Michelle Obama and McDonald's

Yesterday was a great day to be an American in Cape Town.  As reported on the world news, our beloved First Lady has been in South Africa this week traveling in both Jo’burg and Cape Town.    While in Cape Town, she was scheduled to meet with Archbishop Tutu.  Of course everyone at the Peace Centre was lobbying hard for her to make an appearance at the office so we could all meet her here.  Last year, David Beckham and Charlize Theron both visited with Father and mingled with office staff in the midst of the Centre’s intimate office space, so why not ask the First Lady to stop by here too!  Alas, she was slated to only make stops at University of Cape Town and the World Cup Stadium (where the Archbishop would join her) so I would have to figure out another way to see her while she was in my home away from home for  these ten weeks.  Thanks to Will Jennings, an Arkansan friend who is on the FLOTUS advance team, that dream was possible.
 

Will told Nicky and me to arrive at the stadium at 10 yesterday morning.  The cab I called came early, so I arrived about a quarter 'til.  The stadium is beautiful – AND massive.  Though it is a short five minute drive from the city’s lovely Waterfront, there is not much surrounding the stadium except for a McDonald’s.  In my 20 days in Cape Town, I have not even thought about entering a McDonald’s.  But yesterday I was in desperate need of caffeine and there was nothing else in sight - so in true American fashion, I stopped by Mickey D’s for a cappuccino pick me up before heading to prepare for the First Lady’s visit.  It should be noted the McDonald’s are way nicer here than in the States.  Though when I asked for a soy cappuccino (missing Starbucks terribly), I was not met with a friendly response.  According to the employee, there is only one type of milk -  and that would be full cream.  Still, I was happy to have the coffee and was excited about the day ahead.  When Nicky and I got to work, we were in charge of setting up the décor and wrangling local press.  It was amazing to see the preparation that goes into such a visit – and that was just the day of! I know some of the folks from USAID, US Consulate and the Advance team had been here for over two weeks!  

Originally the plan was to be on the field, but due to weather we were moved indoors.  This made for a tight squeeze with the Press, the school children, the First Lady and the Arch, and secret service.  Still, it was fabulous and began with Mrs. Obama and Father giving short remarks to the youth.  The Arch reminded the Youth that they were VSPs  (see earlier post) and Mrs. Obama agreed, also noting that they were VHPs (Very Healthy Persons) too!  It was great.  One of the young South African girls in the audience stated that, one day, she would marry a President; without missing a beat, Mrs. Obama replied that she could also BE the President some day.  With that, the child smiled one of the biggest smiles I have ever seen on a young girl’s face – very special indeed! Both leaders were energetic and playful with the kids, who are learning sports to stay active and engaged. Their messages were positive and uplifting and you could see the joy in the youth's faces as these world famous folks played games with them -dribbling balls and even doing push-ups!  

Though I tried to figure out the right settings on my camera while taking photos (not a good combo), I did get a few close ups of the First Lady. She was playful, engaging, and energetic with the youth – instilling in them hope for a better tomorrow.  The Arch did what he does best - smiled, laughed and enriched everyone in attendance.  All in all, it was amazing.  As the stupendous day ended and I walked to meet my cab (at the McDonald’s no less), I was proud to be an American, inspired by two great leaders, and incredibly hopeful for the future of both the United States and South Africa!

YPS/VSP

The Desmond Tutu Peace Centre Youth Peace Summit (YPS) was a giant success.  The full three day event, which began Thursday morning and ended Saturday afternoon, was incredible! Even rain showers couldn't slow these kids down.  They were engaging, bright, energetic and talented.  I was blown away by their maturity and their openness.  Though the high school students were from a variety of backgrounds - races, religions, socio-econonics, and cultures - they all commented how much the Youth Peace Summit influenced them.  After three days of hearing from leaders such as the Archbishop and Yolanda Cuba (the youngest black female CEO of a major South African investment firm), conducting workshops in Diversity, Conflict Resolution, and the Environment, and sharing their creativity with one another, the YPSers were exposed to much in a short amount of time.  They rose to the occasion and exceeded all expectations. 

