Bethelsdorp

Well, my readers, time is drawing near before my departure back to Toronto, Canada on March 24, 2007... I have decided to dedicate part of this posting to Grahamstown to paint a picture of where I have resided since September 24, 2006. There are two items on this agenda that I must address first:

First of all, at my dear mother's insistence, I have posted the nice picture of her and I from our visit to beach at Kenton-on-Sea in December 2006 [see below].

Secondly, I must update you on the condition of the 1984 Audi that I have been renting from the Old Gaol Backpackers: On Saturday night (February 17th, 2007), I headed out to Robyn and Kevin's plot of land with Charl (also known as "Sharkie") with the car, the chess board, two chairs and some porkchops marinating in tupperware. Their plot is situated about 4 km from Grahamtown along a dirt road which cuts in between the township and the town. When we were driving back towards home, the tire went FLAT! I couldn't believe it. It was about 2 a.m. at this point and we were not up to changing the tire, so Charl and I decided to make a mission out of it. I popped open the trunk and retrieved my: 1) torch (it's what they call a flashlight here) 2) jeans 3) puma running shoes 4) all valuables 5) backpack and we abandoned ship. I was a tad nervous about abandoning the car, but figured that anyone who wants to steal a car in that condition with a flat tire almost deserves credit.

So, off we trod. It took about an hour to enter Grahamstown. I returned to the car the next day thanks to help from a friend. He took me to the car on the back of his motorbike (which terrified me!), only to discover that the spare tire was also FLAT! At a loss of what to do, it was suggested to me to buy this foam that you inflate your tire with which will last about a day. This remedy worked, to my relief. However, I didn't manage to get another tire in time, and the tire ran flat again... Moral of the story: don't drive without a spare tire! I finally managed to buy two second hand spare tires from the garage on High Street [see left].

Grahamstown is home to Rhodes University which provides a world-class tertiary education in a wide range of disciplines to over 6,000 undergraduate and postgraduate students. I guess it can be compared with Kingston, Ontario to a certain extent. It is a small town with about 6 or 7 main streets. My office is located on High Street, which can be classified as "the" main street in Grahamstown [see first two pictures below]. Grahamstown boasts a population of 124 758 as of 2003 (statistics compiled by the Rhodes University Journalism Department).
Another very wide street that also has quite a frenzy of activity going on during the day is Bathurst Street [see two pictures above]. Bathurst street even has a Kentucky Fried Chicken on it, which I have steered clear of the moment I set foot on this continent.

To give a brief history of Grahamstown: "Founded in 1812 as a military outpost, it began to grow and thrive in the 1820's as struggling Settler families left their farms to establish themselves in more secure trades. Its position at the nexus of the coast and the hinterland, and between the Cape Colony and the north meant that Grahamstown was ideally situated as a focus for communications and agriculture. The city's broad tree-lined streets and imposing public buildings are the legacy of a time when Grahamstown was the Cape's second city : it became the seat of bishopric in 1852 and in 1864 the site of the only session of the Cape Parliament to held outside Cape Town. Grahamstonians are characteristically proud of their city's historical heritage, a pride which is evident in the care taken to preserve and enhance the many historic buildings which endure to this day. Prominent among these are the city's many places of worship, numbering over forty, which testify to the variety of cultures which coexist in the city, and the premises of Rhodes University and the several excellent schools, all of which combine to lend the city its air of cultural diversity. Grahamstown was founded by Lt. Colonel John Graham in 1812 as the military headquarters for a system of forts along the Fish River, which had been established as the boundary of the Cape Colony. Lord Charles Somerset became governor of the Colony in 1814 and he saw that a concentration of European settlers along the border would do away with the need for more soldiers to maintain the frontier. At this time, there was much unemployment in Britain. Soldiers had been demobilised after the Napoleonic Wars and the industrial revolution was at its height. So Somerset's frontier scheme seemed an ideal solution to both the problems existing in Britain and the Cape Colony. The Settlers were given a very unrealistic description of the life they would have on the Frontier. The 100 acre land allotments for each family was totally inadequate for successful farming, particularly so, as the Settlers were not of farming stock. Most had earned their living as artisans and craftsmen. As crops failed successively, they began drifting into towns, where they reverted to their former trades. The authorities at first opposed this exodus from the land, but eventually granted the Settlers building plots in Grahamstown. Beautifully restored groups of these cottages can still be seen around Artificer's Square in New and MacDonald Streets, and many of the shops remain a reminder of those early days of trading. Thus Grahamstown changed from a military settlement into a thriving market town. With this came the establishment of Grahamstown's renowned schools and churches." Got it? This might be examinable material, folks....

My apartment is located on Oatlands Road [see below] at number 12. There are 4 people in the building who are all affiliated with the University of Rhodes in some way or other. Since I am on the second floor, rather than at street level, I feel very safe at night (my black belt skills can only carry me so far).

Below is a picture of Oatlands Road as I see it in the morning as I head towards the city centre to work. It is a wide street, lined with trees (as most streets are in Grahamstown) that flower and drop their blossoms. Occasionally, I have slipped and slid forward in these pretty blossoms after heavy rainfalls. At least it's not ice, right? On February 21, 2007, I headed out to Bethelsdorp (which is about a two-hour drive from Grahamstown westwards) to meet with some potential clients. Rufus and I dropped Ruth off in Uitenhage, a town about a 15 minute drive from Port Elizabeth, and then headed to Bethelsdorp. After meeting with the clients, I was introduced to one their projects - a weaving factory which provided training for people wishing to pursue a career in weaving. I was given a tour around the facility and met some of the project leaders. Most of the women who were weaving were very jovial and smiled and greeted me.
The material they used was a stretchy cotton, since they were still in training, and the women sat high above the ground (depending on the length of their woven carpet) weaving and chatting to whomever. I was so impressed by the baskets that they made of the same material, that I wanted to buy one. However, no one had ever sold one yet, the price of the basket had not yet been determined, so I was told to pick one for free! I chose an army green colour with white in it.....

The purpose of the visit was to look into setting up and funding two legal aid clinics to service the community. Below is a picture of myself in front of the first legal aid clinic to possibly be established: En route back to Grahamstown, after eating lunch at Nando's (a Portuguese "fast-food" restaurant which reminded me of Quizno's back in Canada), I snapped some pictures of Bethelsdorp: