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Wednesday, March 31, 2010
The Beauty of being an Engineer
Karate belts
Monday, March 29, 2010
Engineering will kill you
Saturday, March 27, 2010
SCARA = SCARY!
Friday, March 26, 2010
ENGINERING OUT-OF-THE BOX SOLUTIONS
Thursday, March 25, 2010
Nyanga, I'm starting to learn.
Well today was simply wonderful! Tumelo (my head of community interactions, and an absolute darling) and I were at Kramer bright and early at 9 am for a talk about the history of informal settlements in the Cape Area, right from when the Dutch first landed. Of course thats the only place anyone ever starts a history lesson about this country, as if history only began when there were white people around! How absurd, but anyway, we somehow managed to be invited to a SHAWCO township tour for semester-abroad students.
SHAWCO was founded in 1943 by Andrew Kinnear, a medical student who was moved to action by the need which he saw in the impoverished communities of Cape Town.
Well they really are something, but this year failed to get as many UCT student volunteers as they need to tutor children. So come on comrades, why not spend an hour a week changing the life of a young person?
We went on a tour to Kensington, a 'coloured' area, and then again to the Nyanga market (I think someones trying to tel me something, don't you?). It was great to see what SHAWCO is up to, helping children, abused women, the elderly, the mentally ill etc.
After we got to campus, I just had time to check my mail and it was off again to Nyanga market (see what I mean), this time with Brennan (head of EWB) and other members of my team.
We met up with Shannon Royden-Turner, of Jakupa Architects who are currently upgrading the entire Nyanga taxi-rank area. They are creating an urban framework for the area, incorporating better flow and a public space that residents can be proud of. They also did the urban framework of the Greenpoint Stadium!
So all in all, I had a full and very tiring day trudging around Nyanga and Kensington, shaking hands and talking to people who live in those communities and seeing people in a slightly different light. It wasn't nearly as scary today as it was on Tuesday (there was a hectic taxi strike on Tuesday and we were threatened when we drove past that area). Even the meat market wasn't so bad, I'm even getting used to the smell! Poor Christina, my deputy had a tough time though, it was her first time after all. But gear up Chris! There's going to be a lot more of that to come!
I watched Breakfast at Tiffany's when I got home...again... "Oh I'm just craaayzy about Tiffany's"
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
Food food food
I made a huge dish of Bread and Butter pudding today! With home-made custard...It was just ridiculously big! I had to send a whole lot home with a friend, 6 people ate from it, and there is still enough for two portions!
Nike + iPod
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Gugulethu and Gandhi's Grandson
So I got up at 6:30 am this morning and dragged myself to campus. I met up with three other members of my project team at a BP garage in Kenilworth. The plan was to go on a tour of the NGO Abalimi Bhazekhaya (the planters of the home), and their community gardens in Gugulethu.