When the Arch addressed the students, he explained that it was a certain status to make you a VIP, but that they were all VSPs - VERY SPECIAL PERSONs and urged the youth to remind themselves of that every day.  They ate it up!  We chanted YPS/VSP the remainder of the three days. At times I felt a tad bit like a camp counselor, but was inspired nonetheless.

A few highlights included:

1. The South African National Anthem sung at the beginning and closing of the Summit; beautiful; uplifting and a hybrid of five languages brought tears to my eyes and chills to my spine.

2. The Youth's reception to the Archbishop; later the high schoolers shared what an amazing opportunity it was to hear him and how much they looked up to him.

3.  My group, the Red Hot Peace Peppers, was a special one.  I was impressed by the fast friendships formed within the group, despite their varied backgrounds.  At the conclusion of the Summit, they presented a skit about what they learned.  Their creativity and talent, including acting, beat boxing and singing, were fabulous.  However, nothing beat when all 26 of them lined up in a straight  line across the stage.  As they passed the microphone to one another, they proclaimed what they would all be 15 years later.   There were future doctors, lawyers, journalists, UN ambassadors, actors, and agents of social change.  Even more impressive, each student said it in their native language.  So, their proclamations were spoken in 7 different languages. Their facilitator, "Miss Molly," as they referred to me, was mighty, mighty proud.

4. Several students came up to me to tell me how much they were taking away from the Summit.  One even told me that he was planning on only coming Thursday and Friday as he had to work on Saturday.  He had learned so much and was having such a great time that he asked to work Sunday instead so he could also attend YPS on Saturday.  WOW.  Sign of a successful summit in my book!

Hope you all are doing well and staying cool despite high temps in the Great State on this first day of Summer.  I am bundled up with lots of layers here in Cape Town, but the sun is shining and I am loving this city more each day.  And a  Happy Father's Day to my dear Daddy - a #1 VSP.  I enjoyed our visit on Sunday.   Until next time...love and hugs!

"Maahleeey!"

I like names.  Correction: I love names.  It is an odd fascination that I have had since I was a very young child. I would pick up Baby Name books in stores, ask all of my classmates and friends not only their middle names but their parents' middle names, their siblings' middle names, etc. etc.  To this day, names are one of the first topics I bring up when I meet someone new (albeit it takes them off guard at times); once I hear their full name I think of their monogram and I tend not to forget - even for years to come (wish I had this same ability with legal texts).   I am not sure if it is the strong Arkansas accent or the syllable placement, but for some reason in South Africa, people have trouble understanding the pronunciation of my name.  I never thought Molly was particularly difficult, but I've noticed here it takes a few times of my saying it for it to catch. "Maybe I should go by my formal name of Mary Catherine?" I thought to myself.  So, I asked Nicky the native South African and my fellow Clinton School classmate, what I should do.  She grabbed a pen and paper and wrote my name out "Morley" and said to pronounce it like that.  Heck no! I told her - I'm not a Morley; I am a MOLLY.  I write about my enthusiasm for names and the difficulties with my nickname in Cape Town not to provide you all a glimpse into one of my idiosyncrasies, but also to  share the story of my first meeting with Archbishop Desmond Tutu.

The room where Nicky, Kate, and I work is literally feet away from the Arch's office.  Pretty neat in and of itself, but knowing I would meet and have tea with the Archbishop himself - INCREDIBLE. My first week, Father (as he is affectionately referred to by the staff) was traveling so my introduction came yesterday.  Words cannot describe the joy he exudes.  Much like the way I felt (even surrounded by 18,000 people) when I heard the Dalai Lama speak at the University of Arkansas in May, I was struck by the Archbishop's spiritualism.  One is calmed in their presence.  It is the custom of the office to greet the Archbishop and we gather in a circle with him to do so.  He goes around to everyone with hugs and kisses on the cheek. When he got to me, I smiled and said "Father, I am Molly.  What a honor."  "Malley?" he responded, clearly puzzled by my name.  "MO-LLY" I answered as I began to blush and my South African friends tried to translate on my behalf.  Then, in a moment I shall never forget, the Arch threw his hands back, let out an extraordinary laugh, and with a twinkle in his eye, exclaimed, "Oh Mahhhleey!!!"  In a word, it was, spectacular.

