It was so comforting to arrive back
in Cape Town, especially knowing that I would be back at my internship the
following Monday and that I’d be getting back into my daily routine.
It’s really starting to feel like home for me. Although I did enjoy
Johannesburg, Cape Town definitely has my heart. In Johannesburg we visited
many different museums and historical sites. Not only were these places
extremely informative, but they were also incredibly moving. I didn’t just
learn about the struggle of people who lived through apartheid, I felt their
pain. I found myself having to look away from some scenes in the videos and
documentaries we were shown because the images were too disturbing for me, and
I felt sickened by the nooses hanging from the ceiling. I wrote about this in a
discussion post already, but I just still can’t fathom how white people were so
cruel and so terrible to blacks during that time, especially after hearing the
story that blacks were forced to dance, spin, and bend over naked to have their
anus searched in the prison we went to. How could anybody do that to another
human being? How could they live with themselves? It’s interesting to me that
they originally came to civilize the blacks yet they are the ones acting so
barbaric. Irony at its finest. It just doesn’t make sense to me.
The Apartheid Museum and the Hector
Pieterson Museums were the ones that really stood out to me. Originally I hated
the fact that I couldn’t take pictures in the apartheid museum. However, I am
actually glad looking back on it now, because it forced me to keep notes in my
journal about what stood out to me, since I wouldn’t have the picture to remind
me. One quote from the apartheid museum that was particularly significant to
me: “My blood will nourish the tree which will bear the fruits of freedom. Tell
my people that I love them and that they must continue the struggle. Do not
worry about me but about those who are suffering”—Solomon Mahlangu 1979. To me
this is the perfect embodiment of the attitude towards the whole movement.
Leaders and supporters of the anti-apartheid movement realized that they were
fighting for something much bigger than themselves and their family. They were
fighting for their neighbor, for the freedom of the entire black population,
and for the future of the whole country. It takes a really special person to
make this distinction and Mahlangu was one of them.
Being in Sharpeville on Human Rights
Day (the day that celebrates the death of 69 from the Sharpeville Massacre in
1960) was something else. There was so much energy in the streets with all the
marching and dancing and singing that was going on. The only thing I did find a
bit strange is that I expected the day to be spent remembering the 69 who died
rather than campaigning for political parties.
I can now add Kruger to my list of
favorite places I’ve ever been and I will never forget my experience there. I
loved the silence, the vastness, the nature, and of course the animals. We saw
so many animals. My favorite were the female lions because I just think they
are a really great symbol for all girls. They have both sides to them—they are
beautiful but they are also strong and fierce. I think too often girls are told
they have to be one or the other but the lioness proves otherwise. My other
favorite animal I saw was the impala. Most people got tired of seeing them and
didn’t care to stop for them anymore because they were so common, but I really
loved them and would have stopped each time. I think they are beautiful animals
and each time I saw them I was reminded of all the deer I love to see back
home. It made me feel very grateful for my opportunity to be somewhere so new
and different from where I’ve ever been before. Even when we didn’t pass any
animals for a long time I loved just driving around searching for them. It was
like a game. I actually fought a few people for the spotlights at night because
I had so much fun looking. I also had so much fun learning about animal
behavior. Meg can attest to this but I am a super nerd when it comes to animal
facts—I bought 2 different books to read about birds and animals at Kruger!
Also, there was one point on the night drive where our guide shut off the
engine and lights and told us to absorb the sounds of nature. Ah it was so
nice! There was another point where we stopped and the lights went off and I
thought he was having us listen again, but this time was different. Our truck
actually broke down in the middle of kruger in the complete dark. He then
proceeded to say, ‘Ok guys, we are not far from camp’ as if inferring we were
close enough to walk back. No way in heck was I getting out of that car,
especially after just passing 3 lions taking down and eating a water buffalo to
feed their 8 cubs. Luckily we were able to slowly roll down a hill a little bit
before getting the truck to turn back on and we lived to tell the tale!!
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