Apartheid Museum Day

People have been asking how my summer was and I always end up giving non-sensical, incoherent answers. It's difficult, you know? I realize that they're being polite and actually just expect a 2 sentence answer. But how do I compress the experience of living in Egypt for 2 months, 3 weeks in South Africa and a week in Barcelona and Budapest into 2 sentences. Thus my usual answer of : it was awesome.

And it really was and I am grateful beyond words. What is most awesome for me about this summer is the affirmation of what I truly want to do in life. But that's for another entry. For now, I have over 5000 pictures waiting to be blogged. So let's do this!!!

One of the highlights of the South Africa study tour was the visit to the Apertheid Museum.

It was a bit chilly that day.

You get to experience a tiny, tiny bit of what it was like to live during the years of apartheid.

I got a white ticket.

Apartheid is basically a systematic form of racial discrimination. In those days people were given ids that identified their race. Your race then determines everything else in your life including the types of jobs you could do, the bathrooms you could use, the restaurants you could eat in etc.

Mirrors on the street.

AMEN.

Elizabeth saw her friend.

Too bad, cameras weren't allowed in the museum. I took a chocolate break. haha.

Outside, we were bored and started taking pictures of each other on these giant stairs.

Ramon and Xiaoli

Then we rested some more. I napped, of course.

Cliquish Pinoy picture.

Then it was time for lunch.  I love African food.

The painting in front of me over lunch.

Then we headed towards the Mandela house.

Which has been turned into a small museum.

Bullet holes.

If I could be a quarter of the man that Mandela was, then I know I'd have lived a full, meaningful life.

We headed to KYP.

It was wonderful how empowered the youth were in that community.

They performed for us.

The energy was infectious.

I'll post a video soon.

Playing with the kids.

Outside the sun began to set.

This day is one the highlights of the South African tour for me. The Apartheid museum was sad and would be enough to make you hate humanity. At the end of the tour, our guide tells us not to feel pity or sadness for the victims of Apartheid because today they are free. They've won.