Holocaust Center and Jewish Museum

On Sunday, I went to town to the Holocaust Center and South African Jewish Museum. 

In the past, I have been to many Holocaust Museums and even to a concentration camp. It is important for me to always remind myself of the atrocities committed based on hatred. In a sense, the presence of this museum in South Africa was particularly powerful. This was an underlying theme throughout the exhibit, which did not back away from displaying anti-semitism occurring  within SA. Like so many other countries, SA passed laws limiting immigration.   Also,  it was fascinating to learn about the Lithuanian influence in SA. I had heard very little about Lithuania in relation to the Holocaust. At the end of the exhibit, there was a wall with pictures of survivors living in the Western Cape. There was a quote to look into their eyes, which I did. It was something that I had never thought to do before. I cannot really describe how this make me felt, but I was truly moved. To think what they had seen through those eyes - violence, hunger, hate, and death and yet those eyes also seen, as indicated by the labels underneath, the births of children and grandchildren. That is resistance. 

There was a quote by Desmund Tutu at the exit of the exhibit. Paraphrasing, it said, "We remember the Holocaust to remind ourselves to be gentile and compassionate." I loved this quote.  I usually walk out of exhibits about the Holocaust feeling down, but I walked out of this particular one wanting to give someone a hug and give back even more to my community. Coincidentally, Schindler's List was on TV that night. I watched it thinking about the feelings that I experienced during the day. 

Next, I went to the Jewish Museum next door.  It was well put together and  very interesting. I had not realized how much influence Jewish settlers had in South Africa. Originally, Jewish immigrants came into SA through Cape Town. Here many started businesses, many which were located in District 6. Then, much of the population moved to Johannesburg due to the discovery of diamonds. According to the lady in my headphone, Johannesburg was one of the few cities that Jews helped build. There was a really cool display illustrating how the city grew. I also appreciated the section about the involvement of different Jewish figures in apartheid. There was a great video of Nelson Mandela speaking about this involvement. 

In sum, I had a terrific and thought provoking day at the Jewish Museum and Holocaust Center. Definitely worth checking out if you are ever Cape Town. Off to bed, I am going to ATTEMPT to be up by 5:45 so I can go see Desmund Tutu preach. 

- Feldman

Pictures 2

Rugby 

                                 New Zealand doing their war chant with SA watching in respect.

                                                         Me with my host for the night - Rudy

Pictures from my mini-hike Today 

                                                                       Rhodes Memorial

                                                      And suddenly there was water ...

I just got an email that I am slipping on my posts! I apologize. Just got back from seeing a play and then meeting some friends.  I decided to do both things randomly. Indeed, my original plan was to stay in for the night and write blogs. The play was a one man show that was an update on a controversial and often banned play during the 1980s. It was funny, but I did not understand many of the references and it seemed that the biggest laughs came when the actor said something in Afrikaans, which I of course didn't understand.  I wlll share one interesting story. It was about Helen Suzman. She was one of the few, if not the only, members of parliament in an opposition progressive party. Every year, at the start of parliament she would ask the question "Can you please provide the numbers in regard to the statue that allows reallocation." Reallocation is changing the classification of someone's race. The leader would be forced to say "three coloreds became Chinese. 14 blacks became colored. 24 Indians became colored ... "  The person having to answer Suzman's question once said "Please don't ask that embarrassing questions. Suzman would respond, "It's not the question that's embarrassing but the answer!" The actor humorously pointed out that no one ever went from black to white or white to  black ...  

Here is a short post about rugby match that I attended on Friday night. Tomorrow, i will write a post about the Jewish Museum and the rest of my week tomorrow. 

On Friday night, I went with Rene and Clyve's family friend Rudy and his brother in law Jaques to the Nuelands Stadium for the Junior World Championships in rugby.This was a big deal in South Africa because rugby is one of if not the most popular sport,  it was the first time that the South AFrican team had made it to the finals and  they were playing their international rivals - New Zealand. When I got in the car to go to the stadium, someone asked me if I had seen rugby before. I said that i had been to see the Uganda national team during the past two years. They responded, "Oh so you have sort of seen rugby. It's nothing like this." Later, I learned that SA and NZ are the two biggest rugby countries and that each country has their unique style of play. Some of these,  which involve  alignments and different types of kicking plays, were pointed out to me during the game. 

