April is the cruelest month

from the top of Table Mountain, looking out over the City Bowl and Table Bay

April is the cruelest month, breeding
Cape Honeysuckle out of the beautiful land, mixing
Memory and desire, stirring
Oak, pine, and eucalyptus roots with winter rain.
Summer kept us warm, covering
Africa in magical sunshine, feeding
A little life with dry heat.
Winter surprised us, coming over False Bay
With heavy, soaking rain; we stopped on Jammie Steps,
And went on at dusk, into Hout Bay,
And drank Durbanville white, and talked for an hour.
Ek is nie Suid-Afrikaanse, ek kom uit Amerika, ek is 'n ware Jood.
And when we were children, staying at the cottage
In Claremont, he took me out on a jet ski,
But I was not frightened.  He said, my girl,
My girl, hold on tight.  And down we went.
On the top of Table Mountain, there you feel free.
I dance, much of the night, and go north in the winter.

(adapted from T. S. Eliot's The Waste Land.)
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I have less than 8 weeks left here in South Africa, and so I realized today that the phrase "April is the cruelest month" feels especially appropriate.  I am just starting to really get to know Cape Town and my place in it, but soon I will have to leave.

Victoria Falls

I went to Livingstone, Zambia, the week before last (from March 25th to April 1st) with 5 friends.  We saw Victoria Falls (one of the Natural Wonders of the World), pet some lions, went on a game drive through Chobe National Park (in Botswana), and went abseiling and gorge-swinging.  I then came back in time to go to a friend's 21st birthday party, the theme for which was "Bollywood Bash."  It was, without a doubt, one of the best weeks of my life.
(If you are interested in seeing pictures, here's the link to the photo album I posted on facebook - you can still view it even if you don't have a facebook account:  http://www.facebook.com/media/set/fbx/?set=a.1750550723909.2080653.
1243080599&l=2199093c66 )

elephants at Chobe National Park

It depends who you ask/ how you interpret things, but many argue that The Waste Land describes April as the cruelest month because it reminds people of death and rebirth, and therefore infertility, and therefore their own mortality.  In addition to my acute awareness of how close to the end my time here is, April reminds me of a couple more events and transitions.....

Geoff, me, Graham (the birthday boy), and Jenya
(just to clarify, this picture has nothing to do with SAAM)

April is also Sexual Assault Awareness Month (SAAM) in the U.S.  Here are three articles that I would really like you to take the time to read:
1)  about rates of sexual assault in South Africa:  http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2010/11/26/world/main7092661.shtml
2)  about sexual assault on college campuses:  http://www.thedaily.com/page/2011/03/19/031911-opinions-column-campus-rape-valenti-1-2/
3)  about sexual assault and moving on:  http://feministing.com/2011/04/18/saam-sexual-assault-and-moving-on/#more-32449

Passover, which is probably my favorite Jewish holiday, also happens in April.  I went to Seders at homes of Cape Tonian Jews on both the first and second nights, and I had a great time both nights.  Happy Pesach!  As we are meant to do, though, I have spent a fair amount of time thinking about the kinds of slavery that still exist today.  Passover also gives me renewed motivation to continue fighting for social justice and people's right to health and happiness, because I know that if I don't, I will become part of the problem (if I'm not already).

And that reminds me - World Health Day was April 7th.  That should have been a happy day, but all I could think about was how so many Republicans think that the decisions they make do not have catastrophic consequences for so many people around the world.  I urge you all to PLEASE vote against any Congressperson or Representative who wants to de-fund Planned Parenthood, NPR, the United Nations Population Fund, or USAID.

As we discussed in my class (Race, Culture, and Identity in Africa) today, April also marks the anniversary of both the Armenian and the Rwandan genocides.  Both of these serve as reminders of the racism and ignorance that still exist in the world.  (Another deeply sad holiday:  today, April 20th, marks the 12 anniversary of the Columbine shootings.)

Jenya and me on the way to Robben Island
Devil's Peak and Table Mountain in the background

Finally, April 27th is Freedom Day in South Africa.  (It is a public holiday, so we have next Wednesday off from school.)  It is meant to celebrate freedom and commemorate the first post-apartheid elections held in 1994.  However, some groups and social movements refer to that day as "Unfreedom" Day, because they recognize that the poor in South Africa experience relatively little freedom.

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in front of Clifton Beach, Lion's Head in the background
from left to right: Hannah, Josh, Rye, Jenya, me, Diego, Harry, and Gator

Ok, so I'll stop being such a downer now.  I am very excited for my next two months.  Hopefully I will be taking a trip to Stellenbosch to go wine-tasting, and at some point I will be taking the Baz Bus along the Garden Route up the east coast of SA.  I also have many more museums yet to visit, many more club venues to check out, and many more things to learn about South Africa!

Ah yes, one more thing.  If you're interested, you can also check out some pictures of my first 3 months here:  http://www.facebook.com/media/set/fbx/?set=a.1734679087128.2079673.1243080599&l=674557cff4

So, I know it's a bit corny, but I must end this post with some symmetry.  Cheers!  And...

  

Shantih shantih shantih 

giraffes at Chobe National Park