The last month has flown by even more quickly than I ever would have anticipated, and I have already been back in the U.S. now for over a week! My three weeks in Cape Town were some of the most jam-packed, eye-opening, exciting, and humbling days of my entire summer. On the Friday before I left for Cape Town, I took a trip to the Jwaneng Diamond Mine to tour the richest diamond mine in the world. It was really interesting to learn more about such a vital industry in Botswana and see the actual source of part of Botswana’s diamond trade. Here are a few pictures from the diamond mine:
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| Entrance to the Diamond Mine |
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| Richest Diamond Mine in the World |
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| Me with one of the mine bulldozers |
After the diamond mine we stopped at a small pottery market and had a chance to browse some locally-made products. Then on Saturday, July 23rd, I left Botswana and made my way to Cape Town!
My first day in Cape Town we learned quite a bit about South African history and took a tour of the city. We even drove up to the top of Signal Hill, which provided such an incredible view of the entire surrounding area, including Table Mountain, Robben Island, and the coastline of the Cape. We also stopped by the beach at Camps Bay, and even though it was one of the windiest days I have ever experienced, it was so worth it because Camps Bay was one of the most beautiful beaches I have ever visited. The first day gave us all a great feel for the city, while also helping us to better understand South Africa’s complicated and fascinating history. Here are a few pictures from our city tour and visit to Camps Bay:
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| View of Table Mountain from Signal Hill |
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| Cape Town from the top of Signal Hill |
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| Beach at Camps Bay |
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| Such a windy day! |
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| Camps Bay |
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| Table Mountain |
Although I normally went to my volunteer placement each morning every Monday through Friday, my first Monday in Cape Town was spent continuing with orientation. We learned even more about South Africa’s history and gained a deeper understanding for how many aspects of the Apartheid policies have continued to shape the lives of South Africans all throughout the country. On my first Monday in Cape Town we focused specifically on learning more about the townships, and we even had the opportunity to visit several of Cape Town’s townships. It was nothing short of an eye-opening experience, and I am so grateful that I had the chance to gain a more holistic view of the entire city. While Cape Town has so many beautiful places and amazing destinations to visit, my experience there was placed in a much more realistic context when I was able to see not only the touristy areas of the city but also the deeply poverty-stricken parts of the city where the majority of the area’s population actually live. One of our in-country directors described South Africa as a somewhat “schizophrenic” place to live, and I think that this account is a fairly accurate way to describe the extremes that exist all throughout the country, oftentimes less than five minutes' drive from each other even within the same city.
My volunteer placement at the children’s hospital was such an amazing experience, and it was very difficult for me to leave at the end of my three weeks there. The challenges I faced at my placement and the lessons that I learned were life-changing in so many ways. Although it has been more than a week since I left South Africa, I am only now beginning to process what an impact that part of my trip has had on me and will continue to have on my life path. In addition to volunteering each day, our group would usually also participate in either a cultural or learning activity related to some aspect of life in South Africa. After my first morning at placement, I began my first lesson in Xhosa, one of the languages spoken in South Africa. It is one of the most interesting languages that I have ever learned, and even after substantial practice, it was quite difficult to master the various types of clicks that are part of many Xhosa words. We participated in language lessons twice during my program, and even though we only met with the instructor a couple of times, I was able to become comfortable with a few Xhosa words and phrases! Perhaps more importantly, it was such a great experience to be able to interact with the instructor and learn more about the culture and history behind the Xhosa language.
During my first week in Cape Town we also visited the District 6 Museum, which was so incredibly moving. During our township tour at the beginning of the program, we learned more about the District 6 area of Cape Town, and our museum visit helped us gain even more firsthand knowledge about the area and its history. The area of Cape Town known as District 6 held an incredibly vibrant and beautiful community that was eventually declared as a whites-only area of the city during Apartheid. 60,000 people were forced to leave their homes in District 6 and move to other parts of the city, after which most of the area was bulldozed. Although the area was once a bustling and lively part of the city, it is currently still the grassy, unoccupied area that remained following the demolition of the community. The district was never completely redeveloped after its demolition for a variety of reasons, but the current state of the area is a visible reminder of the Apartheid policies, as well as a kind of memorial for the physical parts of the community that were lost when the District 6 homes and buildings were bulldozed by the government.
