I don’t consider myself a patient person by nature. Having a routine eases my anxiety, keeps me sane and settled. Since coming here, everything has been far from routine and quite different… but in the most incredible way.
The concept of time in Cape Town is something that has really tested my patience. Everything is just slower, but REALLY really really incredibly slower. You will sit in a restaurant for an hour and have barely gotten your drink. If something starts at 10, plan for it to really start at 10:30. The lifestyle is just incredibly laid back, which is refreshing for someone who needs to learn how to take a chill pill every once in a while.
The locals use the phrase, TIA, This is Africa. It is a pretty good representation of the value of time and their vague, chill, laid back mindset.
This value of time has forced me to work on my patience, because in all honesty I really don’t have another choice! I feel like it’s changing me though.
Today, we registered for classes. Here is a really good example of time here:
The registration process at UCT surprised me with how traditional it was, especially for such a progressive city. Everything is physical. Physical course books, waiting in lines, signatures from department heads. It’s old school. Today registration was in this HUGE room in the sports center. We had to wait in lines and lines and lines of people, just to get our initial forms. It was supposed to start at 9 am, but really didn’t get going until 10:30 am. I breathed, was mindful and used it as an opportunity to make new friends with the people waiting in lind around me. I met a girl from Norway who I have my Gender, Sexuality and Politics class with. It was cool hearing how much we had in common from growing up in such different places. In addition to that class, I am taking Film in Africa and Organisational Learning and Wellness (yes with an ‘S’), which is basically health psychology. I couldn’t get into the Medical Anthropology class because of not having an Anthropology background, but I think it all happened for a reason because I don’t want to be struggling academically while I’m here. I want to be challenged and engaged, but not spending every minute in the library.
After waiting through lines for hours I finally made it to speak with an advisor who checked over my selected courses and my transcript of classes from USC. From there I had to wait in another little line to be put into the computer system. Then I was done. Yes. Patience is a virtue.
Last night, I had other moments where I analyzed the value of time here. Every first Thursday of the month, art galleries downtown open up their doors to the public. People go from gallery to gallery looking at the art and drinking free wine. How cool right? I was at this one gallery called “Young Blood,” which was a mix of paintings and fashion. I ended up striking a conversation with these Canadians who moved to Cape Town to pursue their music careers. The lead singer was so well spoken and we had a fabulous conversation about the importance of free travel and going with your gut. He said he was only supposed to spend a year here, but called his mom up one day that he wasn’t coming home. He’s been here for three years now. As I walked around the gallery I observed how all the people seemed so present and there with everything. I was thinking how this would rarely be something that happened in America. Where the whole city shuts down and people come together to do something so wholesome like look at art every month.
We ended at this one gallery called “Sams,” where they had delicious fresh pressed juice drinks infused with fun different types of alcohol. So delicious. They had this one sign that says “It’s Beautiful Here.” After, we ended up going to a restaurant at the bottom, ordering a fresh pitcher of sangria and making conversations with the locals. Ahhh what a night. After we went to this club called Boogies which played awesome music and we danced so much. I also surprisingly ran into a lot of friends from different walks of life there… some girl from my HS who I had no idea was coming to Cape Town and probably haven’t seen since graduation. Too Funny.
Anyways, patience is important for total health, I think, both mentally and physically. When I get tense I feel it surface in my shoulders, jaw and neck. When one develops the ability to release, take a step back and just accept life for the way things are, its brings so much more good to our lives. I’m working on this on a small scale, but every little bit helps. My dad is really really good at this skill.
Right now I am in this Café next to my apartment called Coco Wah Wah. With Carley my roomie. They have really slow wifi, but yummy fresh food and smoothies. Currently sipping on a maple, fig and rose water smoothie, being patient at the long wait ahead for my food!