Monday after school, Debbie and Nikki took Nienke, me and Kirsten to Kirstenbosch what is known to be the most beautiful garden in Africa. I must say that it was absolutely wonderful. It was huge, clean and green ha ha! You could smell the nice and earthy air. Another highlight of Kirstenbosch was the very nice souvenir shop with an extensive assortment. All three of us spent a lot there on presents to take back home, it was quite expensive but they had such lovely things!
On Tuesday we had our first JUMP HI lesson after school. The kids are so sweet! Lily's and I teach Anitha, and she is 10. All the kids speak Xhosa, but fortunately Anitha can speak English quite well which makes it much easier for us! It feels great to be able to teach these kids maths, they are really enjoying it! So am I!
On Wednesday our whole group of Herschel, Bishops and St. Cyprian exchanges went to Robben Island. We had to meet at the Waterfront to go on the ferry that would take us to Robben Island. It was a very hot day but it was quite cold on the ferry, so I was glad that the sun was shining and warmed me up once we got off the ferry. Two busses were waiting for all the people to start the excursion. We drove around Robben Island and stopped at some places. The guide in the bus told us about the history of the spot or building and what it is used for now.
I found a good description of Robben Island, it basically summarises everything the guide told us:
"For nearly 400 years, Robben Island, 12 kilometres from Cape Town, was a place of banishment, exile, isolation and imprisonment. It was here that rulers sent those they regarded as political troublemakers, social outcasts and the unwanted of society."
"Never, and never again shall it be that this beautiful land shall ever experience oppression of one by another."- Nelson R Mandela 1994
When we arrived at the prison, our other tour guide was waiting for us. He was an ex-prisoner himself and could tell everything in detail about the cells and prison life. It was very surreal to imagine people spending many years of their life in this place. The guide was quite difficult to understand because of his accent, but I didn't really mind as we saw everything with our own eyes, and seeing these extraordinary elements does more to a person than words. It was a very special place to visit and I think it's impossible to leave South Africa without having visited Robben Island. It is a very remarkable place with a great and sad history.
2 comments:
Good blog! ^^
Good words.
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