The District 6 Museum is filled with stories and artifacts from the area, and we were led on a tour by docents who actually had lived in District 6 and were members of the community who were forcibly uprooted from their homes. One of the docents made a particularly great impression on me by how forgiving and peaceful he was about the past. When discussing information about District 6 with us, he placed great emphasis on the fact that the museum was not meant to be a place where people should dwell on the past or leave the exhibits feeling any sense of animosity or resentment about what took place there. Rather he explained that he hoped people would leave feeling a sense of hope and forgiveness, which would subsequently help continue the process of healing that has been taking place in South Africa for many years. His willingness to forgive and move forward without any lingering anger or underlying grudges was so inspiring, and his words made quite a profound impact on me. It also provided me with hope that even after all of the division and significant damage that was done to the lives of so many individuals in South Africa, forgiveness and reconciliation are still possible. Here is a photo from the museum:
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| View from the inside of the District 6 Museum |
Toward the end of the first week, we participated in a workshop about HIV and AIDS, after which we had the privilege of listening to someone talk about what it is like to live with HIV in South Africa. Although I have taken many classes and experienced many circumstances that have dealt with HIV and AIDS, I still found myself gaining an even deeper grasp of these issues through both the workshop and the speaker’s presentation. More than anything, I know that my experiences with HIV/AIDS both in Botswana and South Africa have been some of the most eye-opening, challenging, and ultimately transformative experiences throughout my entire trip. It is impossible to visit either Botswana or South Africa without seeing the impact of HIV/AIDS on the communities there, but my combination of coursework, discussions, internships, and volunteer work have provided me with countless opportunities to continue to understand the multifaceted epidemic that has forced its way into the lives of so many people here. The lessons I have learned and the perspective I have gained cannot come from simply reading a book or learning about these issues from thousands of miles away. Rather, my experiences have been so profound and made such an impact on me because I have gained them firsthand and will continue to remember them for the rest of my life.
Toward the end of my first week I visited a local craft market and had my first bargaining experience in South Africa. I found several beautiful locally-made crafts and even struck a few bargains as well. :) My first weekend, I went on a safari to a game reserve a couple of hours outside of Cape Town. Even though I had been on several safaris in Botswana, I was looking forward to the chance to see more of the Big 5, including lions and elephants. The drive to the safari was exciting in and of itself, since I had the chance to see more of the area surrounding Cape Town, including much of the winelands. The route we took was simply stunning, especially since we left before the sunrise and were able to watch the sun come up over the surrounding mountains and sprawling wine estates. The safari was also a lot of fun, and we saw so many amazing animals in such a short period of time! Not even five minutes after leaving the main lodge at the game reserve, we came across a family of hippos lounging near a watering hole. I had never seen hippos so close before, and they were really quite magnificent in person. We also saw a family of rhinos, several zebras, springbok, elephant, ostrich, water buffalo, and even a large pride of lions! My favorites were definitely the lions, due in large part to the fact that one of the lionesses came within inches of our safari vehicle! As we were approaching the pride, one of the lionesses spotted an animal in the distance and began to walk slowly toward the area where she saw it. Our vehicle was coming toward the pride, but she didn’t seem to mind and literally grazed the side of the vehicle where I was sitting. Eventually she sat and continued to watch the animals in the distance while we were parked near the rest of the pride. It was quite an exhilarating moment when she was strolling in our direction and we weren’t entirely sure if she was more interested in coming toward us or chasing down her prey! It was incredible to see so many lions up close, and I have a whole new level of respect for their place in the animal kingdom. After the safari, we drove to a nearby ostrich farm and took a tour. Although I had seen several ostrich throughout my safaris over the past several months, it was still so exciting to see them at every stage of life, from the eggs to the chicks all the way to the full-grown ostrich. During the tour I had the chance to hold a baby ostrich, which was surprisingly soft and fluffy. I also got to feed and pet several of the ostrich, which was quite an experience! The ostrich would each right out of my hand, and many of them were tame enough that they would even let me pet them as well. After touring the farm I definitely have a new place in my heart for the ostrich, and here are a few pictures from both the safari and farm visits:
