This past week has encompassed so many experiences that I think it would be almost impossible to convey every detail, but I will do my best. Last Friday, we departed Cape Town for South Africa’s industrial capital, Johannesburg. Although I have been to Johannesburg previously, I never had the opportunity to explore all that it has to offer, so I was excited to visit all the museums and delve further into the history that we have been learning about in Vincent’s class. On our first full day in the city, we attended a tour of the Apartheid museum. After having gained a background on the apartheid system and its effects on various groups of the South African population, I knew that the contents of the museum would provide further insight into the atrocities of apartheid and the perseverance of those who sought to overcome it. I have to say that the museum and the tour were incredibly well done. I felt myself reflecting on my prior knowledge and tying it to the first-hand accounts of the injustice perpetuated at the hands of apartheid. The most disturbing part, however, was the knowledge that, although perhaps some of the violence that occurred during apartheid (though certainly not all of it) has ended, the inequalities that it created are still incredibly real.
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| Johannesburg Prison |
In our remaining
stay in Johannesburg, we also visited the former prison on Constitution Hill (where
Ghandi was incarcerated for a period of time), the Hector Pieterson museum, and
the former home of Nelson Mandela. We also
spent Human Right’s day in Sharpeville, where the massacre of 69 people who made
a very public statement against the constraints of apartheid occurred.
On Wednesday, we
embarked on an eight hour drive to Kruger National Park. I am lucky enough to have been to this
incredible place once before, so I was curious as to how this experience would
measure up in terms of wildlife sightings.
On our first game drive, we witnessed lions, giraffes, and
warthogs. The second tour was a bit less
fruitful in terms of sightings, so I was initially a little disappointed in the
visit as a whole, given that an additional game drive was not guaranteed. However, a small group of us decided to
partake in an optional night drive. I
almost declined the opportunity, but a mere ten minutes into the drive I could
not have been more thankful for my decision.
It seemed like we had just pulled away from camp when, not 20 feet from
our truck, we witnessed two lionesses who were in the process of killing a
water buffalo. If this wasn’t enough,
there were eight little lion cubs surrounding them as they did their work. Although the scene was admittedly a bit
gruesome, I knew how lucky we were to have stumbled upon this sight. In the end, what my second trip lacked in quantity
of sightings, it surely made up for in quality.
On each game drive,
I was able to reflect on the absolute love I have formed for Kruger and how
incredibly lucky I am to have visited this place twice within the span of one
year. Not only have I been able to
witness animals that I have always dreamed about seeing in their natural
habitat, but I have also been exposed to the tranquility of this amazing
place. On the night drive, our guide
turned off all the lights and instructed us to be silent for a few moments,
which is something I also remember experiencing on my previous trip. I know it may sound corny, but I have never
felt so at peace as I did in these moments.
I was able to reflect on just how lucky I am to have experienced
everything I have in the past two months and that, whatever happens next, I am
a better person for having chosen to partake in this program.
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