Prison Yard Games

Well, we got up bright and early this morning (July 12th) to leave Grahamstown to head towards Umtata. I was a little surprised when I went into the bathroom and turned on the shower only to find that no water came out. I couldn’t figure out what the deal was, so I tried the bath faucet and nothing! I put my clothes back on and tried a completely different shower room and still nothing. I eventually gave up and settled for a bottled water and washcloth shower in my room. Everyone was running around trying to get their things on the bus and I was doing the same. Since our rooms were on the fourth floor we all had a long way to carry our things down to the bus. When I finally got a chance to talk to everyone else in the group they were all lamenting the lack of water. Rich says that the water running out is South Africa. We’ll see about that…

The ride to Umtata was fascinating. South Africa (at least this part) is large rolling hills and the countryside is starting to look like what I imagined Africa to be. Large swaths of golden-brown grass – called veld make up the landscape, with only the occasional tree. Also, there always seems to be mountains in the distance. Along and between all of these hills and mountains there are villages, towns, and cities. Some of them contain rows of small, perfectly square houses. In some communities all the houses are white, and in others they are an array of beautiful colors – teal, pink, yellow. Among these houses are the round stick topped traditional homes of the Xhosa. Sometimes they are the only dwelling, sometimes they are next to the house itself. All along the way there are all of these amazing sights that I continuously want to photograph, but I would only be taking pictures and not taking it all in. One of the most common sights is all of the farm animals. There are goats, cows and horses all around eating and walking right up to the road. I had to laugh when we passed a mini herd of goats trotting up the highway in the opposite direction. Then there are these other amazing sights – two women walking through the veld with huge bundles of sticks balanced on their heads, children playing along fences, an old man waving from his yard, a veld fire with the community carrying buckets of water to put it out…




Life out here is so different from what we saw in Cape Town and I think we are about to have a very revealing time on the road.
We got to Umtata at 3pm where Rich told us again that we were to stay within the hotel’s perimeter, and I quote: “This is a HIGH. CRIME. AREA. No wondering the streets, everything you need is right outside of the hotel and you should go in groups.” When I saw the hotel, I realized that it was actually a compound. The rolled back the metal gate for the bus and we pulled in. The rooms were surrounded by spiked metal fencing topped with barbed wire and then electrified for good measure.

We put our things in our rooms and went as a group to just outside the hotel to the grocery store right next door. The Superspar was well stocked and crawling with security. We got things for a potluck party and headed back to the hotel. My friend Kim bought a Hannah Montana ball when he realized, as we all did, that we were going to be behind hotel walls for the next 18 hours. When w returned from the store we found ourselves kicking this ball around the parking lot, and eventually having a little soccer game.

I had to laugh when I initially called the game prison ball. As we were joking that it was exercise time in “the prison,” I realized that we were safe behind the walls, but totally contained. It was driving us a little nutty after only a few brief hours, and I can’t imagine living a life where fear is a daily part of your existence. While they might not fear as we do, foreigners in their city, their fear is very present and represented by the houses surrounded in fences topped with shards of glass, barbed wire, or electric wiring.
On a silly note, we spent our potluck having delicious, fresh food and fabulous South African wine, and it was a delight to not be in a restaurant. We ended up trying to explain “The Sound of Music” to Xolani, which inevitably led to the (horrific) singing of the songs. Chris and I made up our own lyrics: “The hills are alive with the sound of music in Umtata.” When someone suggested that we put out an album as the Von Trapped Family Compound Singers, I thought I was going to throw up from laughing. I actually had a great time locked in the compound, but am infinitely glad that I had the option to leave.

Ps. where there is a will, there is a way! I managed to make burritos on the road by buying from a deli: Xhosa Samp and beans, savory rice, south african cheddar cheese, and "mexicorn" shells! YEAH! Tadashi and I thoroughly enjoyed our "Mexican" feast!