From Rugby to Mandela

Don't even know where to begin, but for ease of reading and my own keeping track of time, I'll write a little brief on each day that's passed.  Starting with Sat and Sunday.

On Saturday, we went to a local hotel to meet with an official that works in the government's department of higher education and training.  He had prepared a presentation for us about the current issues in higher education and the reforms that have been attempted in the world post the 1994 move towards true democracy in South Africa.  The hotel was super swanky.

Rubber duckies floating!

Afterwards, a classmate and I went to grab a quick lunch from the Chinese place next to our hotel--an authentic meal, haha.  Wanting to explore our neighborhood- in the Hatfield suburb of Pretoria--we got a map at the front desk and set out on foot to check out the Union Building- a site the hotel manager told us was only 30 minutes away walking.  50 minutes later, and hot, we made it to the the building.  While the walk there was an adventure- or as we've since called it- an urban safari, complete with a rat propelling itself from a tree and a dead cat (sad) on the side of the road- it was well worth the walk.  The building itself was seriously impressive.  It was the site of Mandela's inauguration in 94!  Prepped for the adventure on the walk back, we made it back in 35 minutes or so.

Union Building, Pretoria

That morning, we found and booked tickets for the group to see the Pretoria Blue Bulls play the KwazuluNatal Sharks in a rugby match at the local arena.  The arena was the Loftus Versefield, a 15 minute walk from our hotel.  We bought an extra ticket, and being that we'll be at this hotel for almost a month, have gotten friendly with the staff so offered one of them a ticket.  Ended up being a great plan because he escorted us all to the game and even took us out for drinks before.

The game was really fun!  Super packed and very participatory.  The stadium was the very same one where the World Cup was played in 2010- built exactly for that purpose.  The home team, the Bulls, won!

Go bulls!  Pregame area

Loftus Versfield

At the game

Sunday morning started early.  Must have finally adjusted to the time difference because waking up at 6:30 am was really really hard!  We had a quick breakfast and with our overnight bags packed, headed into Johannesburg to make our way to the Apartheid Museum.  First we did a quick drive through Pretoria and even passed the hospital where Mandela is staying.  All the news cameras were parked outside for it.  All over the news here and at home before I left were talking about the burial and that being the reason he’s still on life support.  His grandson exhumed the bodies of Mandela’s relatives from Qunu.  Mandela wants to be buried by his family in Qunu, but now that’s not possible.  Will be interesting to see how it unfolds.

Outside Mandela's hospital

Prayers and Support for Mandela

Afterwards, we went to the Apartheid Museum.  What an experience.  We didn’t have a ton

 of time but did manage to get a guided tour- the only one they did all day in the museum.  The tour started outside the museum with pillars representing the 7 pillars of the South African constitution.  Just past them, we were told to look at our tickets.  They marked us at random to follow the path of a white or non-white.  Depending on which we were, we used a specific entrance.  Walking through a hall of blown up pictures of the passbooks (identity books non-whites were forced to carry at all times), we read quotes from all different sorts of people who at the time explained the need for complete separation of races.  Afterwards, the “white” ticket-holders climbed a ramp and the non-whites climbed stairs to symbolize the obstacles that stood in their way during the age of apartheid.  The whole museum was set up symbolically like that- resembling a prison.  There was a special temporary exhibit on Mandela too.  Learned quite a bit, about his upbringing and rise to power.  At the end, we could select a quote that we most identified with (they were color-coded) and find the same colored stick.  We put them in the grid outside to pledge that we’d uphold the ideal.  The whole hands-on feel was pretty cool. 

Pillars of the Constitution

Our tickets specified a race for us to enter the museum as

Choosing our quotes

I bought some postcards for my classroom, a hoodie, and a magnet with a Mandela quote.  “For to be free is not merely to cast off one's chains, but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others.”  It’s the same quote that’s outside the museum itself.

Stay tuned for info on our homestay!