It Doesn't Seem Real (Jeff)

Hello,
The whole time in South Africa has been a bit surreal for me. All hostels are kind of the same and the only time I have been in hostels was in Europe. So, I'm in a room with some Canadians, Americans, Dutch, and I have to remind myself "In South Africa."

Yesterday I did a tour of Soweto, which is a township next to JoBurg. I had a similar feeling when we went to see some "informal housing." As I was gazing out at these shacks, it didn't feel real. I've seen a million photos and video of slums in India, Brazil, etc. and now I'm actually seeing it in person. That experience was a little bit disapointing as it is clearing packaged for the tour. Someone who lives there meets us and shows us around a bit and then we got to see a woman's house, but she is a part of the tour, essentially. So, not super authentic. On the tour, we saw the spot where Hector Peterson was killed.
http://www.eng.fju.edu.tw/worldlit/africa/south_africa_h.htm

After the tour we drove through downtown JoBurg. I couldn't tell that it was that dangerous. The tour guide told us about the time he got shot in a botched mugging in JoBurg. In the side.

The area I'm in now, Kensington, is not super dangerous. People at the hostel have been going to the market and the internet cafe constantly (girls, alone) so I summoned up some courage and went shopping. All of the houses around here have walls and fences and razor wire, but it felt safe. The whole day yesterday I didn't see any white people except other tourists. Today, I saw a few Asian people on the way to the market and there were a bunch of white people in a restaurant across the street from the hostel.

Jeff