Montag, Juni 13, 2005
before I disappear to mozambique
Survival of the sickest…
The last days of the semester have been a bit more exhausting than I would have wished them to be… I got sick just before my first exam on Monday and had a terrible flu throughout the whole week. I wasn’t really able to prepare for my second exam on Wednesday. The whole Tuesday I spent in bed and right after the exam I went straight to bed again and staid there till the end of the week. Ja, things like this take their time… But now I’m feeling already much better and I’m sure that the worst part is over. Even when I couldn’t celebrate the end of the semester like it would have been appropriate…
Since I wrote the last time a couple of things happened…
… Lesley, my dear (now ex) housemate and friend moved out and I’m definitely going to miss our cooking sessions, endless talks about life and all the fun we had!
… Kate, my new housemate moved in. She is from Australia and is probably going to stay for 4 month or until she finds something permanent. She is going to work in SA for two years.
… last Saturday I went to a book launch. The title of the book is ‘Balance Act’ and it’s about young gay and lesbian people in South Africa. They tell their personal stories and talk about the challenges they face and the problems they have. Even when South Africa is probably one of the more open countries on this homophobic continent, and even when the constitution guarantees homosexual people equal rights, the reality is still difficult. The fact that ‘Balance Act’ is the first publication in the area shows that it’s still far from normal when people talk openly about their sexual orientation. Discrimination is a huge issue.
… I finished a book that I read (‘Witness to AIDS’ by Edwin Cameron). The Author, Edwin Cameron, is a judge of the Supreme Court of Appeal and, as far as I know, the only person in a public position in SA who has disclosed his HIV status. The book is about history and the current situation in SA in terms of HIV/ AIDS, but what makes it so special is that he always relates to his personal story. What stigmatisation means to him and how he was scared to take the anti retroviral drugs in the first place and much more. For everyone who wants to read more about Edwin Cameron and the book (what I can only recommend) I put the following links:
About the book ‘Witness to AIDS’
http://www.exclusivebooks.com/search/display.php?isb=0624041999&Tag=&CID=
Interview with Judge Edwin Cameron:
http://www.health-e.org.za/news/easy_print.php?uid=20031204
At the book launch, which I mentioned above, I had the chance to meet him and talk to him. Seeing him in person was even more fascinating than reading about him!
… on Sunday I went to see a quite interesting movie. U-Carmen eKhayelitsha (www.u-carmen.com). It’s a South African movie, situated in a Township close to Cape Town. And it’s related to the story of the opera ‘Carmen’. The actors are opera singers. The texts are in Xhosa and the problems are the problems of South Africans in the townships. Interesting combination! And it even won a ‘golden bear’ :o)
The last days of the semester have been a bit more exhausting than I would have wished them to be… I got sick just before my first exam on Monday and had a terrible flu throughout the whole week. I wasn’t really able to prepare for my second exam on Wednesday. The whole Tuesday I spent in bed and right after the exam I went straight to bed again and staid there till the end of the week. Ja, things like this take their time… But now I’m feeling already much better and I’m sure that the worst part is over. Even when I couldn’t celebrate the end of the semester like it would have been appropriate…
Since I wrote the last time a couple of things happened…
… Lesley, my dear (now ex) housemate and friend moved out and I’m definitely going to miss our cooking sessions, endless talks about life and all the fun we had!
… Kate, my new housemate moved in. She is from Australia and is probably going to stay for 4 month or until she finds something permanent. She is going to work in SA for two years.
… last Saturday I went to a book launch. The title of the book is ‘Balance Act’ and it’s about young gay and lesbian people in South Africa. They tell their personal stories and talk about the challenges they face and the problems they have. Even when South Africa is probably one of the more open countries on this homophobic continent, and even when the constitution guarantees homosexual people equal rights, the reality is still difficult. The fact that ‘Balance Act’ is the first publication in the area shows that it’s still far from normal when people talk openly about their sexual orientation. Discrimination is a huge issue.
… I finished a book that I read (‘Witness to AIDS’ by Edwin Cameron). The Author, Edwin Cameron, is a judge of the Supreme Court of Appeal and, as far as I know, the only person in a public position in SA who has disclosed his HIV status. The book is about history and the current situation in SA in terms of HIV/ AIDS, but what makes it so special is that he always relates to his personal story. What stigmatisation means to him and how he was scared to take the anti retroviral drugs in the first place and much more. For everyone who wants to read more about Edwin Cameron and the book (what I can only recommend) I put the following links:
About the book ‘Witness to AIDS’
http://www.exclusivebooks.com/search/display.php?isb=0624041999&Tag=&CID=
Interview with Judge Edwin Cameron:
http://www.health-e.org.za/news/easy_print.php?uid=20031204
At the book launch, which I mentioned above, I had the chance to meet him and talk to him. Seeing him in person was even more fascinating than reading about him!
… on Sunday I went to see a quite interesting movie. U-Carmen eKhayelitsha (www.u-carmen.com). It’s a South African movie, situated in a Township close to Cape Town. And it’s related to the story of the opera ‘Carmen’. The actors are opera singers. The texts are in Xhosa and the problems are the problems of South Africans in the townships. Interesting combination! And it even won a ‘golden bear’ :o)
# posted by Carolin @ 9:29 AM 
