Can you be down-to-earth while you’re on top-of-the-world? (Thurs 07/09)

I feel like Thursday is such a tease in a week. It feels like Friday so many times, but it never is, but you don’t remember that until Friday actually comes, so you still do things like it’s a Friday, only to wake on an the actual day of Friday feeling like garbage after you forgot on Thursday that Thursday wasn’t actually Friday and you still had more day of work before Friday actually became Friday. Bah.

My down-to-earth side: Today was one of those days, but totally in a great way. I took a few hours away from work this morning to go to a protest which was partially organized by the NGO that Danielle and Rose are working at. I know what you’re thinking… How on earth did TAC function without me there for 2 hours. I’m sure it was very difficult for them, but it looks like they survived, if only barely. The protest was about a statement made by the head of the African National Council Youth League about the raping of a girl by South Africa’s current president, Jacob Xuma. He basically said that because the victim had stayed at Xuma’s for breakfast the next morning and asked for money for the cab ride home, she clearly had enjoyed the night so it wasn’t rape. Bull****. It is statements like this that are keeping the country from moving away from gender-based violence and the general acceptance of rape. It is horrific. The head of the ANC Youth League was going to the Equality Courts in Johannesburg, but women’s rights group all over South Africa were protesting today. There were four of us there from Duke, and Naomi was asked by the elader of the protest to speak to the crowd about the American perspective. She did such a great job. I would have been wicked nervous, but she held herself together! We were very proud and had an email chain going on about it for the rest of the day. J

My on-top-of-the-world/Cape Town side: After a pretty standard day at work, a couple of us stopped into this adorable boutique Mememe that we walk past everyday on the way home from work. We’d gone in there before, and I hadn’t bought anything. Nice self-control on my part, that lasted about 3 days. I bought a little skirt and dress. They’re my birthday presents ok! And they’re designed in South Africa by various local designers, including the girls who are working the store. So it’s legit. At least in my eyes.

The night was so much fun, too. We all had been planning on going to one of the most posh clubs in Cape Town, Hemisphere. It’s on top of a skyscraper downtown, so you can see so much of the city from up there. On top of Cape Town. It’s also just fun to get dressed up sometimes, especially here. Ok, here comes my superficial side. Yes I like clothes, and nice clubs, and make-up, and getting dressed up, and fixing my hair, and shiny objects, and diamonds. But whatever. I also want to save the world. Who says I can’t do both? At least for a little while…Anyway, now that I’ve unnecessarily defended myself, the club was really cool with good music and AWESOME company, as usual. I don’t expect anything less from this group. Cause we’re the best. Ok, that's enough. I'm coming back down now...

Ukuthula,

Lynn