As I entered the stadium, the first major difference between the games that i had seen and this one was apparent - attendance.  35,000 (the capacity of Newland Stadium and the largest  crowd in the in history for a junior championship) filled the stands.  There was excitement all around - waving flags, chanting, and at one point a massive and long wave. At the start of the game,  New Zealand team conducted their traditional Haka - war chant. Apparently, each Pacific Island has there own version.  Its one of those things where they chant and do a dance, march like thing in which they configure in a triangle and put one hand on the other hands elbow and get in a pose like they are either about to be signaled to start a race or are stretching multiple muscles at one time.  Its sort of trendy now in HS sports ,as illustrated in the final season of the critically acclaimed and unfortunately under watched series Friday Night Lights when Tim Riggin's brother leads the East Dylan Lions in the chant. The purpose is to intimidate the opponent. In respect, the SA team stood and watched. I believe I have a picture of this which I will post tomorrow . It was cool to see and I can see how it would be scary and be a good psycological game to paly on the opponent. 

I was very lucky as I got to sit in a box with a great view. Throughout the game, Jacques assisted me by explaining rules. I still was a bit clueless but started to understand the flow of the game better as the minutes past. In terms of the differences between this game versus my previous experience, I am not sure that I can tell you how the game was different. Still looked like a flowy American football game without breaks.  My view was definitely better, which made the experience more fun since I could appreciate the game.  In the second half, the Baby Boks (the  adult team is the springboks) dominated leading to a victory. It was so exciting to see the first win by the team - the biggest sports event i have ever witnessed! I am so thankful that i was invited by Rudy to this game. It would of have been unfortunate if I had missed this opportunity. 

Pictures will be uploaded tomorrow. I need to go to bed and they take too long to load (like an hour). I have an 8:30 am appointment to go to a sheltered employment site. Sheltered or Protective employment is when a place is set up in a closed labor market to provide a job for someone. 

- Feldman

Work Update

This week I learned a great deal despite a mid-week snafu. 

On Tuesday, I returned to the UCT Disability Unit. I asked permission of my interviewee to quote her on my blog. She told me  to go ahead and print what I wanted. Thus, I will not write about Reanette Popplestone in a cryptic manner as I did last time. Mrs. Popplestone is the director of the Disability Unit at University of Cape Town. She, herself is blind. I am so grateful for how generous she has been with her time and  answers. Her insight is so valuable. This week, she explained universities are actually equipped well to assist people with disabilities (I saw this for myself when I took the UCT van that transports people with disabilities Mrs. Popplestone) . The issue is that other entities are not. There is not a education or transportation system that accommodates people with physical or sensory disabilities. Thus, the foundation to help someone with disabilities reach higher education  does not exists despite the ability of the universities to accommodate . Furthermore, most employers do not have the will to put in the proper ramps. "A business would rather hire someone with a missing finger than in a wheelchair or who is blind," she said.  I could go on an on about my visit with Mrs. Popplestone so I will end there for now and come back to the subject sometime. 

On Wednesday, I met with someone from an organization that assists people with disabilities to find jobs and then a doctor at a special school for people with disabilities. That evening, however, I started feeling stomach pains, which was the start of one of those silly one day stomach viruses. I had to cancel and reschedule some meetings on Thursday and Friday morning that I was really excited for like a focus group with parents that a director of disability  advocacy organization was meeting with and said I could crash. The good news is that most people were understanding and willing to let me reschedule. I did lose some time making phone calls to set up appointment, but I have a list of numbers and will tackle in the morning! 

On Friday, I met with two NGOs, which were both successes.I have been asking the same questions at every meeting. It is so interesting to see connections and then also the outliers. I can say with certainty that one of the lead reasons that people with disabilities struggle to find employment is mobility and transportation, which is important feedback due to the nature of Nicky's Drive. 

I have two exciting post coming up. One about going to the rugby Junior World Championships (Wooo South Africa won! I have some great pictures) and another about going to the Jewish Museum. Must go to bed as I have an 8:13 train to Stellanbosch where I have meeting  with some people at the University. 

- Feldman 

A Few Photos

These are not the best pictures, but they are what I have so far. I will take some more and share soon! 

 The Waterfront during my first weekend here. 