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| Hippos on the safari! |
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| Zebras and rhinos living harmoniously :) |
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| First elephant sighting! |
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| Lioness that grazed our safari truck |
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| The whole pride |
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| At the ostrich farm |
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| Petting an ostrich :) |
The day after we went on safari, we traveled to Robben Island for a day trip. Making the journey to Robben Island was one aspect of my entire summer I was anticipating the most, and the trip definitely did not disappoint. Taking a tour of Robben Island and engaging in a discussion with one of the island’s ex-political prisoners definitely impacted me in a very significant way, and of all my days in Cape Town, that day was one of the most memorable. Prior to catching a ferry to Robben Island, we had a chance to explore the Nelson Mandela Gateway, which housed many artifacts and stories to provide a bit of context for our tour around Robben Island. Once we made it to the island, we boarded a bus and were driven to several different sites that hold significance within the island’s history. I learned so much about the history of the island beyond the fact that Nelson Mandela was imprisoned there for 18 years. When we reached the maximum-security prison on the island, we were led on a tour by an ex-political prisoner who had been jailed on the island for five years and began his sentence when he was just 19. Our tour guide had actually been jailed on Robben Island for part of the same time that Mandela was there, and it really made the history come to life when we were able to actually meet someone who had spent several years during the prime of his life imprisoned on the island. When we reached the part of the prison where Mandela’s cell was located, it became quite overwhelming to realize that I was walking the same halls and looking out the actual windows that Nelson Mandela did for nearly two decades of his life. Here are a couple of pictures from my Robben Island trip:
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| Entryway to Robben Island |
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| View of Table Mountain from Robben Island |
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| Maximum Security Prison on Robben Island |
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| View of Mandela's cell from the hallway |
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| Mandela's cell on Robben Island |
Again, much like my experience at the District 6 Museum, I was overcome by how peaceful, forgiving, and forward-focused our tour guide seemed to be even after going through such an unspeakable ordeal. Even now, several weeks later, I still remember his answer to one of the questions he was asked during our tour. At one point someone asked if he was angry at his captors or felt any ill-will toward the guards that stood by during his imprisonment on Robben Island. He explained that he and his colleagues were not fighting white people, but rather the system that existed within South Africa, so instead of feeling any lingering anger about what any individuals may have done during Apartheid, he was simply glad that the system is no longer in place. This example of forgiveness and a willingness to move forward without lasting grudges or hatred is one of many throughout my trip that even to this day continue to have a lasting impact on me. As I have continue to reflect on my experiences in Cape Town, one theme to which I keep returning is one of forgiveness and hope that positive change can continue to occur within South African society, due in large part to the reconciliatory spirit I encountered on many occasions. Even though my time in Cape Town was only enough to begin to understand the impacts of Apartheid policies and the changes that will be necessary as the country continues to develop, I cannot help but feel optimistic that if reconciliation and forgiveness are possible in post-Apartheid South Africa, they can be possible anywhere.
My second week in Cape Town included less of a focus on orientation, although we still took part in several different activities. We continued with our language lessons on Tuesday, and on Wednesday we even had the opportunity to learn some basic African drumming techniques from a local instructor! On Thursday we were treated to a lunch in Bo Kaap, a vibrant and multicultural part of Cape Town. We learned more about the history of Bo Kaap from the owner of the restaurant, and after eating we took a tour of part of the neighborhood. After our trip through Bo Kaap, we toured the Slave Lodge, which opened my eyes to even more of Cape Town’s complicated and lengthy history. I gained a more holistic understanding of how Cape Town played a role in the global slave trade, as well as how the city’s role continues to have an impact on the area even today.
