Hi all,

This is my last blog post for my summer internship in Cape Town. I wanted to use this last post to reflect on my experience and thank the people responsible for it. I really appreciate everyone who devoted time to make it happen and who dealt with me throughout the summer. Especially Kendall and Dr. Jim Sleight who went above and beyond to support me in my ups and downs and always were there when I needed extra help. I couldn’t have done it without them. My parents and friends were extremely supportive and I couldn't have gotten there or back without them.

In terms of meeting my own learning goals, this experience definitely exceeding all expectations. I was able to learn first hand what it takes to own and operate an international NGO, as well as getting to experience all of the different parts of BEEP’s programming. This will help me in making future career path decisions and will probably influence my near term class choices in that this experience has made me more interested in the Community Development aspects of the NRES program. BEEP has demonstrated to me the value of building up a community through environmental education and has shown the amazing impact that one organization can have.

Through my work in BEEP, I also learned a lot about the environmental issues facing South Africa such as intrusion of invasive species and critical drought risks. I was able to not only learn alongside the kids, but also help to teach new students in the organization. During my off days, I was able to experience so much that Cape Town had to offer in terms of different foods, people and places to see. It was an adventure I will never forget and one I would definitely recommend to others in the future.

Signing off,

Cameron Baller

 This is my second-to-last blog post for this Cape Town trip. I will include a more reflective post in the near future in order to complete my class assignment. I had hoped this post would be as wonderful as the others because my experience was so awesome, all the way to the end.

I saw the Big5 animals on a Safari, got a little to close to an Ostrich, saw Cape Penguins and experienced the point where the Atlantic and Indian oceans meet. 

During these last couple of weeks I was able to work a lot more with Lindela on building the future for BEEP. We worked to help the students and leaders to succeed however possible. This experience was simply great. Here is a picture from Kendall and I’s last hike. It was much like the first, except this time it was just the two of us. No fox suit.

I would have posted more pictures, but I really didn’t have the time. I was so caught up in the trip that I forgot to keep up with my blog. I also forgot how to take care of myself, which is a story for another time and place. Instead of a mass of pictures, I will leave with this post with a small journal entry I wrote for my other class. I think it sums up why I love BEEP so much, and also why it can be so frustrating to work within.

Here is the entry:

“Against "Efficiency": A Rigorous Defense of BEEP as an Alternative to Neoliberalism

I was meant to criticize BEEP in this journal, but I am not going to. I truly believe that BEEP is amazing. Instead of criticizing BEEP, I am going to carefully lay out the most obvious criticism of BEEP, explain the implicit assumptions of this critique and then explain why they are wrong.

"BEEP is Inefficient"

From the outside in, BEEP seems extremely disorganized. People are often "late", no one seems to be "in control" of what is being taught, no one seems to be delegating to anyone and subsequently, sometimes many people are just sitting in the office or elsewhere doing absolutely nothing that is "productive." The value based assumptions of each of these arguments are based in the importance of maximizing productive time, creating hierarchal structures of power distribution, perfectly delegating work and finally, becoming constantly productive. 

The assumption in the efficiency critique of BEEP is that maximizing time, perfect delegation, hierarchal power structures and ultimately, constant productivity are good. I disagree. These three assumptions form the basis of the final conclusion of these "efficiency" critics: BEEP cannot "grow." This leads me to the focus questions for this journal: 

-Why is "efficiency" good? 
-Where does "efficiency" come from?
-Who does "efficiency" benefit?
-What would it mean for the world to move beyond "efficiency"?

A simple critique of maximizing productive time:
A BEEP where everyone maximized their time would have no room for the hours of discussion that happen between the members of BEEP. Then BEEP would not be a community, but a factory producing new opportunities for Lindela (and maybe some of the other top-tier members), but would work everyone to the bone just to acheive that.

A simple critique of perfect delegation: 

A BEEP where Lindela from the top perfectly delegated would mean no one in the organization would have the agency to craft the meaning of BEEP and what it is all about BEEP. They might be able to make small decisions, but Lindela would be the captain, running a ship where the sailors were trained to do what their told first and think later.

A simple critique of power heirarchies:
A BEEP where power was distributed from the top down would mean Lindela would have perfect control. He could tell every single person what to do to achieve his own ends, and they couldn't say no. For the kids who don't make money from BEEP, that might be okay. However, for the people whose livelihoods depend on Lindela, this would make him their master. It also would consolidate Lindela's power in defining the organization. A fundamental part of BEEP is that the people on the bottom and everywhere in between have the agency to define BEEP however they so choose. A power heirarchy would slowly sap that agency, from the top-down.

A simple critique of constant productivity:
A BEEP where people are constantly productive would serve Lindela's ends by forcing his workers to do everything they can to maximize his goals at their own expense. This is the fundamental basis of inequality. It would make BEEP a parasite, sucking the life out of its members to push Lindela to the top (and maybe one or two others under him, if their lucky).

