From left: Nyoko Muvangua ‘04, Linda Smith Charles ‘74, me ‘06, and Danielle Charlemagne ‘09

Two weeks ago, Cape Town’s Smith College contingent gathered for dinner and fun in Rondebosch, Green Point, and Guguletu. Linda Smith Charles, from the class of 1974, and a member of the Board of Trustees, was in town, so we wanted her to see the best Cape Town has to offer.

I’ve always felt really fortunate that I can go, literally, anywhere in the world and find a Smithie. One of my closest friends is an Ada who I met during the summer I worked in Portland, Oregon, and did not know anyone in the Pacific Northwest. When I told one of my professors I was going to Cape Town, he connected me with Nyoko. And through Facebook, Danielle and I realized we were both here, too.

So, Linda, Nyoko and I had sushi for dinner at Beluga on Saturday and shared a large plate of meat and mealie at Mzoli’s in Guguletu on Sunday. Afterwards, we went shopping at Green Point Market, where Linda proved that bargaining is a skill, and also identified which items were from South Africa and which were from other countries. A whole lot of the merchandise was from West and Central Africa, in fact very few items were actually native to South Africa, except for some Ndebele dolls and wire items (see below), Zulu baskets and jewelry. Here’s what I bought.

Then on Monday in Rondebosch near the the University of Cape Town we had a final dinner where Danielle joined us. That night, we traded Smith stories, discussed the 2008 presidential race, and practically closed down the restaurant.