I spent my second weekend in Cape Town exploring some of the outlying areas outside of the immediate city. On Saturday, I toured a wine estate and had the chance to see what goes into making one of South Africa’s most important exports. The vineyard we visited not only produces wine but also works toward wildlife conservation, with a specific focus on cheetahs. While at the vineyard, we even had the opportunity to pet a full-grown cheetah! The cheetah we visited had been raised in captivity and was extremely tame, but it was still such a surreal experience to pet such a strong, somewhat intimidating animal. Even though I was a bit unsure at first about petting the cheetah, I eventually got over my fears and managed to do it. Here are a couple of pictures from the vineyard:
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| On the way to the vineyard |
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| Petting a cheetah :) |
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| View from the vineyard |
On Sunday, I took a tour of the entire Cape Peninsula, which was so incredibly breathtaking. We stopped at several places along the way, including Cape Point, the Cape of Good Hope, and Boulders Beach. Cape Point is the place where the Indian and Atlantic Oceans meet, while the Cape of Good Hope is the Southwestern most point of the entire African continent. Boulders Beach is the home to thousands of African penguins, and it was so fascinating to see the penguins in their natural habitat. While the entire drive throughout the peninsula was so beautiful, I decided that the Cape of Good Hope was the most beautiful place that I have ever visited. I could probably spend an entire blog post attempting to describe the magnificence that I witnessed while sitting on the rocks and walking around the beach, but I do not think that all the words, pictures, or video in the world could describe the majesty and natural beauty that surrounded me at the Cape of Good Hope. Needless to say, my feeling of profound amazement at the bounty of nature while visiting the Cape is not one that will leave me for quite some time. Here are a few pictures from that trip, although they can only attempt to convey the actual beauty of the peninsula:
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| Chapman's Peak Drive |
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| Cape Point |
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| At the Cape of Good Hope |
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| Cape of Good Hope |
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| Penguins at Boulders Beach |
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| Boulders Beach |
My last week in Cape Town was spent continuing to see various sights and working to understand more of South Africa’s history. On Monday of my final week, I took a cable car to the top of Table Mountain, which was definitely one of the more majestic views in all of Cape Town. On Tuesday, we visited the Two Oceans Aquarium, which houses sea life from both oceans off the coast of the Cape, the Indian and Atlantic. On Wednesday we ate lunch at a tavern in one of the townships and were lucky enough to be treated to a live musical performance during our lunch! After lunch we traveled to a nearby performance hall for a presentation by local youth that included drama, song, and dance. After dinner that night, we had the opportunity to see a performance by a local artist that touched on art, music, drama, as well as South Africa’s history. This performance was one of my favorite activities of the entire program, as the performance artist really helped us to gain a much deeper understanding of the healing process that has taken place in South Africa since the end of Apartheid, as well as how it continues to take place today. Finally on Thursday evening we were treated to a farewell dinner at a local restaurant, and on Friday afternoon I departed from Cape Town! Here are a couple of pictures from my last week in Cape Town:
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| View of Cape Town and the surrounding area from the top of Table Mountain |
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| Table Mountain |
Although my trip to Cape Town was extremely busy and exhausting in many ways, it has continued to have such a profound impact on me both in terms of my career development and my development as a world citizen. The people I met and the parts of history that I saw firsthand have continued to remain in my mind since I left, and I know that they will not leave anytime in the near future.
As I continue to process and reflect on my experiences in Botswana and Cape Town, I plan to write a final blog entry sometime in the next couple of weeks with thoughts on my entire experience this summer. Until then, I am happy to continue to share stories with family and friends, and I am looking forward to continuing to gain new insights and perspective as I reflect on my life-changing summer.
Peace,
Lizzy
