I am currently sitting on the bus on the way back to
Johannesburg from Kruger National Park. This past week has been so awesome,
starting off the first part of the week with museums and a little bit of
history and ending it in one of the most peaceful places I have ever been to- a
much needed break from our crazy life back in Cape Town.
The hotel we stayed at was so nice (with extra comfy
beds). It was nice to be able to relax and not have to worry about anything. I
was never a huge fan of museums growing up, but there was something about the
ones we went to that kept me wanting more. I was so fascinated with all of the
information they had to offer, especially at the Hector Peterson Museum and
Sharpeville Memorial Center. There were multiple moments where I had to hold
tears back. It is so unbelievable to me how so many young people were killed
for essentially peacefully protesting, and in the case of Hector Peterson, how
a 12 year old could be the face of it all. Absolutely shocking. I also found it
very sad how not a lot of people visit where the Sharpeville Massacre occurred,
especially since that gained South Africa freedom many years later. I am so
grateful that I was able to go to these places and learn about how South Africa
came to be the way it is now. We also toured Constitution Hill that was very
cool, we went to the Apartheid Museum, saw the Freedom Charter, and went to an
African Flea Market. 
One of my favorite days was spent at the Pimville
Boys and Girls Club that was in Soweto (South Western Township), the biggest
township in South Africa. Maddy, Sara, Rachele, Rav and I helped clean up the
garden before playing with the kids for the rest of the afternoon. It was
really cool to see how a little work makes a huge difference. Playing with the
kids was very tiring, but definitely fun. We sang songs, played on the
playground and danced around (even in the hail)! It was so easy to notice how
quickly the kids get attached- within 10 minutes, they always wanted us to hold
them and follow them around, some of them even fighting with others as to which
one of us was “my teacher.” While we were there, the global CEO of Tupperware,
Rick Goings, stopped by the club. He opened the 2 clubs in Soweto many years
ago (sponsored by Tupperware) and he happened to be in the area. He was so
personable with all of the staff and students. It was kind of funny because
most of my co-educators and I were star struck, as if we were about to meet a
famous actor or actress. It was funny to see Americans fanning over another
American. It was so hard saying goodbye to all of the kids when we left. We
kept getting questions about when/if we were coming back and it was so hard to
give them an indefinite answer. It brought tears to my eyes as they were
blowing kisses and waving as we pulled away. 
After our long 8-hour bus ride on Friday, we
finally arrived in Kruger just in time for our 5pm game drive. We then had a
bush braai with delicious food. Saturday morning was an early wake up call (4
am) for our morning game drive, followed by a night game drive (8-10 pm) on
Saturday night. We saw an elephant, lions walking on the road, giraffes,
hyenas, kudu, impala, jackals, buffalo, wildebeests and many more. It was
really cool to see them in their natural habitat. Although we weren’t
constantly seeing animals during our drive, it was still nice to drive around
on the truck and look at the stars and hear the peaceful sounds of nature. Our
chalets were really cute- I felt like I was on a retreat. I was so content
sitting on our porch, listening to country music and relaxing without any Internet
or anything. Although I will miss Kruger and this past week, I am looking
forward to getting back to Cape Town for the final 3 weeks of my stay.
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