

Below is a photo of the main library on campus, Balme Library. 

Locally, the University of Ghana is also known as the University of Legon.

In my opinion, below are two of the most amazing creations ever. Now, I'm not a huge hard cider fan because its way too sweet. BUT, Savanna Dry is hands down the best hard cider I've ever tried. It's not sweet at all, and extremely dry - just how I like it... (thus, Savanna Dry- duh). And with 6% alcohol content, who needs beer? The second best invention I've stumbled across in Ghana is the MTN mobile stick. Its portable internet that connects to the cellular wi-fi. It's fast, reliable, portable, and only cost me about 50 GhC ($25) for 4GB of data. It's been a life-saver these past few weeks. I take my computer everywhere and am able to do research, check my email, etc. without having to worry about finding free wi-fi. A mobile internet stick would undoubtedly come in handy in New York as well...

I accompanied my friend, Katrina, to a photo shoot at Asanka Local in Osu. She's a freelance writer for a food magazine and decided to pitch a traditional African dish from Asanka to some kind of top 100 annual list. Don't want to spill too many details, so I'll leave it at that vague description...

Love the traditional decor.

Katrina hard at work photographing Juliana, a waitress who has worked at Asanka Local since it opened its doors seven years ago.

Katrina getting the inside scoop.

'Red-Red' is SO yummy. It's a hearty meal that I will typically eat with plain rice as well. 

'Red-Red' (bean stew) with Fried Plantains. 

Fufu (pounded cassava) in Groundnut (peanut) Soup with Salted Fish (kako).
wow that title required some deciphering, didn't it?

Instead of fish, groundnut soup can also be eaten with chicken, goat, or bushmeat (an opossum-looking mammal). 

Volta Region - Fair Trade Bananas and Wli Falls

On-site at the Volta River Estates Limited in the Volta region of Ghana. They were responsible for introducing the first fair trade bananas into UK's market. 

Alisa towering over me.

I should have asked for a shirt.

Bunches of bananas get shipped to Europe under-ripe, about 2 weeks before becoming fully ripe.

FairTrade labeling stickers.

Next we headed to Wli fall's, one of the Volta region's most popular tourist attractions. As we were walking to the falls it started pouring. We were beyond drenched, but hey - it's part of the experience.

Beautiful.

Oh yes, we for sure jumped in. Believe it or not, we followed our Professor, John's lead... who was also the last one out of the falls as well. Gotta love that guy. 

(Note: Photo credit goes to Priscilla for all photos in this post. I forgot my camera this day!)

21st Birthdays, Custom Clothing and the Azonto

Little Max, the only undergraduate amongst our group of about 20 graduate students, appropriately celebrated his 21st birthday in Ghana. Our Professors graciously presented him with a bottle of tequila, which we discovered tastes pretty darn delicious with fresh coconut juice.

This picture with #TeamCassava and I cracks me up, because I'm SO dark yet I still get called 'white' by locals. Funny story actually - I went to the movies to watch Think Like a Man with some of my Ghanaian friends a few weeks ago. (Hilarious movie by the way, and such a good-looking cast!) After the movie started one of our friends was able to find us although the theater was completely dark. He said it was because I was easy to spot, since I 'glowed in the dark'. -_- Relative to a local Ghanaian, yes, I am 'white'.

(Note to self: my hair is growing dangerously long and desperately needs a trim.)

I forget the name of this local Ghanaian dish, but it was a spinach stew on top of fish with boiled yams. It wasn't what I imagined when they described the dish as a 'stew', but it wasn't bad... or my favorite local dish neither. 

Marjorie, the NYU seamstress passing out everyone's uniquely-made dresses, shirts, wrap skirts and more. Choosing your own fabric and designing your own clothes is relatively inexpensive and fun!  For example, a yard of fabric costs about 5 GHc ($2.50) per yard. A shirt, short skirt, or short dress requires about 2 yards, while a longer dress requires 3. Labor for a skirt is 15 GHc ($7.50) and a dress is 25 GHc ($12.50). So on average a personalized skirt is about 25 GHc ($12.50) while a dress is 40 GHc ($20.00), including the cost of fabric.

My traditional print one-piece romper. 

I also got a maxi dress (in the brown print) and a short skirt (blue and orange print). Since I had leftover fabric, I'm also getting a pencil skirt in the traditional orange fabric, and another pencil skirt in another fabric not shown here. I went to pick up these three pieces from Marjorie's shop, and discovered she has her own selection of fabrics for sale. I couldn't help but put in a few more orders! Since I hate wasting anything, I'm also getting shoulder bags or small purses made with any leftovers. Fun fun!

Actually, what I really want is a blazer! A friend of mine has several of the most gorgeous blazers I've ever seen, all made from traditional Ghanaian fabric. I've been hesitant because it's difficult to pick a fabric that isn't too loud, but I think an earthy toned, or mostly solid-colored blazer would make for a uniquely stylish business casual 'New York' piece. 

Can we talk about Ghana's current dance craze for a second? Not only is the song extremely catchy (as you'll notice from the video below), but the dance is too cute. In Kumasi we were lucky enough to witness an Azonto flash mob of Airtel promotors dancing on the side of the Kumasi market. 

The Azonto was even covered by BBC News.

Anyway, that leads me into these next photos. During our going away dinner at Hospitality Headlines we enjoyed local food, a cake, and a deejay who spun Hip Life hits all night long - including the Azonto. When the NYU Wagner-sponsored celebration officially ended, we decided we weren't going to call it a night just yet...

...so the party continued at Bella Roma in Osu until the early morning. It's nothing but unforgettably good times when professors, students, and staff coexist on the dance floor of a foreign country.