Into Africa

A friend of mine from university is an international student from Cape Town and though she is working in New York over the summer, her mother was there to greet me at the airport. They treated me to a meal of lamb chops, quinoa salad, and roasted vegetables before sending me to my host, an aunt of theirs who lives in a neighborhood on the Atlantic called Sea Point.

I loved Cape Town. I loved that I could see the mountains from every part of the city, I loved being within driving distance of two oceans, and I loved that I could watch paragliders fly off the Lion's Head from the front lot of my building. I may have also eaten my way through Cape Town. The grocery stores had excellent pastries and I took advantage of the delicious lamb and curries available in the city.

One highlight was the opportunity to tour a wheelchair factory and speak with mechanical engineers who design durable and inexpensive equipment. Cape Town is not the most accessible city and conditions are all the worse for the residents of Cape Town's shantytowns, or townships. Moreover, Cape Town reminded me of the influence a parent's education has on the healthcare that his or her children will receive. Parents with more medical knowledge are often slow at, or do a poor job of finding good healthcare for children with disabilities. For example, in Brazil I spoke with rehabilitation centers that had to teach children to communicate for the first time at 4 or 5. The rehabilitation center I spoke to in South Africa encountered children who didn't learn to communicate until they were several years older, often because parents did not understand that the children with disabilities were ever capable of communicating.

Despite the struggles, I found South Africa to be a beautiful and fascinating county that I would love to return to. Attached are some photos from a safari I took in a game park outside of Cape Town, thanks to an awesome birthday present from my parents!

Shock

I'm back after some wifi deprivation in South Africa. After Singapore I headed to Kuala Lumpur on the infamous Malaysia Airlines.

I made it off the plane in one piece.

But Malaysia was my biggest culture shock to date. I'd venture to say that most streets in Kuala Lumpur smell like curry and durian, a spiky fruit that is supposed to have a delicious flavor but a putrid smell. (Durian are forbidden in public transportation and many buildings) It was also my first time in a Muslim country, and I started to feel like my light skin and lack of hijab made me stick out like a sore thumb.

Coincidentally, I was right near the Malaysian Association for the Blind, so I was able to see many people with disabilities out and about in my neighborhood. The streets are full of high stairs, broken walkways, and steep holes, but I was surprised by how well the locals were able to navigate the streets. My favorite organizational visit was at a center that provides wheelchair repairs, employment training, and transportation, among other services. The array of services were impressive, but I was more impressed by the energy among the employees. They had so much to tell me throughout the tour and interview that I had trouble keeping up with them. As the taxi pulled away, I caught a glimpse of them laughing and zooming around in their wheelchairs in the front yard.

The circumnavigation is always an adventure, but I hardly expected that it would take me to a war zone. I'm writing from Tel Aviv, which has been under fire for some time now. The streets of Tel Aviv and Jerusalem have been surprisingly empty because of the number of soldiers deployed and the number of citizens who choose not to leave their homes unnecessarily. It's not the experience I expected, but it's raw and it's real. I'll write more about Israel and South Africa in coming posts.

In the meantime, here are some pictures from a highlight of Malaysia, the famous Batu Caves.