South Africa: Through the Eyes of a Child

Words By: Martin Villanueva

Images By: Martin Villanueva

 

How much of the world's offerings do we take for granted? How much beauty do we often fail to see? With so much distraction and preoccupations around us, our rose colored glasses are often scratched and smudged, tainting our view of the world. In this journal, we see the world through fresh eyes again – through the eyes of a child. 15-year-old Martin Villanueva explores South Africa and maps for us, through his own words and images, the landscape of a country defined by golden desserts, lush forests, and vibrant towns populated by a diverse specie of wildlife and a people of a proud and colorful culture. He reveals to us, with a sense of wonder and a touch of humour, the heart of this multifaceted nation.

When I departed from Boston via airplane with my school choir yesterday, it was about 15 degrees Fahrenheit and there were about eighteen inches of snow on the ground. When we arrived in South Africa following two torturous flights (a 6 hour flight to Paris followed by an eight hour layover and finally, an eleven hour flight to Johannesburg) it was an almost intolerably humid 85 degrees. I was thoroughly unprepared for the hot weather, wearing jeans and a cozy black sweater. The weather was not the only thing I was unprepared for. I was constantly surprised (most of the time pleasantly) during my South African adventure.

We took a tour of Soweto today (Soweto is short for South Western Township because it is Southwest of Johannesburg). Soweto was a site full of history. During apartheid, the white government forced African-Americans out of white designated Johannesburg and into Soweto and many other newly created suburbs which were poorly laid out and were composed mostly of shacks and shanties. Although apartheid ended fifteen years ago, Soweto is still on its way to recovery. Later, we had a choral exchange. We sang with the Choir of Soweto. The Soweto Choir was really good. Their basses in particular were amazing and the African music they sang was different from the mostly European repertoire that we tend to sing. We ate dinner with the choir and they served a chicken dish over wild rice that tasted curiously similar to chicken adobo. That's all for now. Good night.

Today we took in a lot of sun as we walked around the city of Pretoria, once famous for its gold mines. In Pretoria, we ate in Huckleberry's which serves authentic miner's lunches. It consisted of two pieces of bread made into a 5 sided cube. Inside this cube are sliced hot dogs, French fries, and a mysterious orange sauce. Although it did not look particularly appetizing, it was one of the best meals I had on the trip.

Later we participated in a concert with the Prinsof School Choir (a school for the visually impaired) and the Duke of Cornwall Singers (an all male a capella group). Both groups were very skilled musically. We had the opportunity to get to know the members of both schools. Eventually this developed into an impromptu jam session. One of the members of the Prinsof School Choir, undeterred by his blindness, was very skilled on the piano. Not to mention very good at improvising!

This was our last day in Johannesburg. After breakfast we departed to the Krugersdorp Game Reserve. After settling down into my very rustic but comfy hut/hotel room, I decided to set out and explore the grounds with my roommates. We first wanted to explore a river about twenty meters away from our hut. However, we were quickly deterred by a small, yet rather significant sign on the river bank that read: "Caution! Hippopotamus are very dangerous." Luckily for us we never found out exactly how dangerous as we were able to avoid accidental run-ins with the species.

Later, we departed for one of the highlights of the entire trip, the game drive. Throughout the game drive, we came close to real, living, breathing, and eating wild animals. Through the predators' sanctuary, we came so close to some of the lions, that I could've reached out and touched them (if I had reached out a hand, I might be typing this with one hand instead of two). We also saw rhinos, zebras, giraffes, antelopes, and wildebeests. Up close and in their natural habitats, these animals were an absolute wonder to behold, and of the many extraordinary sights I have seen, and will continue to see in South Africa, this particular one will be engrained in my brain forever.

Before a traditional African Dinner, we participated in a South African game. This game (which I can neither spell, pronounce, or play for the life of me) was simple in concept. One simply needed to spit antelope dropping (yes, you read correctly- antelope dropping) farther than the opponent. The toughest part was forcing myself to put the antelope dropping in my mouth (if the antelope's behind decided to reject it why should I take it in?).