"Efficiency" for whom?
This "efficiency" is fundamentally meant to help the elite at the expense of everyone else. Occupy Wall Street was a joke, but at least they got one thing right. "Efficiency" is premised on destroying the 99% to build up the 1%. A BEEP premised on "efficiency" would propel Lindela to the top, and destroy its members in the process. Luckily, the critics haven't got to Lindela yet.

BEEP: A structure of mutual production
BEEP is such a mess in the view of neoliberal "efficiency" critics for one reason: it is premised not on parasitic production, but on mutual production. This is not against efficiency in the abstract, but what we mean when we say "Efficiency" as a ideogical super-structure. BEEP is about efficiency in mutual growth. Growth together; a concept that could literally save the world."

Hello again! It’s been just over a week since my last blog post and what a week it has been. I started off this past Saturday with a hike across the Upper Contour path and then up Platteklip Gorge to the top of Table Mountain. Platteklip is the fastest and most populated route up the mountain, and it is also one of the most strenuous. It was definitely a cardio work out, but well worth it. Although it was the second time I had hiked Table Mountain, it was the first time I had really seen the top. It is unbelievable. It’s hard to explain just how huge Table Mountain is, but one could, for example, hike for 6 hours around the top of Table Mountain and never seen the same thing twice. The peak is absolutely massive. Kendall and I explored some of Echo Valley, one of the many areas on top of Table Mountain, and then walked towards the cable car. We decided to take the cable car down because it is faster and we were pretty tired and hungry after around 4 hours of hiking total. A few of the pictures from the hike are below.

On Sunday, we had another adventure, although this one was a little closer to sea level. We woke up at 4 a.m. and drove about two hours to Gansbaii, South Africa. For those who have never heard of Gansbaii, it is the Great White Shark capital of the world. After a big breakfast and a safety briefing, we boarded a ship and headed out to dive with the sharks (cage included). It took a couple hours of waiting to get enough sharks near us, but eventually we found them. When our group was called, I put on my wet suit and jumped into the freezing water. We were in the water for about 15 minutes and saw more than 7 sharks. A few of them were absolutely massive (>15 feet) and came within inches of our cage. Although a mouthful of salt water turned my slight nausea into full-blown sea-sickness, the experience was very amazing over all. Once I got home, I was very glad to spend the rest of the day relaxing and catching up on school and debate work. Some pictures of the boat, sea and sharks are below.

On Monday we had class for most of the day where we watched videos and discussed mostly the racial dynamics of South Africa. Afterwards, we took a trip to Bo-Kaap, a neighborhood in Cape Town filled with colored houses (pictures below). From Bo-Kaap, we walked around the city a bit and then went home. After such a busy weekend, I went to bed very early to prepare for the hectic days to come.

Tuesday morning, Lindela picked us up extra early to begin our first overnight camping experience. We drove down to Phillipi to get the kids ready to go. I collected back my first set of surveys. I was only able to get back 13 of the 20 I had originally handed out, so hopefully I will be able to collect the other 7 and pass out more as soon as possible. Once we got in the car, we drove to a grocery store near the mountain to get food for the next couple days. After that, we finally drove to the mountain. Once we reached the mountain, we ate a small breakfast and did some warm up exercises before beginning the day’s hike. Our hike began in an area called Constantia Nek. The hike, called “The People’s Trail” goes along the side of Constantia Nek up into Disa Gorge. Before we reached Disa Gorge, we stopped to talk to the kids about the biodiversity of the area. I learned about the Fynbos Family, which is a family of plant species native to the Cape Peninsula region. We discussed the problems of alien (or invasive) species and the differences between the Fynbos family and the alien plants, particularly with regards to water use and adaptation. This trail is a particularly good one for this lesson because it is a restricted, protected area. At the beginning, where the protected area begins, there is a stark contrast between the mostly alien species to the left of the trail and the mostly indigenous to the right. Disa Gorge in particular is noted for being one of the only areas which is predominantly populated with indigenous plants. We were only allowed there because BEEP has a permit. Some pictures from the first part of this hike are below.

As you go up Disa Gorge, you eventually reach a dam, Woodhead Dam. We had to climb a steep staircase to reach the top of the dam. From the top, you can see the whole of Disa Gorge. It is pretty spectacular. After reaching the dam, we walked about 10 more minutes to reach our overnight hut where we would be spending the night. Some pictures of the reservoir and Disa Gorge are below.

After lunch, we went out to an area to do an activity where we contemplate the biggest problems in our life. It was a great experience and very emotional for a lot of the kids. After the activity, we walked a few minutes to the top of the old cable way to watch to the sunset (pictures below). This spot overlooks Camps Bay and is one of the best spots on Table Mountain to watch the sunset. When we got back, we started preparing for dinner and bed. I chopped wood with the boys and made a massive fire. Olwethu, who was running this camp, lead a discussion about discipline, preparedness and passion before dinner. Dinner, cooked by Paige and other kids, was very good and afterwards, we talked and played games. Sleeping was difficult because of how unbelievably cold it was, but overall the day was amazing.