                               Maybe I would drive if I had this view when I got on the tollway

 Rene, my host (SA Mama), asked that I post this picture for my my mom. She wants me to point out that she is using olive oil, giving me "Greens," and herbal tea.

               The view that I see when I walk outside in the morning from the Caesar's home.

Saturday

I had a terrific Saturday that included one big surprise ... 

I woke up at 8:30 and my friend Elon picked me up to go the Old Biscuit Mill. 

The old Bisquit Mill is this amazing market. There is every type of food possible from dumplings to falafel. The best part was just walking around and trying everything from the pesto to the cheeses to the chili to the honey. I was truly in heaven. If you happen to be in Cape Town and want to find me, you will just need to go to the Old Biscuit Mill on Saturday mornings. I will be there eating ...

After the Old Biscuit Mill, I went to an expo about employment for people with disabilities. This event was organized in corroboration with Youth Day. Youth Day is a national holiday in South Africa. It commemorates the Soweto Uprising. This is  thousands of students protested against the government for requiring that all schools when the apartheid government issued a law that required  all black  schools to  teach in exclusively  Afrikaans and English. This eliminated the local Xhosa from the classroom. There were 176 people killed (thanks wikipedia). This is the most famous picture from the event. The person being carried is dead and that is his sister running next to them. Elon described this picture to me as he told  me the purpose of the day. 

The expo was very interesting ... I got the cards of some people to call to speak about there hiring practices. As I arrived, I heard an announcement - "The amazing Nicky who drives with no arms will be here in an hour and a half." I had no idea I was going to get to see Nicky. This was my large surprise! It was so much fun to be reunited with Nicky. Even cooler was to see the reaction of the small audience that she spoke too. Everyone was so inspired. There were people with intellectual, mental and physical disabilities. I met one person that was Schizophrenic and another that had Cerebal Palsy. The common thread was that each and everyone was inspired by Nicky's message. It was awesome to hear people raise their hands to ask about how they could learn to drive. 

In the past few days, i have spoken with several people for my research, which I will write about in another post. They have all listed transportation as a top three reason that people with disabilities. The hope that Nicky provided the people in her audience, even me (who doesn't drive), was truly inspiring. I am excited to start working with her in less than two weeks now. 

Before Nicky left, I was able to take a ride with her. It was so cool. I failed to post this video last time I made a post of her driving. Please take the time to watch - http://vimeo.com/34143219. 

Now, I am off to bed. 

- Feldman 

Early Wednesday morning,  I was woken up by  Rene's happy voice.  She exclaimed, "Michael. Let's go to breakfast!" I  could not think of anything more fun than a meal with my self proclaimed "SA mom."  At breakfast, she gave me even more ideas of people to call in regards to research. In addition, we had lively conversation about various topics. 

Following breakfast, I walked to University of  Cape Town to take my friend Katie's phone to the office of her abroad program. Before I left the office, I decided to ask about what steps they needed to take when they had a student with a disability.  This turned out to be a golden idea as I was given directions to the disability unit for the university. 

First, I want to say that I find UCT to be a stunning campus. It is divided into three sections - lower, middle, and upper campus. These words describe how these areas are situated. To get to Upper Campus involves a pretty intense trek. I have never seen so many stairs in my life. It is worth the walk, as the view from the top is stunning. I will take and post some pictures on Tuesday night.  

When I arrived in the office, my intention was to simply set up an appointment with someone that could speak to higher education and public policy. I  was able to meet with someone and set up an appointment, but not before having the chance to speak with the person first. I am going to be careful about writing too much on here that will reveal who this person is as I did not ask if he/she was willing to have what he/she said repeated beyond my final report. Make sure to ask me to go into more detail as this person was truly inspiring. 

This person explained to me that he/she believed lack of detail to be the fundamental flaw with South African policy. He/She explained that disabilities will often be put into equity bills. A bill might state "There shall be no discrimination based on race, gender, or ability." The problem with this is that it does not provide any conrete guidelines for this to occur. "the current laws have no teeth - just words on paper." 

In addition, he/she spoke about  how people with disabilities need to more educated because a person is not going to hire someone with a disability unless they illustrate having a higher skill set of some sort and how the problem with placing quotas on how many people are employed with disabilities within a company is that people with slight disabilities. I was also given insight into what laws to look into and how the legislative process works. 

