Later that afternoon we traveled to Mamre a small, rural town which is 45km from Cape Town. It is a colored area where are project is based. Mamre was a lot more developed than I thought it would be and houses are nicer than in the UK.
Now SA is still very much a segregated country even after 20 years since the end of apartheid. There are Whites, Coloreds and Blacks. I had no idea who the coloured people were, I had heard they were anyone who wasn't Black or White. I and other volunteer Charlotte are staying with Aunty Freida and Paul (he says hes too young to be called Uncle). They have two daughters who are both married and have left home. That evening we were all chatting in the lounge with Uncle Matthew (Paul's brother who is always over) and Paul told me to let him know if I had any problems with people in the town. I didn't understand and he explained to me that most colored people look down on black people.
I was so upset. I came to volunteer in Africa to get a sense of belonging and to give back. Now here I was in a town far away from home where people thought they were better than me because of their skin colour and hair. The funny thing is the "coloured" people all look different - some look Mixed Race, Thai, Indian, Black, East African, Native American, White, Arab ect.
Not liking South Africa at the moment.
