Long Walk to Freedom...

Hey everyone. Today we finally made it to Robben Island. That was the most amazing part of the day, but today was an overall pretty interesting day. For starters, we woke up at 8:15am to make it to the dock by 9:00am when the first boat left (this boat is 100 rand, while every other ferry out is 180 rand). By the time we got there, however, this ferry was already full, so we had to wait for the next boat, which went out at 11:00am. To pass the time, we went to get some brunch at a restaurant called Mug and Bean. I got a breakfast burrito, but it wasn’t as good as the breakfast burritos that I get at Tony’s in East Lansing. The coffee was outstanding, however.
After we ate, we went back to the ferry and made our way to Robben Island. For those of you who don’t know, Robben Island is an island off the coast of Cape Town. It is where the apartheid rulers would send the black and colored (these are actually politically correct to say here, so don’t think I’m racist) prisoners. Specifically, it was where they would send the black and colored political prisoners. Such prisoners include Thambo Mbeke, Mbeke’s father, Jakob Zuma, and, most famously, Nelson Mandela.

Our two tour guides were two men who were previously political prisoners on the island back under apartheid rule. So many years of their lives were taken away as they spent time here, and now they work here. Their stories were amazing. To know that we were in the presence of people who stood up for human rights, were punished for it, but never quit believing in what was right, and now get to see their dreams come to fruition was a very special moment in my life.

Hearing the story of Robben Island is incredible. The prisoners actually built the prison that they would someday inhabit. It was also interesting hearing how apartheid treated the guards of the prison. The guards weren’t allowed to wear sunglasses because sunglasses weren’t part of their official outfit. It was also interesting hearing about how Mandela would hold meetings with the other political prisoners in their toilet cave because they were safe there, as white men weren’t allowed into black men’s restrooms.

Overall, it was a very humbling experience. To see where men lived, and some died, because of the color of their skin and the ideas in their heads is something I find hard to comprehend. We got to see the cell where Mandela lived for the 30 years he was imprisoned there. As I said, it was a very honoring, humbling experience.

After we returned from Robben Island to the mainland, we made our way to a restaurant called Mitchell’s to watch the British-Irish Lions play the South Africa Springboks play in a rugby match. Well, my friends did. I made my way to a bookstore in the mall nearby and found two books to add to my collectioin. One is called Blood’s Mist, by David Donald, while the other one is called Twenty Chickens for a Saddle, by Robyn Scott. Both are pieces of African fiction. Twenty Chickens for a Saddle is a memoir of author Scott’s, detailing her childhood and life in Botswana, and all of the events that transpired while she was there, such as the AIDS epidemic.
After I bought these two books, I met my friends at Mitchell’s. We watched the Springboks get off to a commanding lead by halftime before we left. Matt, Tara, Collin, Michael, and I wanted to go back to the apartments and relax, while Dag and Suvrat stayed behind to watch the match. Apparently, the Lions made it interesting, but the Springboks held on for the win.

After we came back to the apartments, everyone took small naps and we then made our way to Camp’s Bay, a local beach. We got there right at sunset, and saw a lot of people playing with their dogs. I cannot wait to get home and get settled so that I can get a dog. Seriously, I want a dog so badly. It made it even worse that one of the dogs was a weimaraner. Brianna, I thought one of the dogs was a basset, but as it got closer I realized it was just a really short beagle or beagle mix.

At the beach, we walked and found these huge boulders that lead out into the ocean. We scaled the boulders and all set and watched the sunset. After this, we went to a local bar to people watch. After one round of very, very expensive and very, very weak drinks, we returned back to the apartments for dinner. Michael, Collin and I had spaghetti with hot dogs. Mmmm, right?
Tara, Matt, Michael and I decided to keep it a chill evening. We watched V for Vendetta, and then we all went to bed. That’s the day everyone. Hope you enjoyed it, haha. I’m off to read my football book. G’night everyone!