5.29.2010

KIA PICANTOfication, Apartheid Museum visit

We have a CAR!!!!!
We picked our new baby up today and she'll be ours for the next 31 days!
WHOO HOO!!!

South Africa has proven incredibly unfriendly for those on foot.  Yeah.  You can do it.  But it costs a lot for a taxi anywhere and although walking is serene and good exercise, I don't know if it's such a good idea over the world cup games.

This opens up a lot of opportunities for us and also gives us more options for lodging!

The first thing we did after picking up baby Kia was to head straight to the Apartheid Museum here in Johannesburg.  This country has an incredibly crazy and sad history.  They had a special section dedicated to Mendela, which I learned a lot from.  Open elections didn't occur here until 1994 when Mendela was elected with a majority vote.  For me, this explained a lot about the weird feelings I've gotten so far from the country.  It's only been 16 years for a country to come back together after ripping itself apart...not enough time.

After the extreme friendliness of Asia, I made a cultural mistake of smiling while passing a stranger on the street.  That's a no go here and after visiting the museum, I understand why.  Racial discrimination in USA is nothing compared to what these people have been through.  I kind of am OK with someone here hating my guys because I'm white...although they don't...which is pretty incredible.

We are finally starting to settle in...we'll be moving from our perfect hostel after tomorrow night (we've stayed 4 nights, because we've liked it so much.  We can use the kitchen!!!)

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