Today, we left Krugersdorp and headed for the city of Cape Town. The city was absolutely breathtaking. With its beautiful shoreline, and beautifully laid out colorful houses, Cape Town was very different from the shanties of Soweto and the rustic Krugersdorp Game Reserve. Our room on the 5th floor of the Park Inn Hotel had a very nice view of the Greenmarket Square below. The square is home to a plethora of natives selling souvenirs. I bought presents for friends and family as well as some keepsakes of my own – a stone carved giraffe bookends and four carved figurines that represents my family. The square also had a large selection of inexpensive but delicious gelato shops that my friends fully enjoyed.

Went on a run early this morning with a friend. We ran up one of the larger hills near the end of town and had a one of a kind view. From our pristine view on the top of the hill, we were able to view the city as it came to life in the morning with the sun rising on the horizon, lighting up the sea and shoreline. It was a view I'll never forget, and if you're ever in Cape Town during summer, I'd recommend viewing the sunrise at least once; it is by far worth the early wake up.

My choir performed earlier tonight during Evensong (an Episcopal service) at St. George's Cathedral in Cape Town. The Cathedral is very beautiful complete with stained glass windows, stone carvings, and outrageously high, arched ceilings. Between dress rehearsals, we were able to go and look at the soon to be finished stadiums for the 2010 World Cup. The stadiums show all the progress the country has made since breaking through apartheid in 1994.

We arrived on a sunny day at the Cape of Good Hope, referred to as one of the most beautiful places in the world. It was protected, with one strip of pure, unspoiled white sand, surrounded on three sides by rugged up-sloping ground and on the other side, by the most blue water I had ever seen; it was a site to behold. After an interesting lunch of Ostrich Burgers (tastes just like chicken!) we went to the small and seemingly unimportant township of Khayelitsha.

Khayelitsha was a very different experience. Khayelitsha was not a place of historical interest, nor was it a beautiful natural landmark. Khayelitsha was not to be the site of a concert of ours. Khayelistha is home to an orphanage where we played soccer with middle school children.

The conditions in which the children were living in were absolutely appalling. Most of them lived in one room shacks. About half of them did not wear shoes even as they played soccer on the pavement with shards of broken glass everywhere. Seemingly oblivious to all these conditions, the children appeared just as content as I did when my classmates and I played soccer back at school on our trimmed grass and expensive Nike cleats. Seeing their bliss despite less than ideal situations opened my eyes to the joys of things that were previously ordinary and somewhat monotonous. The experience showed me how much I sometimes take for granted all the opportunities presented to me. Amenities that previously seemed necessary, such as pregame warm-up suits, were now frivolous and unneeded. Beyond the soccer field, I now saw how privileged I was, going to a boarding school, having a heating system, plumbing, and air conditioning- those were all privileges that I took severely for granted.

Another eye-opening event during my Khayelitsha visit was the presenting of the toys. It was literally eye-opening as the eyes of the children opened wide, seeing the obscene amount of toys that we brought for them. Seeing the kids go crazy with toys that we had all long out-grown was really satisfying. Knowing that the toy that I played with two years ago could make somebody else happy made me feel good.

Today we went to the beach and swam with penguins. Penguins are a lot of fun to watch and very good swimmers. There was also a path along the beach that offered excellent views of the beach and some of the more shy penguins. After dinner we walked around the boardwalk aimlessly, admiring the lights and the beach. I was somehow convinced to go swimming with a couple of my friends in my khaki shorts. It was very spontaneous, and since I could see almost nothing while I was in the water, it was terrifying at times. But it made for a good story, and for the most part, was very enjoyable.

We left the warmth and sun of South Africa. After three excruciatingly long flights (we needed an extra flight to get from Cape Town to Johannesburg), we arrived at the cold and snowy world of New England, most of us still wishing we were in South Africa. The trip to South Africa is a trip that I will never forget. The people of the country are warm and hospitable, the sights are breathtaking, and the accommodations are simple but inviting. The trip is one I encourage people to take and hope that I am able to take again.

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