The First Weekend

The Biscuit Mill Market

            Around mid-morning, I tagged along to the Biscuit Mill Market with some of the other volunteers.  Biscuit Mill is like a local Farmer’s Market that caters to tourists and privileged locals.  The market is set back in an old biscuit factory.  There are two giant tents devoted to selling fresh food, flowers, and cuisine.  When you walk into the tent you can smell freshly baked sweets, meat pies, and anything else you can dream of.  I start my morning by breaking away from the group and grabbing a 20 R ($ 2.50) Mango Lassi (fresh mango and yogurt).  Though I had heard of a Lassi, I tried my first one today and it was amazing.  I continued to explore the tents.  I noticed many families, American tourists, and college students eating at large tables set in the middle of the tent.  I also noticed that many of the people were drinking wine, champagne (Bubbles), or Sangria at 10:00 am.  Everyone seemed to be having a great start to the day.  I decided to follow my heart and try a few sweets (of course!).  I tried a warm croissant from a vendor and a Lemon Meringue Tart from another.  The croissant and Tart were both amazing, though I thought the tart lacked in lemon flavor. 

            After walking through the tent and gathering my treats, I took a look in the surrounding shops and wrote in my journal.  The surrounding shops sold art, furniture, and gourmet food items to wealthy locals and tourists.  I enjoyed looking at all of the beautiful items, but my mind kept wandering back to the poverty present in Cape Town, in Detroit……

            The day ended around 12:00 pm.  Though I had a lovely time eating and walking around, I was challenged by the obvious divide between the served and the underserved. 

New Arrivals

            Today, the new volunteer began to arrive.  They are expected to have 10 new people in the house by the end of the day.