June 3, 2009...One Last Day!

June 3, 2009

Today we got up, packed and showered for our last half day in South Africa. We were going to head to Table Mountain for another fun hiking site-seeing rendezvous but because the weather was bad we opted to head into town for some last minute souvenir retrieval. We walked to the train and went into the heart of Cape Town to an area known as District 6. Here we went to a museum to learn about the significance of this area during apartheid. District 6 was an area that was occupied by all coloreds and blacks leading up to the middle of apartheid when things started to get really bad. Then around 1964 the government commanded that all blacks and coloreds had to leave the area and it became housing for whites only. The museum was dedicated to these people and this area that had been the home to so many black and colored people before their terrible forced removal.

Our tour guide at the museum was a former resident of District 6 and he was one of the people that started up this museum. This was one neat feature about the museum, it wasn’t created by the South African government it was started by a few residents of District 6 that lived there before the 1960’s. Our tour guide told us his heartbreaking story about watching his house being bull-dozed down. He showed us numerous pictures that were in the museum of his former home and what the area looked like before it was destroyed and rebuilt. He proceeded to show us around the museum filled with pictures and notes left by people that had been through this experience and who had since come back to the museum to help fill in pieces. One moving piece in the museum was an actual map of the District 6 area before it was destroyed that was blown up and scaled across the floor of the museum. The streets of the map were filled in and outlines of former buildings were in place left blank for their former residents to come find and sign that they had lived there. Also on the map was a quote written by Langston Hughes that said, “Hold fast to dreams for if dreams die, life is a broken-winged bird that can not fly.”

After going on the tour and being allowed to share in the pictures and stories of the District 6 destruction, our hearts felt heavy with empathy and remorse. It was then that I started to read a board that had two huge sheets draped over it and marker beside it for people to share their comments. I noticed a trend that all Americans and citizens from other countries that had been to the museum left comments similar to what I was feeling at the time: comments like, “Thank you for sharing your story. I will never forget it,” and “What happened in District 6 was terrible but sometimes bad things happen for a reason. Let us learn from this so that it never happens again.” The thing that struck me, however, was not these comments but the comments left by South Africans. Every comment left by a South African told of total reconciliation such as: “Let us forget the past and move forward,” and “May God bless the people that did this and let them know we forgive them.” It was so inspiring to see these comments and know that after all the terrible things that this country did to its self; its people were still capable of forgiving and moving forward. In a way it sums up the impressions that I have taken away in my short time here on the people of this country. They are zealous, compassionate, and open-armed to even the most unworthy stranger.

After a short stay at the museum we walked to Green Market to finish up our shopping. We all managed to spend the rest of our Rand and purchase many unique African merchandises. We spent the afternoon in the market only stopping our shopping spree for a short lunch. At 2:00, with our hands full of purchases and smiles on our faces, we headed back to our flats to grab out luggage and head to the airport. We are now on our voyage back to the United States. Although we are sad to leave this beautiful country, it is time to return to reality. We look forward to seeing you soon!

Jackie