Excursion gave me plenty of opportunities to appreciate a whole new part of this country. Flying into Joburg was such an exciting experience, and I knew I was going to love it. While I may have missed the Cape Town weather and the back drop of Table Mountain each time I looked around, it was nice to be able to see new sights and meet new people, in a new part of the country. When I first signed up for this trip I had no idea that Joburg and Cape Town were so far apart, not only distance wise (I suppose I have no one to blame for my lack of knowledge of geographical skills other than myself), but also in attitudes. At work the week prior to leaving, people were trying to give Brenna and I advice on what to expect out of Joburg. I heard comparisons to New York and LA, and that there, people were always on the move, always go go go, which as we all know, is not quite the attitude in Cape Town. The little bit I did of walking around in Joburg, without being on our great big tour bus, did give me the impression of a more busy city. In addition, the big mall, Nelson Mandela Square, was very American-like. A Nike store, Hagen-das, Swatch, and even a Mac (resale) store! It was surreal, but enjoyable, sipping on an ice coffee and checking my email on the Mac store computer, just like home.
The hotel we stayed in was easily the nicest hotel I have ever been in, the beds were so comfy that each morning I was tempted to sleep past my alarm. The continental breakfast was more of a buffet, with a person making omelets for you (just like Uconn!) and it was so great getting to eat nuts again (a luxury I have yet to splurge on). Our days were filled with activities’, the most interesting for me being the Hector Peterson museum. These two museums were two of the best museums I have ever been in, both filled with information and interesting stories. Although I wish we had had more time in the apartheid museum, I still was able to learn so much, especially with the exhibit on Nelson Mandela that we got to walk through. The Hector Pieterson museum was something completely new to me, because I hadn’t heard much about him prior to excursion week. Hector Pieterson was a boy who was killed during the Soweto uprising when he was 13. Students were attempting to protest the enforcement of the language Afrikaans and English in their school. It was a really depressing, moving and at the same time inspiring museum, for me the hardest part was the photo outside of the museum, of a boy carrying Hector Petersons body. On one of the benches was a quote from that boy’s mother, about how carrying his body back was just a natural thing, that if he hadn’t the community would have shunned him. It was really hard for me to read.
From Joburg was just a short ride (7 hours one way) to Kruger National Park, we were finally headed out on safari, or should I say, the bush (I was told by someone at work that Safari must be an American word, because no true South Africans ever say that). The ride was beautiful, and as much as I wanted to sleep, I couldn’t help but stare out the window seeing all the beautiful sites, and for the first time in my life a horizon! Previously, growing up in New England, there have always been mountains, trees, and hills blocking my view of the flat horizon, and this bus ride was the first peek I had at one! It probably doesn’t sound that exciting, but for me, it was! From there we got to move into these adorable little thatched roof huts, take a dip in the pool, and head out on our first safari! Between the 2 drives and the bush walk, we saw a lion, elephants, hippos, rhinos, giant spiders, and ever a cheetah! It was all really cool- my favorite part obviously being the gigantic lion that strolled right past our truck.
Now that excursion is over, I am once again freaking out about how little time we have left here. I remember thinking in January that once excursion was over we’d have such little time left! And while I am so thankful for all the experiences I have already had, I can’t help but wish we had even more time to travel around, see new things, meet new people and return to some of the places we’ve already been and loved. It’s getting to that time where I’m wondering if I’ll even get to do all the things I wanted to do, big things and small, and hoping that somehow I’ll get to come back here again and share with other people all the things I have done and learned. I can’t help but be jealous of Martia, who not only has gotten to return here for several springs, but has gotten to show some of her friends and family just how amazing this place can be. Hopefully one day I can return here and see all of these things that I love so much, but if I don’t I will always have the memories (in the form of about 700 photos) and all the things I have learned to remind me of my time here.
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