Seven Hour Road Trip

Over the past few days, we have been to the Apartheid Museum, Lilliesfield Farm, the Constitutional Court, and the Sweto riots museum. As you can probably imagine, it’s been quite emotionally draining. The Sweto riots were very important for the country because is demonstrated how ungovernable the country had become and that it was indeed time for a regime change.

(the sign in front of the Constitutional Court, written in all 11 of South Africa's national languages)

After sweeping through Johannesburg we are currently on the road to Durban (about eight hours, though with our driver, it's becoming seven). In my mind, I imagined scenery of the drive to be dusty and sparse, and I suppose that popular media is to blame for that. But anyway, to my surprise, it just looks like… the Mid-west (not that I’ve ever been there either). There are massive patches of land devoted to cornrows, and then in the distance there are plateaus and rolling hills. It’s remarkably beautiful.

I am also noticing the differences between China and this. For instance, the roads leading out of Beijing are lined with small hamlets and factories. Here, there is a factory or two in the distance, but not many homes standing alone.

Also, when we were driving out of Johannesburg I was intrigued to see a huge poster of a miner who was white. I think the add had to do with the Anglo-American mining corporation. I was intrigued because I understand that, historically, mining positions were held by black men. Then as we drive around the building that had the poster displayed, I could see there was a poster