Milk Tart recipe as promised:
(sorry you'll have to convert the metric measurements!)

Pastry Crust Ingredients: Filling Ingredients

500g (room temp) and 250g (frozen) butter 1 litre milk
140g cake flour 6 extra large eggs, seperated
3 egg yolks 20 ml maizena
10ml cream of tartar 40 ml cake flour
1can soda water 5 ml vanilla essence (or 1/2 + 1/2 almond extract)
5 ml salt 250 ml (200g) sugar
one large pat butter
pinch salt
Directions:
Sift the flour + salt into mixing bowl
Grate frozen butter into flour mix until it looks like mealiemeal (or corn bread, etc)
Knead for 3 minutes and roll out thinly
Divide butter into 3 equal portions
Spread one portion of the butter onto two thirds of the rolled-out dough
Fold dough, covering all the butter and leave to rest in a fridge for 1/2 an hour
Mix 5 ml of the cream of tartar with the second quantity of butter
Again, roll dough out thinly and spread butter mixture over 2/3 of the dough
Fold and leave to rest for another 1/2 hour
Mix the last quantity of the butter with the rest of the cream of tartar
Roll dough out again and spread the surface of the dough with the butter and cream of tartar mixture. Roll dough up like a swiss roll and cut into 4 equal portions.
Cover each individual portion with plastic wrap and freeze until needed.
The dough is enough for 4 milk tarts

Filling:
Preheat oven to 220ºC
Line two enamel plates with puff pastry.
Boil 750 ml milk
Add maizena, cake flour, salt, and one third of a cup of sugar to the remaining 250 ml milk and mix to a paste
Remove boiled milk from stove and beat paste into milk with a wire whisk until a smooth mixture is formed
Beat egg yolks and 1/3 of a cup of sugar together and add the essences (extracts)
Stir in with warm milk mixture
Beat the egg whites until they start to foam and add 1/3 of a cup sugar and maizena (this prevents the filling from sagging.)
Beat the mixture to a soft peak stage and fold into mixture.
Stir through thoroughly and divide mixture between two lined pie dishes.
Bake at 220ºC for ten minutes
Open and close oven door quickly and bake for another 10 minutes at 200ºC.

eat and enjoy!!

Posted by Lauren at 02:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

First I miss my oven. I really don’t mind the taxi trek to the grocery store, or the food getting stolen, or the locks on the fridge; but I miss having an oven. A bunch of South African friends brought us all food to res on campus (man was is good!) but I wish I had an oven to return the favor. I cook for myself at home, but my best recipies are all made in an oven. Here the stove is used most often for meats and curries, pap, potatotes, and rice. But I really want to make brownies for my friends here who have never tasted them, they’ve been so kind to me. I can now proudly say I can cook with masala and peri peri, and make beans curry. Yummy. And a far cry from my normal Californian salad and sushi and whole grains diet. But besides all that there is something I miss a whole lot more, and not for myself.

Because of the crime rate here, most of my good friends are not allowed to drive at night (if at all). Many of the girls are never allowed to drive the car on their own, nor will the ever be able to live on their own. Especially for women this place is scary. I really don’t feel in danger, but I worry for the wonderful people I’ve met here. I get to go back to the comfort of knowing I will always have a job in some form, can always make money and live securely, can live on my own without being married. Some students here wait 4 years after getting their degree for a job (and they are the extremely blessed ones who could afford to attend University). This very nice law student asked me when I was going to start my family because I can’t live in my parent’s house forever. He was shocked to find out that in the states that I don’t live at home; other than living at the university that is simply not something that is done here. The degrees of freedom and opportunity I have as a woman are exponentially greater by simple virtue of my American nationality. The very sweet girls I’ve met here are missing out on some of the freedoms and independence I cherish in my own life. I’ve realized how lucky I am. Growing up in a world where being a girl only meant I could wear dresses, I was always told I could be whatever I wanted to be, to do whatever I wanted to do. I never felt hindered by my gender. But it’s a different story here. Different expectations, different rules. Another American friend who cannot cook was told she will be worthless as a wife if she doesn’t learn. Some of the things I’ve learned from the girls on my floor have been simply unbelievable too.

