16 Days [1/5/2011]

I’m leaving for Cape Town in a little over two weeks, and it’s completely surreal. I’m trying not to imagine what it’s going to be like, because I know any expectations I have will fly right out the window as soon as I get there. At the moment, getting there is really all I’m worried about. My last transatlantic adventure was one of the worst experiences of my life (and that is definitely not an exaggeration), so my fingers are crossed for much better luck this time around.

I’m knee-deep in The Long Road to Freedom, Nelson Mandela’s autobiography. I’m reading the unabridged two-volume version. No, I’m not crazy, I just always feel like I miss out when I read abridged things. Rather than answering questions I have about South Africa, however, it’s made me realize just how ignorant I am. My Cultures of Sub-Saharan Africa class was a great overview, but we were covering an entire region, not just one country (and that was two years ago). I’ve got a lot of researching and reading to do in the next two weeks, and I’m looking forward to gaining a better understanding of everything during my time there.

I also just finished The Smell of Apples by Mark Behr. It’s a novel set in Cape Town, and it gives a really interesting point of view about Apartheid and South African involvement in the Angolan War of Independence through the eyes of a young boy. Next on the list is Reconciliation: Restoring Justice by John de Gruchy and No Future Without Forgiveness by Desmond Tutu. Good thing I have nothing else to do…