Flying Solo in Joburg

You never really understand what it is like to be travelling alone until it happens to you. Yesterday afternoon I sat in the bar with three perfect strangers for four hours, barely saying a word the entire time, I watched an entire rugby game on TV for the first (and possibly last) time in my life. It seemed that everyone I met at the hotel was starting their African journey, while mine was coming to a close. After dinner I retreated to my room and spent two hours in the bathtub watching a movie. Time seemed to be at a stand still, even compared to sitting in the Ele-truck for hours on end. I also spent hours trying to decide whether or not to spend every last cent I had on a day trip into Joburg, or whether to spend a miserable day alone at the hotel. I would have nine hours to kill after I checked out of my room if I had chosen the later. I eventually made the choice to explore the largest township in South Africa, Soweto.

I was up at 8:00am this morning to make sure I had everything ready before I headed out at 9:30am for my day trip. After eating breakfast and packing myself a lunch, I checked out of the hotel and awaited my tour guide. The drive to Soweto clearly established the line between the upper, middle, and lower classes. I was blown away by how quickly the housing landscape changed as our drive took us closer to Soweto. We even passed communities that were still only “white communities” by regulation. Soweto was originally established as a housing area for the rural workers hired to work in the mines surrounding Joburg. The massive piles of soil can still be found in Joburg, as well as the same-sex hostels that were once used to house hundreds of men. Once a shanty-town, Soweto is now a well-developed area with thousands of houses.

The first stop we made was to the Hector Peterson Museum. Henri Peiterson was the first victim of the Soweto uprising in the late 70’s. He was twelve years old when he was shot and killed during a university march. The museum highlighted the events that took place in the years surrounding this event. I spent an hour or so in the museum reading through the history and viewing photographs. My next stop was Nelson Mandela’s house. The house became the Mandela House Museum in 2009 after it was restored to its original condition. I was given a brief history of the Mandela family and a tour of the house and yard while I was there.The rest of the day went fairly quickly, I had a chance to visit the church that played a huge role in providing a place for secret revolutionary meetings to be held, as well as visit a cultural village.

The last stop of the day was to one of the largest malls in Joburg, situated in Soweto. The mall had two stories and words can’t describe how massive it was. My guide took me inside and I can confidently say that I was the only Caucasian in the mall that day. I couldn’t help but wonder how out of place I looked and was also slightly nervous about being plunged so quickly into the minority position. I have never undergone such an experience in my life, or at least not by myself. Being a Sunday, the mall was bustling with shoppers and every store seemed to be packed with customers.

By the time we returned to the hotel it was 2:00pm. I had originally arranged for the hotel shuttle to take me to the airport at 4:00pm, but I decided to leave at 3:00pm seeing as I didn’t have any reason to stick around. I was through security and into duty free heaven by 4:30pm.... it is now 6:45pm, my flight boards in an hour. I have managed to snoop through every shop here in the airport... twice or maybe even three times... and finally decided to find my gate and relax for awhile. I have been going over the past seven weeks in my head continuously the last few days. I still can’t fathom the fact that by this time tomorrow I will be home. I will board this flight and be gone, just like that. I have developed this sense of urgency to get home, go back to school, graduate, and get on with my life. As if time hasn’t passed fast enough, and after discovering even more possibilities for my future, I can’t wait for my “responsible” life to begin.

At 7:30pm I will board my flight... and oddly enough I am sitting in the same seat as before (weird), the plane will take off at 8:20pm and the eleven hour flight to Heathrow (my most favourite airport in the world... clearly) will begin. Canada, get ready, here I come.