I’ve seen some tough stuff since I’ve been here, it runs deep for South African women. I’ll be honest, I’ve held a friend's hand while she got an HIV test after making a mistake with a guy here. That was a very intense appointment, but thank GOD she’s negative. Its scary, because the same issues that are troublesome at home, are life threatening here. Take the night I learned about cheating: after telling the girls I would never put up with a guy who cheated on me or hit me, they were shocked at my attitude. They couldn’t believe that I would end a relationship just because of that. The girls said guys mess up, its a simple fact of life. As the conversation continued, I realized that I have a kind of cultural confidence in the fact that I don’t deserve treatment like that, and I won’t stand for it. Here, I’ve watched women get worked over time and again. The girls told me a story about their good friend whose boyfriend has been cheating for the past three years. It gets worse, but I’ll leave that all alone, its just the norm for those girls. The point being that women here have different situations in relationships, in jobs, and in life simply based on their gender. I’ve been told stories about women who have been given the choice between performing a sexual favor for a boss, or being denied a job. It’s a simple reality here. The practice of wearing a female condom at night if one has to walk home or go out is not at all far fetched, some of my friends openly do it and support it. If anyone wonders why the HIV/AIDS rate is the highest in the world here, they should look at the gender inequality issues of this country (and KZN in particular).

Growing up in a place and time and family where I was cherished as a female, I had learned about women’s rights movements of the past. But I had never experienced what they were fighting against. I’ve told my dad that sometimes being in this developing nation feels like stepping 40 or 50 years (or more) into the past, and women’s issues in South Africa are one of the reasons why.

Yet, it is beautiful the way this “rainbow nation” is trying to progress on the subject. Even my varsity has a Millenium Women campaign. UKZN (University of KwaZulu-Natal) was formerly the University of Natal. During apartheid the university was split into segregated campuses (one for Indians, one for whites, etc) the campus I now attend (Howard College campus) was the best academically, and ironically was the campus for white men. The University became color heterogeneous even before it began accepting women. The fact that so many women attend here is a testament to the way South Africa has changed. Those “Millenium Women” of my generation are the first to reap the benefits of the freedom fight and will be those that bring about greater changes in South Africa and the whole world. What beautiful and wonderful women they are! With just over a month left here in SA, its going to be hard to leave the fantastic friends I’ve made, of all races, religions, and genders!

Posted by Lauren at 02:11 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

Whew, what a day! And it's only half 2 (sorry, that’s the South African way of saying 2:30). Got up and worked on the website I’m designing for class, went to play practice for the Albert Luthuli school, went to dance class, went to a group meeting, and am now back “studying.” The stories are endless, every day I spend here. The kids at the school, besides being adorable, say the silliest things sometimes. Today the girls (in between twirling their umbrellas for me and showing me how they “shake it” in their hippo dance) decided my voice sounds like a nursery rhyme because of my accent. One of them also told my friend with a nose ring that she was wearing her earring in the wrong place. Ha ha. Kids are so cute and their traditional songs are so, so sweet.

It was boiling today in dance class though, whew! But I re-learned the word “inqolo” (I can almost do the click that goes in that word...), Zulu for “shake your backside”! We were learning the fish dance and jumping around for about an hour; we were all dripping by the end of class. And, my classmates taught me how to do this one handed noise- making thing. I’m still getting there. Ha ha…but they are all so much fun, and of everything I’ve done here, being in that class has been consistently such a “jal”! (Oh, that’s Afrikaans for “party”) Honestly, being here I've found a few things to be universal: smiles, laughing, music, and dance. No matter where I am, dancing makes me happy, and no matter who you are, if you dance with people, they are much more likely to take you in as one of their own. Maybe a white one -- but one of their own. It’s kinda funny to be the token white girl in the dance ensemble, but I can't say I'm not loving it! People are still shocked to see, “the white girl’s got rhythm!” but my classmates are always saying, “yeah, you bet she can dance!” They rock! Here’s my tip for anyone studying abroad that is lonely, or homesick, or in need of a pick-me-up: GET OUT THERE AND DANCE!

Posted by Lauren at 01:49 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

I think I will be full for the next three days, mmm. Divali was fantastic! Spent the weekend making sweetmeats and curry, watching fireworks and playing a billion games of patima patile (I don’t know how you actually spell that but it’s pronounced pati-ma-pa-tee-lay), which is Zulu “hide and go seek”. At first, four-year-old Thabo (which is his nickname, after Thabo Mbeki, since he’s the “president” of the house) was a bit nervous around me because I’m the first white person he had ever seen, but by the end of the weekend he was pulling my arm to hold him and wanting to play patima patile over and over...and over and over and over! He loved the fireworks too, and running from them. The Verlum sky lit up Saturday night for the Diwali festival: sometimes the crackers were so close their “boom” made me jump. An Afrikaner couple, friends of my friend’s family, came to share in the festivities as well. They commented on how nice our “safari’s” looked (ha-ha, sari) and Thabo thought they must be my parents. It was quite complicated in my very little Zulu to tell him they weren’t. While making massive amounts of food, we lit clay lamps that line the house (2 in every doorway) and I watched the family prayers in their small in-home worship room.