This appointment turned out to be extremely helpful. I am so glad I just showed up. Here is the funny thing. I left the meeting with my hands covered in notes so I would not forget what this person said. It was pretty comedic. I wish I had taken a picture. I will meet with this person again on Tuesday, which I am excited for. 

Hope all the dads out there are having a great Father's Day. Expect more updates soon. 

- Feldman

My Project

On Monday, I embarked on starting my third Ingram Scholarship Project. Because this is my third project, it is a little different than those I conducted in Uganda. The major difference is that I am not working for an organization but rather collaborating with many through the faculty fellowship program. Thus, to understand my project, it is essential to explain the players. .

Professor Sharon Shields is a member of the Human and Organizational Development department. She also happens to be my advisor and serve as an advisor to the Humphrey Fellowship Program, a State Department program that “brings accomplished mid-career leaders from developing nations and emerging democracies to the United States for an academic year to study, gain professional experience and foster cultural exchange.” This year Cathy Arendse from South Africa came to Vanderbilt to study the inclusion of people with disabilities. Professor Shields was her faculty mentor. Together, they began brainstorming about how to make connections between Vanderbilt resources and South African partners working on disability.  In the spring, they brought the inspiring Nicky Abdinor to campus. . Nicky was born with shortened legs and no arms. This has not stopped her. Not only is she accomplished in her fields, but she also drives! Thus, she has started an organization called Nicky’s Drive to increase accessibility to devices that assist with mobility for people with disabilities in SA.

In February or March, I met Nicky and Cathy on a Saturday at a dinner hosted by my good friend, Ben Scott. I learned about Cathy’s relationship with Professor Shields. I thought to myself, “This would make a great Faculty Fellowship summer project, but I will never be able to put it together in time.” Then, on Monday, I ran into Professor Shields getting lunch at the Commons Center. Two hours later, I was in her office planning, and now I am here.

My role in this project is to assist Nicky, Cathy, and Professor Shields by researching public policy toward people with disabilities. More specifically, I am examining higher education for and employment of people with disabilities.  In addition, I will work on program development with both Nicky and Cathy.

For the first three weeks, I am strictly conducting research independently. This is challenging but also exciting because I am responsible for planning my time and finding people to interview. This week has illustrated to me the power of knowing people that love and understand a community. I have received contacts through numerous sources. I gave myself three goals for the week. First, I would gather contacts and schedule meetings for next week. Second, I would review public policy toward people with disabilities in SA. Third, I would do what I could to get acquainted with the culture of the city and SA.

In this post, I am going to focus on a speaker I heard on that helped me understand a bit more about the job market in Cape Town and South Africa in general. I will discuss the rest of my week in relation to my project in a post later today or tomorrow.

On Tuesday,  I had the privilege of joining a group of Vanderbilt graduate students to hear two speakers at University of Cape Town. I found the first speaker particularly helpful and insightful.

He discussed the differences between formal and informal business and how that plays out in Cape Town. Formal business is regulated while informal is de-regulated (As I write this, I realize I should have asked the speaker what Wall Street would be considered … Just kidding). Formal business would be a grocery store like Kroger or in Cape Town – Pick n Pay, Shoprite, or Woolsworths. Informal business would be a spaza shop, a convenient store usually in someone’s home with limited items. These are likely to be found in townships. The argument of the speaker was that informal business is a major player in the South African economy, but that the government focuses strictly on formal business when it comes to policy. The one way that governement interferes is by occasionally shutting down informal, especially “shabeens,” which are unlicensed liquor distributors (Fetal alcohol syndrome is a major issue in South Africa, especially in the Western Cape. This of course relates to disability.).

 He also showed how areas of poverty and more upper class areas are organized differently. People living in poorer areas with more informal businesses have access to less transportation, which means that businesses need to be in closer proximity.  Thus, shops pop up in homes. In a sense this relates to the problem of food access in poor areas in the United States, which is exasperated by people not having proper transportation. The speaker also discussed the reality of foreign nationals taking a grasp of informal business. This is a topic for another blog post as it relates to one of the issues potentially facing Uganda as well.

