A Day Afternoon Off In Capetown

We finished our placement this morning and had lunch back at home base 2. After lunch we piled into a cab with the twins Max and Nick and Jen and Glenna and headed for Table Mountain with the intent of riding up the gondola to the top. Alas, when we arrived there, the winds were too severe so the gondola service was suspended. Not knowing if the gondola would be in service later in the day, we decided to head down the mountain and hired a cab to take four to Green Market Square (an open air bargaining market where we were two days ago) and Dianne and me to Rondebosch. We agreed on 120 Rand, but guess what? The cabbie claimed ignorance and said 120 to Green Market and then 130 to Rondebosch. It cost us 120 from Rondebosch to Table Mountain, so our driver was attempting to cheat us. We refused to pay that amount and all got out at Green Market and paid 60 and walked away. Thank goodness for Jen. Sher took the lead in refusing and stuck to her guns. I am sure the cabbie was pissed, but he was trying to take us for a ride in more ways than one. Lesson learned. Always havethe cab run the meter if a metered cab.
This morning at Etafeni was a very good morning for me. I was able to give a short lesson about body language and how we communicate nonverbally through our bodies. I got one of the girls to volunteer and took her outside and told here we would do a skit. I was to start telling her a story and her instruction was to let the rest of the class know that she was not at all interested in what I was saying through her body language. She did a very good job and the rest of the class correctly chose bored and uninterested in my story. We also talked about body language during an interview and how to sit and how to place hands and how to dress for the interview. It was fun to teach.
After tea at 10, Deborah conducted a discussion with the students about their attitudes towards homosexual sex, promiscuity, obligations of HIV+ people to disclose to families and also whether HIV+ people should abstain from sex and should a pregnant HIV+ mother have an abortion. I have never seen this group so engaged as with this discussion. It was amazing to watch and I told them I was greatly impressed by their level of discussion when I had to leave for the day. They had definite and divergent opinions, some of which were influenced by their religious views and were very eloquent in expressing themselves. It was a real treat for me. Tomorrow, they are going to put on a cultural display which should be interesting and informative.
Tomorrow we go the Area 6 museum and to the Slave Lodge. I really like the balance between volunteerism, free time, and cultural learning experiences. Cross Cultural Solutions is a reall tiptop organization.
Really need to go now. Hope all are well and keeping us and South Africa in your thoughts and prayers.
Art