The next morning, I woke up early to catch the sunrise. I walked past the dams and climbed up some rocks near the entrance of Nursery Ravine. Some pictures of the sunrise are below. Once I got back, we made breakfast and lunch (for later) and cleaned up the hut. On our way back, we walked part-way down Constantia Nek and then traversed the mountain to connect with Nursery Ravine. Nursery Ravine spilled directly into Kirstenbosch, the garden I visited a few weeks ago, where our transport was waiting for us. We ate lunch at the bottom and then went home. The rest of the night was spent warming up and relaxing after a long two day. Thursday, we were given the day off and I am got some much needed time to catch up on work and reflect on the past few weeks. This trip has been more amazing than I ever could have expected. Friday, we are left early for a two night trip along the Garden Route, but the details on that will have to wait for the next post. Check back in the coming days to hear about this trip and more as I continue my Cape Town adventure!

Hello! This is my third blog post about my summer internship in Cape Town and it’s coming at the end of another great week! My internship has been going very well. I got a lot done on Tuesday and Wednesday. I finished reading the book I will be using to lead a book club and I am working on developing some workshops that I will be running for the student leaders of the organization. Right now I have two planned. One will focus on the differences between climate change, global warming and ozone depletion because I have noticed some confusion from the leaders and participants around these concepts. The other will focus activism and the importance of translating awareness and concern for the environment into activism. I have also been working on some surveys that I will be conducting to create a training booklet about running BEEP workshops for future student leaders. These surveys will be independent from my personal research. In addition to working, I also got a lot of good food. At work, we went back to the same restaurant (Kwa-Chicco) for local food and Wednesday night Kendall and I went to a great Thai restaurant (food pictured below) and went to bed early to get ready for what would be an even bigger day than we could have imagined.

Thursday was Youth Day in South Africa which is a day to commemorate the deaths of dozens of young protestors killed in 1976. This event was a turning point in the movement against apartheid and holds a lot of significance for South Africa. For Youth Day, Paige, Kendall and I went to an event organized by some of the student leaders in BEEP. It was a very interesting day. Kendall and Paige were made judges for the main event, a modeling competition, and I was a co-MC announcing the event with Mama K. In addition to the modeling, there was singing, dancing, rapping, poetry and multiple speeches about the significance of Youth Day and the importance of hope in the face of poverty. There were over 100 kids and parents in attendance and as the co-MC, Mama K had me dancing and mispronouncing Xhosa words to the amusement of all of them. I was definitely out of my comfort zone, but it was a very good experience. We didn’t get home until 8pm, an 11 hour day. Even though we were all exhausted, everyone had a great time.

On Friday, we went to print my surveys for my personal research at Western Cape University. It was a very nice campus and afterwards, Lindela brought us to Mzoli’s, a famous meat restaurant. As a vegetarian, it was an interesting (somewhat frightening) experience, but they had food I could eat and it was still very fun. On Saturday, I went on a hike with about 20 of the BEEP kids to Table Mountain. It was very misty and we eventually had to turn around, but it was a good experience and I was able to have many great conversations with the kids and Lindela. Some of the pictures from that hike are included below. At the end of the hike, I was able to distribute the first 20 surveys to the student leaders for my personal research. Hopefully I will be able to hand out the rest in this next week.

Saturday night, Kendall and I went to a place called East Asian Bazaar. We ate very good, extremely cheap Indian food. Some of those pictures are included below. We spent about $11 for food, drinks and ice cream for two (with left overs). We will definitely be going back. Sunday was a relaxed day, I did debate research, homework, and began my essay.

On Monday, we toured a Dutch colonial castle and went to the District 6 museum. It was a very interesting look at multiple periods in South Africa history. From the period of colonial rule where the Dutch and English exploited the indigenous populations for their benefits to one of the most famous moments in apartheid history where thousands of people were forcibly removed from their homes to make way for white development.

From the Roof of the Castle

The rest of the week was spent mostly working at my internship. On Tuesday, we brought the kids bowling to celebrate the start of their winter break which was very fun! Wednesday was spent going to schools to distribute letters for our winter programming and developing interviews for parents of the BEEP participants to gouge the support systems of the kids. On Thursday, we got down and dirty, literally. We worked in one of BEEP’s many community gardens: tilling the soil, planting spinach seedlings and watering. Lots of the kids got involved and it was so much fun! Today, Friday, I was lucky enough to get the day off because we worked last Saturday, which allowed me time to write this blog post. Today will be a good opportunity to relax and get some work done after an extremely hectic first three weeks. Overall, I’m beginning to really settle in here and I can’t wait to see what else Cape Town has in store.