Enlightened by Etienne

March ended with a BANG. :)

We had a “Brii'e” (barbecue) with Talisman. They sang outside, and the performance was very moving. I really respect how they make it a point to understand the history and significance behind a song. It shows through their performance how much they care, and this allows them to connect with Africans in a unique way. Talisman also taught us a song native to South Africa, and the roles were switched when we performed with them. After Talisman left, we all sang in the kitchen. Yes, completely cheesy, but cute. It was Robin's 21st birthday the next day, so we celebrated early with cake and going to a bar.

I'm SO HAPPY I decided to go out that night. The days to go out here in Cape Town are Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays. We all rolled out to Stones, a bar down the street from where we're staying. I was only planning to stay until 11:30 or midnight at the latest, but I ended up staying until 2:30 or so.

Cape Town is a melting pot for different races and cultures. I met a lot of people, some from Nortwestern University, a girl from Jamaica attending Syracuse University, guys from different parts of South Africa, and some local Capetonians. There are a ton of people from different parts of Europe as well. It could get confusing.

Or maybe not so...

Before I went to Stones that night, I had trouble differentiating between a local and international. I saw Etienne at Stones, and thank goodness I saw him. He was the highlight of my night. Etienne is the boyfriend of Jen, the girl who basically figures out the logistics of our academic and social calendars while we're here in Cape Town. She's amazing at what she does. Etienne is a local who grew up in Obs in Cape Town his whole life. He is basically the Hitch (think Will Smith) of the nightlife.

For around two hours, he educated me on not only how to tell the difference between a local and an international, but also how to tell if someone is from Cape Town, Johannesburg, or from another African Country. He even told me how to tell if a guy is trying to “pull” (slang here for hooking up) for the night. Etienne taught me to detect through clothing, accessories, shoes, body language, and even dancing. He even went to explain the reasons behind why, the psychology of it. We would go around, and he would point out examples. Whenever I doubted or questioned him, we would find a way to ask that person, and most if not every time, he was right. By the end of the night, I was able to kinda do it. Example of a dialogue Etienne and me would have.
E: “Her.”
Me: “International.”
E: “Why?”
Me: “She doesn't have a purse because she's scared of getting mugged. She's wearing boots, and a local would think it's too hot to wear boots right now. She's with a group of girls, and local girls do not hang out in bars in groups because....etc etc.”

One of my proudest moments was when I was able to tell that a guy was from South Africa, but not from Cape Town. When I knew the Citro was from Jo-burg, he said “who the f*&k are you?!”I explained to him why I thought he was, and I also added, “And by the way you're standing I could tell you're not hitting on me...” It was great.

Other than discussing how to differentiate between different types of people, we also talked about perceptions of international students from different countries, dating scene in Cape Town, etc. I even met some of his friends. It was an EXTREMLELY interesting and hilarious time with him, and I didn't even notice that nearly two hours had passed.

Etienne has become my Professor of Social Life and Night Life Culture in Cape Town. In our first seminar, he has already taught me things about Cape Town that I would never learn from a book or an academic setting. Oh, the things one can learn in a bar...