This lecture caused me to think about my task in a new way.  I will now considered how living with a disability that effects mobility would mean different challenges depending on where someone lives.  Even more, I have a better understanding of how people that do not have jobs in the formal economy find ways of making money. The issue of mobility and employment is deeply related, and I look forward to exploring this relationship. My computer is about to die so I must stop here. Feel free to send me questions for clarification! Expect a new post soon.

- Feldman 

Sunday

So on Saturday, my lovely hosts allowed me to sleep late ... until 3:00 PM. Well, I thought 3 PM. It was actually 4 PM because my phone had the wrong time. I did not realize this for a few hours. I simply went and picked up some lunch and then returned to the house. I spent the evening reading and watching a few movies.

The next morning I went to church with Rene and Clive.  The service was at the Anglican Cathedral. It was an over 100-year-old building, stoned with a beautiful stained glass window at the back. Clive is one of the associate priests. This is where Desmond Tutu served as Archbishop. Indeed, his message of acceptance and equality came out in the priest’s sermon. I enjoyed the service as I think it is inspiring to see spiritual people. I was particularly moved by the diversity of the crowd. There were people of all races and ages in addition to sexual orientation. Rene took me outside where there was a labyrinth - a bricked patterned path to follow. It was a strangely relaxing exercise.

Once we returned from church, we had a quick breakfast then I departed with the intention of going to Robben Island. The weather was beautiful, and I had heard from numerous friends that their opportunities to go to Robben Island had been delayed or canceled by weather. I took a "taxi," which like in Kampala and also Zanzibar actually, are mini busses that stop on the side of the road for whoever wants in. The taxis go to town center. From there, I walked to the port where the ferry to Robben Island departs. Unfortunately this story has an extremely anti-climatic ending. The 1PM ferry was sold out and there was no 3 PM ferry due to the season. Lame.

The good news was that this gave me time to walk around and explore. First, I walked around the waterfront. The water was beautiful and blue, for a lack of a better description.  I love how mountain and sea are so near each other. It is truly delightful and a sight to be seen.  There was tons of shopping and places to eat. I saw people walking around carrying shopping bags with the big designer names. The area had It had a real touristy feel as I heard all sorts of languages from Italian to Spanish to English and unidentifiable. There was a beautiful view of the Cape Town Stadium, which was close by. This reminded me of all the wonderful times I had watching the World Cup in Kampala two years ago. I vividly remember thinking to myself , "I really want to go there."

I walked from the sea to the "city" as signs to guide tourist identified downtown Cape Town. For the next few hours, I roamed around. In a strange way, I was reminded of Glasgow, Scotland’s city center (where I studied in the fall) as I strolled. This surprised me. I think this feeling can be linked to the number of shopping areas and squares. One of the major differences, among many, is that there are beautiful views of mountains from most places in Cape Town. In Glasgow, I would have had to drive to see that. The bottom line is that Cape Town and Glasgow, while extremely different cities, share a sense of being a bit touristy yet confident in their roots, and increasingly hip. Interestingly, I think that there is probably a relationship between the fact that both cities have experienced great struggles in their past that still effect their social frameworks. While I doubt that many others would sense this similarity, I did. Seriously, for some reason I kept having these moments of thinking about Glasgow. This was not a bad thing as I have extremely fond feelings toward Glasgow, an underrated gem.  In fact, these thoughts caused me to feel comfortable and at home in Cape Town.

I was proud of myself for finding my way to Long Street where Katie had taken me. This was a major accomplishment. I knew I was in the right place when I saw a shirt in a window that I had jokingly told Katie to buy on Friday. I stopped by a sandwich shop she suggested. Then, I wandered around before returning home to Mowbray. Those who know me well know that I love to walk around new places so it was a successful day.

Before I conclude, I want to express how blessed I feel to be living where I am living. Not only is the location great, but also the family I am staying with is delightful. Rene reminds me of my mom in so many ways. She exudes happiness and a love of people that is infectious. In addition to making me feel part of the family, the Caesar family has given me guidance. They have a true understanding of the need to assist people with disabilities. Thus, they have provided me some great “connections.”

Finally, I have something very exciting to report. Tonight, I had dinner with the nephew of one of my mom’s friends. This in itself is worth writing about; however, I am only going to share one aspect … He took me to a great frozen yogurt place. If I was not convinced by Cape Town already, I surely am now!

- Feldman

Reunions

Greetings! 

