So, I moved out of Zweletemba and the very same day moved into the Jacob's family. The Jacobs, Gamida and Nadeem, with their three children Nurah, 10, Kouthar, 7, and Gannan, 2, live in the Bo Kaap district in the city bowl of Cape Town. The Bo Kaap is predominately a "coloured" (I use this term, as it is the acceptable terminology in South Africa) area made of mostly Muslims. It is full of bright, colorful houses lining steep streets (last night the taxi we were in started rolling backwards due to the immense steepness, don't worry we were fine!). Most of the people that live there are known as the "Cape Malay", with origins in Malaysia. They are famous for their amazing food, and our family is not an exception. My host mom cooks some of the best food I have had on the trip, it is sort of like Indian, but not exactly. I bought the Cape Malay cookbook at the request of my home stay mom and look forward to attempting a few of these amazing dishes.
I was a bit nervous about living with a devout Muslim family. What if I am too crazy for them? Not to worry! My first day in the home, my host dad was listing off all his favorite Ludacris, Snoop Dog, and Fifty Cent songs. My host mom talks nostalgically of the days she went out dancing and how she would really love to take belly dancing classes. They have a big cozy L-shaped couch, and we have all spent many a nights gathered watching all sorts of movies. I have had a home. They do pray five times per day, and their Muslim values are definitely the backbone of their lives. Rather than being an awkward cultural disconnect, we have had really amazing conversations about religion, apartheid, differences of lifestyle. THe truth is Muslims can truly get down!
My first weekend with the home stay they took me, and Nikki M. (my AMAZING roommate) to a Muslim fashion show at a high school for ladies only. My word, it was an event. All the women had their heads uncovered (no pictures aloud) and were hootin and hollerin as beautiful, scantily clothed high school girls pranced down the runway like professionals. Any stereotypes I had were certainly shattered that night. The next weekend I went to Goudini Spa, a hot springs about an hour out of Cape Town, with my homestay. We sat in hot pools, jumped on trampolines, hiked up a mountain (or half a mountain), watched movies, and ate a ton of junk food! The spa was filled with predominately coloured resort, and bathing suits ranged from full body suits to the few who were a bikini top with shorts. I stuck to the one piece bathing suit. It was a great weekend. But all good things have the slightly negative side. All of this family time has brought with it some familial frustrations and a personal tension that leaves me and Nikki stuck between being with our family and spending time with our friends from IHP who we will soon be saying goodbye to.
All has worked out, and I have had a fantastic time here. There is so much I have learned that I cannot even scratch the surface in a blog. I move out of the Bo Kaap tomorrow, then it is final retreat and then I board a plane to the US of A on Friday. But damn, I feel like I need to come back to each and every place I have gone, there is just too much to do, see, and experience. Then again, it will be good to come home and solidify my synthesizing.
