Sabbatical 2.0

 Robben Island was a maximum security prison for male, non-white prisoners during apartheid.  Nelson Mandela is pictured above during his time on Robben Island.  He was on Robben Island for 18 of his 27 years of imprisonment.  Similar to Alcatraz,  Robben Island is close to the city, but separated by enough water to create a natural escape deterrent. Below, you see A typical cell and the prison yard. Our guide was a former political prisoner who was a part of the Soweto Student Uprising in the 1970s.  Bridget surprised him by greeting him correctly in Setswana.  Those Peace Corps years come in handy. The Apartheid regime made the mistake of placing all of their political prisoners on the same island.  The inmates learned from and taught each other, so they would be ready to make a change when the opportunity arose. Although Robben Island has beautiful views, it was a horrible place that tried to steal people’s humanity. However, in many cases they...

 We visited the District 6 museum yesterday.  District 6 was an area of Cape Town in which People of Color lived.  It was decided that no one of color would be allowed to live there and caused the forced removal of 60000 people from their homes. The museum is in what was the Methodist church in the District 6 community. Below are images of a few of those who lived in District 6. Apartheid and its legacy are everywhere.  The comparison between slavery and Jim Crow in the U.S. and the Apartheid era in South Africa is made plain in this museum.  Important for anyone visiting Cape Town.

Today, we took a bike tour around the Cape of Good Hope.  Our tour guide was excellent.  There is nothing better than having a local help you understand the world in which they live.  Part of the tour included Penguins, Ostriches and Seals and Baboons.  Wow. Everywhere we go, we see beauty. It’s really great here in the Cape Town area! The people are friendly and like to talk to us about transition and the government. There are a lot of people without work due to all these factors and COVID. We learn so much each day.

 Welcome to Cape Town, South Africa!!  Here’s Bridget in the area of town known as Bo-Kapp, which was a former slave quarter that has a rich history and great little museum. We had our 15 hour flight from Newark and then decided to visit Bo-Kapp, the Gardens and Table Mountain after a few hours of sleep.  Go team. Some of the architecture is similar to New Orleans and some will remind you of islands you’ve been on. The day was perfect for talking to others and learning about the world. Can’t wait to see what tomorrow brings. We’re going on an e-bike tour along the cape!

 Hello All!! Our sabbatical begins with a flight to Cape Town, South Africa on 9/11/22.  We will be in Cape Town for a week.  We then head to Kruger National Park, South Africa for a 2-week volunteer experience.  This will be a hands-on, working in the park, experience.  We have to be up at 4:30 each morning.  Yes, they must have coffee.  I hope that you all check-in to follow our adventures.  We will post pictures as we go, so there could be fun things to look at besides us dressed up in our wedding costumes.  And, away we go!!!!!!!!!!!