First Impressions of Cape Town

Greetings from Cape Town, South Africa! I hope all of you are doing well in your respective corners of the world, our country, and in the Great State.  I arrived Tuesday afternoon in Cape Town and my first week has been an absolute whirlwind!  I was very grateful to be on the flight with Mallory and Greg, whose beautiful wedding I was honored to be a part of last Saturday and who are honeymooning in South Africa.  Though I tried not to disturb them on board, it was nice to have familiar faces as I began this incredible journey.

Upon arrival, I had a car waiting for me at the Cape Town airport.  In true MCM fashion, I appreciated that it was a new BMW no less.  Living the life I thought to myself....

People who have been Cape Town say that it is one of the most beautiful places in the world - and they are right.  The stupendous mountains in the background on my drive to my new apartment took my breath away.  Tabitha and Kate, fellow Clinton School classmates and my roommates while in South Africa, were at the apartment to greet me and help with my luggage.  I was immensely grateful.  Those of you who know me well, know it was hard to condense ten weeks of winter clothes into two (50 lbs or less) of luggage.  Somehow I managed, though I am still not sure exactly what I packed. 

My first day of work at the Desmond Tutu Peace Centre was Wednesday and it has been full throttle since then!  The staff is incredible and I am learning a tremendous amount. One of my favorite parts of the day is tea which is served at 11 am daily. When the Archbishop is in the office, it is also served at 3 pm.  Tea, coffee and biscuits are served and people are to talk about anything and everything - except work.  It is a nice bonding time and an incredible opportunity to get to know everyone at a more personal level.  Plus, the tea is delicious! My Spencer ancestors would be quite proud.


The Centre is gearing up for the three day Youth Peace Summit that will occur this week (coinciding with Youth Day - a national holiday in South Africa).  Over 150 high school learners as they are called here will attend.  I am getting very excited to interact with such fine and bright young people.  We met with a few of the Summit facilitators on Saturday, who were all University of Cape Town students that had volunteered to assist.  I was impressed with their drive, compassion, and articulation - and their humor. If these are the young leaders of South Africa, the country is in good hands.


I also had a unique opportunity to visit several township schools on Thursday and Friday.  It was an eye-opening experience.  Nicky and Kate are working on a project for the Centre that involves Schools for Peace; I tagged along to get a sense of the issues young women were facing in these schools.  The inequalities amongst the schools was apparent.  I learned that all schools in South Africa - both public and private - have the same mandated curriculum.  The difference is the resources and what a difference that makes indeed. Still, the meetings were both beneficial and informative.  We gathered much information from the teachers and administrators - and I learned a bit of Xhosa along the way as well.

Thursday evening, I crashed Mallory and Greg's honeymoon and had dinner and drinks with them before they headed off for their Safari and Mauritius.  They stayed at the Cape Grace Hotel (where the Clintons stayed last time they were in Cape Town) and I enjoyed a Kir Royale in Mama's honor on the hotel's fabulous deck.  As soon as I am able to upload pictures, I will do so.  We then had a very nice meal at 95.  All in all, it was a great time and I am so glad I got to share a little of my time in Cape Town with my old friends, the Newlyweds.

Nicky was very kind to invite me to St. George's Cathedral with her on Sunday morning.  The Cathedral, which is a short walk from my apartment in the Gardens district, is quite lovely.  I got there a bit early (SHOCKING I know) and while I waited, I watched the people file into seats.  I was completely blown away by the diversity of the congregation.  People of different races, backgrounds, socio-economic levels, and the likes were together in this place of worship.  I was moved by the unity.  Mandela's proclamation of a "Rainbow Nation" seemed alive and well - at least that Sunday morning at the Cathedral. 

After church, Nicky and I enjoyed a nice meal at the Waterfront and strolled through the Carnival there.  Nicky's five year old precocious daughter, Nailah, will arrive next week and I know she will love all the fun the Waterfront area has to offer.  I wrapped up the weekend with a movie. Tabitha, Kate, and I saw Water for Elephants and loved it. 

Like it is in any new place, there is a transitional period of adaptation and adjustment.  Thanks to good friends, my wonderful Clinton School classmates, and an incredible organization, the transition is easier day by day.  Until the next time, my love and hugs to you all!