Oh, Creative Cape Town

One thing is for sure: Cape Town is one creative city. From music, to poetry, to art, to adventure -- this town is always buzzing with something unique and inspiring. I want to showcase some of the things I experience in Cape Town that touch my creative spirit, encourage me to stretch my mind, and persuade me to see life in a new light -- and I hope the things I share inspire you in some way as well.

Today's feature: Atang Tshikare.

He's a designer, artist and maker of all things superb.

CreativeMornings, a movement started in the U.S. to bring creatives together to listen and discuss different themes, has expanded to Cape Town and takes place the last Friday morning of every month at 8:30. The speaker of this month's edition was Atang. He shared his story about heritage (this month's CreativeMorning global theme) and passed around some of his art, design and comics. Below are pictures from the event, plus some pretty thought-provoking quotes he shared.

"Growing up, I always did my own things. I coloured how I wanted to colour."

"When you draw in a group, there's a buzz that it gives you."

"We need to support local. Let's get together, push each other & promote each other."
-- On connecting our creativity.

"The more I know about who  am, the more I can help those around me."

For more info on Atang, visit his website: Zabalazaa.com

You might be staying at a sketchy backpackers place if ...

We love it here. Cape Town is one of the most beautiful places on earth, and I'm not the only one who thinks so; the New York Times has got my back on this one. But our first night here wasn't the typical grand first impression we were imagining. For our first night, we checked in at backpackers lodge where we were planning to stay for a few weeks until we found a house. We like to think we're low maintenance (those who know us well may or may not agree...), but this specific backpackers place really tested my threshold. There were a few signs we noticed from the get-go that signaled that the place might not be for us.

 

1. It was a little far from everything (except an old insane asylum across the street). As we soon learned, to be far away from everything in Cape Town is rather out of the norm. Wherever you are, you're most likely within walking distance from a grocery store, a bank, or a small market of some sort. Not at the backpackers.

Just your regular old beekeeping farm outside of our window.

2. Our host Rotarian (more on that later) was worried about leaving us there for the night. Our lovely host picked us up from the airport, let us swim in his pool, took us on a mini-sightseeing tour, and took us grocery shopping within two hours from arriving in the country. As it got closer to nighttime, he dropped us off at our temporary accommodation. He walked us to our room (along with the night clerk at the backpackers) and helped us drop off our belongings. Before our host left our room, he signaled for us to follow him outside to a place where the clerk couldn't hear us. "Are you sure you're okay here?" he whispered. "The people working and staying here seem a bit...dodgy."  Ryan and I just laughed and promised him we would be okay. Really, we were thinking DON'T LEAVE US HERE! WHAT ARE THE EMERGENCY NUMBERS? and IF YOU DON'T HEAR FROM US BY TOMORROW MORNING, COME LOOKING.

3. There was a "semi-permanent resident" price per night. In other words, we quickly found out that the backpackers lodge doubled as a homeless shelter. I cannot advocate more for the importance of places that help people in need; shelters are a great resource for people who need it. It's just that we weren't exactly ready to be staying there for our first night away from home and on a new continent.

Don't be fooled by the great blanket; there are dirty sheets under there.

Despite the three points above, the dirty sheets, the 4-o'clock in the morning rooster cackle, and the biting bugs, we still spent a few nights there while house hunting. And of course, when we called our parents upon arrival, we told them we loved our accommodation. Ultimately, we only cut our reservation short by a few nights. After all, it was the cheapest place we could find in Cape Town. So, if you look at it on the bright side, we definitely got our money's worth. 

Lions, Tribes, and Black Babies, oh my!

When most people heard we were moving to South Africa, we got some of the most absurd (half serious) questions and comments.

"Will you have lions in your backyard?"

"Are you going to join a tribe?"

"You should stop biting your nails - they have weird diseases there."

"Won't you be the only white people?"

"You're totally coming back with an adopted Black baby!"*

*you know who you are

To clear up any confusion that still remains: no, um no, eh, seriously?, WOW.

Living in Cape Town, we're in the middle of a "developed" (more on why the word is in quotation marks later) city. There are skyscrapers, parks, shopping malls, highways, sports stadiums and yes, even McDonalds.

The lovely view from my office window.

Considering the tallest building in my hometown is about six stories, the biggest change for us hasn't been living in Africa, but actually getting used to living in a big city. And that comes with adjustments of its own.

And as with any large city, Cape Town has crime, slums, poverty, trash, homelessness, and questionable smells. Coming from The States, it seems like cities in Africa get a lot of criticism for having crime and slums because they are in the Third World. But contrary to popular belief, those things happen because Cape Town is a metropolitan area, not because it's in Africa.

New York? Yep, dirty. D.C.? Something like 7,000 homeless people. New Orleans? More murders than any city in Africa.

But that shouldn't stop anyone from wanting to visit those places. Despite the issues, there is so much beauty in each of those cities. 

Same with Cape Town. So before you ask ridiculous questions (and don't worry, I also asked some far-fetched ones), and before you start assuming that Cape Town is uniquely dangerous (again, I had my fears), do some research for yourself. 

Or, hey, here's an idea. Come find out for yourself! You will ALWAYS have a place to stay. 

And most importantly, don't let those questions and fears keep you from visiting us! I mean it...

A New Light

As most of you know (whoever "you" is), I've lived in the same town my entire life. Don't get me wrong - I've traveled a fair bit. At the end of the day, though, the truth is I've never lived more than ten miles from the hospital where I was born. In fact, the biggest move I made (before going to college...in my hometown) was shifting my bed from one corner of my room to another. I'm still adjusting from that.

But one thing led to another, and now I find myself sitting in my apartment in Cape Town, South Africa. Needless to say, transplanting myself thousands of miles across the world is a pretty drastic first move.

Even though I spent the first 23 years of my life living in my hometown, I considered myself to have a decent perspective on the world. And by decent perspective, I mean an overall understanding of (or knowledge of) the difference in cultures, beliefs, and "ways of life" around the world. 

My perceptions weren't necessarily wrong, but I'm finding more and more that I definitely wasn't right.

My husband and I have been here in Cape Town for about two months now and I can't even begin to explain the ways my mind has stretched. I learn something new everyday. I see life in a new light every single day.

Sunset over the Atlantic from Camps Bay.

This blog is a place for me to show my observations. It's a place for me reflect on the ways my preconceived notions about the world have changed. It's a place for me to share my experiences.

I hope you enjoy it!