June 15, 2015
Yesterday was our last day in Soweto and it was nothing less than what was to be expected after an amazing week. We started the morning off with the lovely sound of Father Bruce's dogs barking and with Michael's Church Bell alarm going off at 5:30 am for the people who wanted to go out for a run before mass. Per usual we ate breakfast as group with Nutella, toast, oatmeal, coffee, and fruit and talked about the experiences in Soweto. From Colin's 8th grade friends at the Apartheid museum to the beautiful people we have grown to love in Soweto. As we prepare for mass and the final hours before we leave for Cape Town, I could tell that everyone was a little sad. We began to deflate the air mattresses, well Abhishek began jumping from bed to bed. Jorgos and I folded the blankets and that's when the realization that we were getting ready to leave hit.
As we walked the long road to St. Martin's Church (roughly 10 feet from the front door), we were definitely in for a treat. The mass started with a beautiful choir with high energy and awesome dance moves that only foreigners like us can make look awkward. Throughout the mass Fr. Bruce leads the mass into an incredible homily about Youth Day (June 16) and about freedom. Fr. Bruce truly has a way with words and has an attitude that only a Jesuit can display. After a two hour mass that felt like thirty minutes we went outside and talked to our new friends that we've grown so close to. From Scott to Fr. Bruce, this community has opened their lives to us and we all knew the goodbye was not going to be easy. After packing up our bags, we walk around Soweto the last time together and I notice that the morale of the group is very low. We go to room 13 (the art room) to see some of the most beautiful pieces of art I've seen a teenager create. We share our final thoughts with each other and like clockwork wild Willie is at St. Martin's to take us to the airport. Although I'm so excited to go to Cape Town, I'm so sad that I not only have to say goodbye to all the students we met, but Fr. Bruce I was really going to miss. Fr. Bruce cooked for us, cleaned with us, played card games with us, and joked around with us. We take final pictures and say final goodbyes and we're off to Cape Town. Although everyone was really bummed, we are all optimistic about the final days we have in South Africa.
After saying bye to Willie and checking our bags, it's time to go through security. Johannes forgot to take his pocket knife out of his wallet so the TSA definitely had some questions for him. We then boarded the flight to Cape Town and the flight was two hours and went by very fast after the 20 hour flight the week before. The flight went well besides for the extremely rocky landing due to how windy it was in Cape Town. As we were getting off the plane I turn to Mr. Moreno and I say to him that this place is going to be completely different than the place we just came form. No surprise there, we exit the airport with a new tour guide that is like a 180 compared to Willie. With Jamie (the tour guide) we go to the next hotel and pass through the exciting city of Cape Town. We go out to dinner, we get some gelato, and then off to bed excited for out first full day in CT.
Our second day in Cape Town begins dark and early with a walk to the laundromat to be the first customers of the day. We eat breakfast and the second we walk outside it begins to rain lightly. We're off to Robben Island which the dock is only a few minutes away from our hotel. We line up to get on the ferry and the rain and wind definitely become stronger. The ferry ride was extremely rocky and the wind was very strong. In normal teenage fashion, Jorgos and Jeffry decide to recreate the infamous Titanic scene. We survive the large waves that seem to come straight from the show "Deadliest Catch" and land on the same island that Nelson Mandela was imprisoned on. We get on the bus and begin the tour of the island. Robben island has 200 occupants from families to ex-prisoners, either way the price of a house is incredibly cheap there. We begin to learn the history of the island and find out that the Portuguese discovered the island in the 15th century and used it as a ship rest stop. Then the Dutch and British occupied the island and used it for people who suffered from leprosy to exile them from society. There was a church and a cemetery that was used during that time which was very cool to see. We continue on the bus and see some penguins. Due to overfishing, penguins in SA are becoming endangered and can be extinct by 2022. Anyway, we visit the quarry that Nelson Mandela and other inmates worked in. The working conditions were so horrible that it caused a lot of health problems for the people who worked in the mines. After the bus tour of the island, we then go on a tour of the prison with a man who was imprisoned for seven years. This man was put into jail due to being involved in the uprising in Soweto and he was in his teens when he was arrested. He explained to the group where his cell was, the sounds he heard there, and the overall experience of the jail. Being toured around a prison by a man who was actually an inmate was an unparalleled experience. Although the look of the island is like our Alcatraz, the tour was a lot more interactive. Throughout the story he mentioned the first days in jail, the daily life of a prisoner, and ultimately how proud he was for actually being in prison. This struck me as interesting because just being on the island for an hour, conditions seem horrible and I would be very angry if I was sent to this jail. He said he was proud he was sent here because he went to jail for something he truly believes in, which is better than not doing anything at all. He then shows us where Mandela's jail cell was and it was just like the pictures. A bucket, a book, and a space that looks like a size of a coat closet. It was a truly humbling experience being showed around the prison by a man who was tortured and lived through an era in South Africa that was incredibly violent. After getting our pictures, it is now time to get back on the boat and head to the next destination.
We're back in the van and we're heading to Kirstenbosch, which is a beautiful place filled with flowers and amazing views. We travel though foggy Cape Town and begin to look at some of the most beautiful flowers in the world. We travel though tree canopies, hiked trials, and climbed these interesting trees. Johannes was in photography heaven with the amazing flowers throughout the garden. We spent quite a long time there and took in all the beauty that SA offers us. With the GoPro on Colin's head, we walk around looking as touristy as possible. Mr. Moreno was incredibly happy when he found the skeleton gouge. After getting some beautiful pictures, we buy some souvenirs and we're on our way to pick up our laundry and walk around the surrounding areas of our hotel. Half of the group decides to go out for a run, and the fun kids take a walk to the beach. Once we got to the beach, I found some awesome shells and rocks that I can hopefully sneak through customs. On the walk we talk about the best parts of the day and what we have learned thus far about ourselves. This trip is so much more than just an immersion trip. This trip has created very strong and new friendships and a new outlook on the world. Although these cities and lives are not very different from America, its the history of the country that makes the country so different. The love that we have all encountered in this trip has been unlike anything I have experiences in my life. Everyone we met has loved learning about out culture just as much as we love learning about theirs. As this day in Cape Town comes to a close, we go to bed with a stronger understanding of not only the history and beauty of this country, but of the importance of overcoming and persevering for freedom and equality.
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