Safrica Day 8

After an eventful day and restful evening, we were afforded a late start. So, most of us crawled out of bed around 11am and got to work on a fajita brunch. We had two cabins working on cooking up the chicken and vegetables and within the hour, several plates of filling and hot tortillas were ready. We quickly consumed our fill and made plans for the rest of the day.

While some people decided to take a guided horseback ride through the park, the rest of us decided to drive through the park a second time. This was mainly in hopes of spotting a lion or two, but I wasn’t going to get my hopes up. As we drove through the park, new veterans from our experiences yesterday, we spotted more of the same wildlife we had seen previously. We drove through some different terrain and scoured the grounds for signs of slumbering predators. We searched until we were forced to head out of the park before the gate closed. Despite the apparent absence of lions, we witnessed another spectacular sunset on the open plains of the park.

Having found such great comfort around the fireplace in Melkbosstrand, we decided to continue the tradition here in Addo. We made a fire in the grill area outside our cabin and huddled around the flame, attempting to stay warm despite the frigid cold of the outdoors. Having spent nearly a week in South Africa, we were able to think about how our lives have been changes in our short time here We were also able to set our goals we hoped to accomplish in the week to come.

Much more importantly, we were able to sit and talk with Carlo about his experiences in South Africa. Not only growing up during Apartheid, but also how his job affects others in the present. Carlo is intimately involved in the process of making reparations to those displaced by the forced movement of Colored and Blacks from their homes. It was a sad story to hear, but it also helped us gain an understanding about the community that we are serving through this project. Although it appears the government is taking an active role in acknowledging and healing the mistakes of the past, it is hard to imagine that the injury could ever be completely forgotten.