Table Mountain as seen from Robben Island.For me, and i think perhaps for the students as well, it takes a very short time in Cape Town to begin to get a sense of comfort not often found in most new places. While everything is still fresh and exciting, it also somehow seems" just right" that we are here, at this time, at this place. I do not think there is anywhere in the world any of us would rather be on 16 January 2009!
Today we left the house at 7:45 and headed to the Waterfront to catch the ferry to Robben Island. This is my third trip to the Island but i was every bit as moved as I was the first time I visited. I cannot explain what is like to be in such a place of "past oppression and future hope”. A few pictures from today are posted at http://picasaweb.google.com/marita.mccomiskey/. I will post more pictures later (FYI, for some reason the date on all the pictures is apparently off by one day).
We returned from the Island in time for lunch at the Victoria and Alfred Waterfront. Another stop for almost every tourist who passes through Cape Town, it is also a place frequented by many locals----as evidenced by the numbers of people greeting each other and stopping to chat. With more restaurants than any of us are likely to be able to visit during our 3 ½ months here. The students were all free to select the restaurant which best fit their mood and food preference of the day.
I personally chose to have lunch at Rooti’s Cape Malay Restaurant, located right next to the famous Waterfront Clock Tower. Not only did we enjoy delicious food but were also treated to several “shows” from the roving entertainers who are always rotating around the waterfront.
Stopping by a grocery store in Rondebosch to pick up a few essentials, some students decided to walk home after shopping, while others were ready to head home for some well deserved rest—myself included. A full week indeed, and we still have more to see and do on Saturday and Sunday, before driving around to visit each student's placement site on Monday and Tuesday.
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