Robben Island

This past weekend I finally made it out to Robben Island - one of the most iconic / obligatory Cape Town sites. On Saturday we had a nice breakfast in Rondebosch and then took a cab down to the Water Front. Amazingly, I had not been back to the Water Front since my first day in Cape Town, and it was incredible to see what a change of perspective three months has given me. I really still can't believe what a beautiful place Cape Town is. The weather has also taken an unseasonably pleasant turn, with highs in the low 70s and plenty of sunshine. Anyway, from the Water Front we took a ferry out to the island. On the ride we managed to spot a few penguins swimming in the ocean. The island has an interesting ecological feeling that is quite different from the mainland. Due to the introduction of eucalyptus trees and rabbits, the island is incredibly dry...like a desert. In the 1970s they tried to set traps for the rabbit population, but rabbits can sense when they are being threatened and their defense mechanism is to multiply even more rapidly than usually. So basically there are rabbits EVERYWHERE. 

We took a bus tour around the island, which today still houses around 200 people. There is one school, one post office, and one grocery store. The main infrastructure of the island obviously revolves around the prison, where almost all of the most famous anti-apartheid and ANC members spent at least some time before the democratic transition. According to trusty Wikipedia, over 3,000 men were imprisoned there between 1961 and 1991 (women were kept elsewhere on the mainland). 

The highlight of the visit was a cell tour given by an ex-political prisoner. Our tour guide had been imprisoned for six years, and it was fascinating to hear an inside perspective of life on Robben Island. Life as a prisoner was brutal and humiliating, but the men found ways to secretly communicate and even continue their studies. We visited Mandela's cell, and it was smaller than I ever imagined. The fact that he could spend 18 of his 27 years of imprisonment there and then re-enter South African society as one of the most dignified, effective, and forgiving leaders of the 20th century is really a testament to what a hero he is.

For the rest of the day we wandered around and explored the Water Front, followed by a delicious house dinner consisting of homemade pizza and a huge salad. Since then I've mostly been scrambling to finish up final papers and take last minute class tests - classes end in exactly one week! I definitely want to make the most of my time here as the entire experience begins to wind down, so hopefully I will have lots of interesting updates in the next couple of weeks. One of the things I'm looking most forward to is taking my Baphumelele kids on a field-trip to the Cape Town Aquarium a week from Saturday! For now though, it's time to do a bit of reading and figure out tonight's dinner plans. Adios!