South Africa Journal

Delheim Reprise

Saturday August 12

I took a little time this morning to sort through all my possessions and presents -- not you are not all getting something... For the most part I have trinkets and souvenirs for my classroom and office, but in any case, enough (including books) that I will surely be overweight tomorrow. with any luck my VAT refund will cover it.

There had been a possibility of going to Guguletu today with Mandissa, the tour guide who drove me from the airport, but I couldn't reach her via her cell phone, so I headed down to green market for some last minute shopping. A great delight was finding a woman from the night school entrepeneurial class who was selling in a booth and called out "hello teacher." Of course I had to buy something from her.

I had a definite date at 1:00 to meet Erik Klas, the star former pupil from the finishing school who now has a newspaper in Guguletu. He insisted he wanted to interview me. I thought he should interview Mandissa and write an article about why tourists are good for Guguletu, and why the residents should welcome them, rather than throw stones. On the one hand you can understand that they feel gawked at, but as Mandissa is the first to explain, these foreigners have the potential to help South Africa in many important ways. So we met together, Mandissa, Erik, and his wife. She is studying radiography and would like to come to the United States. I spent some time explaining that young people the world over want to come to the US, and that it was unlikely to find US funding for such a trip -- she needed to find a South African University or business that wanted her to have further training.

While she and I were talking, Mandisa and Erik were getting to know each other, speaking in Xhosa ( a word with a click which I have yet to master, although I try). They were enjoying a lot of laughter which, it turned out was at my expense. Erik had arrived in Capetown early and took a walk down to The market. When he saw me there, walking around with the video camera around my neck, he decided to make himself my secret body guard, and follow me at a distance to make sure nothing happened to me. I was pretty careful with my wallet in a front pocket, only limited currency, no passport, etc. But once you start buying things it gets harder to keep a hand on the camera, and someone could have cut it off my neck.

In fact I felt safe in the market -- also a danger, and was only bothered by one man who insisted on trying to sell me a suitcase (which in fact I do need..)..

In all it was a great encounter, watching Mandisa, who had never heard of Erik's newspaper, and Erik, who had never heard of her tours, get to know each other and plan future meetings. I was also happy to hear that Erik had contacted my writer friend, Sindiwe, who grew up in Guguletu and is currently back visiting. He is interviewing her tomorrow. If nothing else, I have to be proud that these people have met because of my efforts, and more may grow from that.

Before long Maria, the Sperling's younger daughter, showed up and we headed off to the supermarket where I had to buy the makings of the final dinner here in Delheim. I wanted to make paella, but absent a reliable fish market, I settled on rack of lamb with potatoes and apple crisp with ice cream for dessert.

Yesterday afternoon I went to the District 6 Museum, which is tied closely to the Guguletu story. District 6 was a part of Capetown which had a vibrant, mixed population at the time Apartheid was created -- you might think of it as the Lower East Side, with black, colored, Asian and white, especially Jews, living together in the more dilapidated buildings of Capetown. In the 1960s, after the group areas act was passed, District 6 was declared a whites only area, all the blacks, coloreds and Asians were forced to move and the area was bulldozed in as a sort of urban renewal project.

I am now in the Delheim office, after much laughter (also in part at my expense, but that is the Delheim way) some lovely presents (oh where is that extra suitcase?) and of course, more great wines.

My final challenge is to pack for a 3:30 flight tomorrow. Is it obvious that I hate to leave? The lure of London is faster e-mail and a chance to tell the youngest son Nicky about my Delheim adventures.