"Welcome, sweetie!"

Hi there!

I'm happy to create this blog about my personal experience as a Finnish woman starting now my two months working experience in Cape Town, South Africa. I will be volunteering for two different local actors, which are organizing activity in the neighbourhoods for the local communities. First one, Africa Jam Youth Outreach has a focus on local youth by lifeskill education and different activities. I will be joining on youth work in three townships: Lotus River, Khayelitsha and Ottery. Second organisation, Juma Art Tours is maintaining cultural activities for the local communities through street art in Woodstock, Salt River and Khayelitsha.

At the same time I will be collecting data for my master thesis of Urban Studies. My thesis topic is about the geographies of encounter, how people live together in diverse cities and encounter "strangers" and difference. I will do some interviews as well as mental mapping, which is an efficient tool for the studies of geographies to understand the social dynamics of the city by the citizens.

Every experience with citizens has been so nice, people are super friendly, open and willing to help. "How are you sweetheart? Welcome to my office, sweetie!", were the first welcoming words from a cleaner lady after landing to Cape Town and entering to the bathroom of the airport.

My home is located in Salt River, which is poor neighbourhood compared to the other areas in the centre area of Cape Town, but which seems slowly starting to gentrify by following the steps of the Woodstock next to it. The landscape of the city is incredible! The Table Mountain is dominating the  panoramic view no matter where in Cape Town you go, and the ocean is surrounding many parts of the city. Below a view from my window (the Table Mountain on the left and The Lion's Head in the middle). 

It is difficult to really understand the problem of crime in Cape Town. By coming from a culture where you feel safe to walk alone at any time of the day and to leave your things in public spaces without being watched, it feels like giving up a big part of your freedom by not entering to the streets after dark. It is amazing how the same street can have so opposite vibes during the day and night.

As being only white person in the student house of 50 inhabitants and while wondering the streets of Salt River there is no doubt of feeling of popping up with my whiteness. My housemates are all laughing to me and wondering what I'm doing in Salt River. More you go towards the coast in the centre you end up to more rich neighbourhoods where clearly white people seem spending their time.

To be honest, I couldn't feel more welcome than in this community in our house and I'm thankful to be accepted to be part of this big student family. Also, the shift towards socio-economical division of citizens in South Africa is visible: personal feeling from these first two days suggests that in the end being a student seems to unite at least as much than the race in today's Cape Town. I'm thankful to have opportunity now to open up own eyes from own privilege as well as to do some effort to stretch the personal bubble of habits and cultural perceptions.

Sunset from Salt River, Cape Town.