So before I departed Dallas for Cape Town last week, i planned on starting a blog. There was one problem. I could not come up with a creative name. My mother advised me to just start it in when I arrived.  I have decided to call this blog - The Cape Town Connection. I do not think this is the most original name; however, it captures how I feel about my time here and the project that I am conducting. I have more friends with a strong connection to this city than any other city in the world. Indeed,  a high number  of my dearest friends including Elin, Wilson, Ben, Stefanie, Will,  Brenna, Emily, and Katie have all spent time during there college experiences in Cape Town. I feel blessed to have the opportunity to connect to this place as they have. I will return to the US feeling "The Cape Town Connection" that they all have. 

 On another level, my goal while here is about making connections. I am, as I will go into more detail about later, conducting research on public policy towards people with disabilities. In doing so, I am seeking to find connections: connections through the people I speak to, between the information I gather, and between my project partners and my goals. Thus, in a strange way, I think my sort of bland name fits my feelings and intentions toward the next eight weeks. 

With that said, let me tell you about my experience so far. My journey began with two back to back reunions with great friends. First, during my 12 hour layover in London, my friend Charlotte greeted me at the airport. Charlotte was one of my roommates during my first summer in Kampala, Uganda. She then hosted my friend from Vanderbilt - Ashley - when she studied abroad in London.  Then, when I was in Glasgow, we visited each other. Her friendship represents one of my favorite aspects of the times I have spent abroad - the "connections" I have made. We went to one of my favorite places in London - The Borough Market.  We shared a curry and gnochi.  Then, I had the most delectable veggie burger. Better then the food was the conversation. I am so happy that we connected and that I made my flight! 

When I arrived in Cape Town, Cathy Arendse's husband, William picked me up. Cathy is a central figure in my project. She is a Humphrey Fellowship Recipient. The Humphrey Fellowship is granted to outstanding leaders who have achieved masters degrees and worked in their field. I will go into more detail about Cathy and the project in my next post. William was great and a comforting personality to encounter upon arriving in a new place. He was friendly and helpful. It was a cold and rainy morning in Cape Town yet as we drove to my home for the next three weeks, the beauty of the natural landscape was evident through the clouds. I can't wait to start exploring! 

I am staying in a wonderful neighborhood - Mowbray. It is right near University of Cape Town. There are wonderful views of Lions Head and Table Mountain from outside the home. I am staying with Rene and Clive Caesar. Rene is a wonderful ball of energy and full of love. She greeted me with a great big hug and excitement when she arrived home from work. However, my time to chat with her was short because my friend Katie Ullmann arrived to take me around Cape Town 30 minutes after I arrived! This was reunion number 2.  

I was abroad in Glasgow in the fall and Katie was here in the spring so we had only seen each other for a few days in the last year. Coincidently, I arrived in Cape Town at 9am and she departed for home at 11pm, which meant we literally had one day together. We made the best of it. She showed me around UCT and the area that I am living in. She took me to meet the waiters, her   friends, at Cafe Cocoa Wah Wah (where I happen to be writing this right now). I also was able to go to a lunch that honored her for the service she conducted with an organization called Young in Prison. Funny story: at this ceremony, they asked everybody to introduce themselves. Katie whispered to me to say that I was friends with Ben Scott ( one of my good friends). Everybody started cheering. I practically received a standing ovation for mentioning his name. He had volunteered with YIP during his time abroad and then conducted his Ingram summer project with them. My point is that "connections" are apparently helpful in Cape Town. 

After the ceremony, Katie and I went to town where we had the most delicious lunch at the one place that was reccomended to her that she had not been to yet - Cafe Paridiso. It really was paradise. There was a buffet with every type of salad you could imagine - beets, butternut squash, etc. We then walked around  Long Street, which was full of restaurants and shops,  as she explained to me everything I needed to know from public transportation  informationto where I needed to go eat (always important) . I am so happy that we had this time together. It was hard to say goodbye, but it was even harder to see her say goodbye to the friends she had made here as I know I will see her in August! 

Alright, I am going to end this post here as my internet may run out at any moment, and I have a few more emails I need to send regarding my project.  I will start my next posts, which will be about yesterday - going to church and exploring Cape Town - and my project. I just wanted to make sure to have a post for my mom and dad to wake up to!