The festival comes from what is said to be the darkest night on earth when the rightful god/king Ram could return to India to rule. The people light up their houses and the sky to show the way for God to come into their homes. It’s a beautiful festival rich in tradition. I’ve still got the “gadual” on my eyes (black soot from vegetable fat that the family puts in the bottom of their eyes to ward off the ‘evil eye’). I wore the red and black sari the family had made for me for my birthday, and had tons of fun!

As much as I get confused sometimes by South African slang and cultures, its amazing to see the way some cultures here are also confused by each other, yet are trying to understand. Watching the Afrikaner couple speak with a Zulu mom and son, and speak and my friend’s Indian family was quite the cultural event. Honestly, there will probably be few instances in my life where I can watch such diversity in one room -- people so different yet having the same nationality. It’s heart-warming to see such goodness and interest in people and their cultures, and I will carry that memory with me for a very long time. The irony is that when the family tried to teach me Hindi phrases, it was Thabo the four-year-old Zulu who corrected my pronunciation. Ha-ha, I love it!

Sunday, I went to the nursery school behind my residence to volunteer with their upcoming play. I met the principal a while back who said they really needed a stage manager. Voila, a few days later I’ve got a script in my hand to direct “Luthuli Safaris” (the school is called Albert Luthuli) and each age group has a different animal they represent. The youngest are the monkeys, then hippos, elephants, lions, peacocks and zebras. They dance the most adorable dances! The play is on Wednesday for family and friends. It’s a fundraiser for the school and I’ll be there directing the kids. They’re so cute!!

We also spent suppertime at a restaurant on the harbor watching the ships come in and out. It was wonderful to sit and chat about South African politics (though that subject can be a bit scary sometimes), hearing stories from a former South African police officer, and getting confused by words I don’t understand. The way that Californians know basic words in Spanish is the same way people from KZN (KwaZulu-Natal) know words of Zulu and Afrikaans. I’m learning but it’s a bit over my head at times. Though thanks to this weekend, I know a dirty word in Afrikaans, a couple phrases in Hindi, and a game or two in Zulu. I also learned that the helicopters you see on from the shore are escorting the boats out, who knew?! The captain climbs up a small ladder to the chopper and signs the final paperwork before the boat leaves South African waters. Cool, huh? All in all an AMAZING weekend! Pictures coming soon!

Posted by Lauren at 08:14 AM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

My friend Lee and I picked up our new sari blouses today for Diwali this weekend. Diwali is a huge festival of lights; it’s essentially the Hindu equivalent of Christmas. There will be fireworks and traditional prayers and lots of food (all vegetarian). I’m super excited to see the festival and to get to spend it with such a fun and welcoming family. I also try to speak Zulu with their maid Lucy’s adorable son, although Lucy’s English is far better than my Zulu will ever be.

I also got to go to the BAT Center this week with a friend of mine who runs LifeCheck (the biggest event on the Durban hip-hop scene), whose events are all at the BAT, meaning he knows some of the artists. The center is a free art space for visual artists who are just starting out and a multipurpose performance space with murals of the jazz greats from South Africa. It’s such a cool building. One of the etching artists was working on a piece he’s been doing for 2 weeks, carving out bit by bit, and it’s so beautiful! There were handmade drums, busts of Nelson Mandela, and all kinds of paintings. The center is such a cultural experience and it’s beautiful!

Also went grocery shopping today with an Afrikaans school principal. She’s so sweet, and grocery shopping is hilarious. She told me she needed plasters and asked me to fetch them, but had to spend 5 minutes trying to explain what a plaster is. It’s a band-aid. Heehee. We finished up with some fresh mango juice afterward. Yummy. If you're ever in South Africa and you need a q-tip, ask for an ear bud. If you need a band-aid ask for a plaster; if you are talking about a traffic light, say robot. A line is called a queue and you don't confirm or inquire by asking, "oh really?" you just say, "is it?" Haha, you do have to re-learn English here a bit, starting with the greeting "Howzit?"

Posted by Lauren at 12:11 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)