Robben Island

^^^Outside of the prison
'Twas a day off when our IES coordinator told us that we were leaving for Robben Island, the home of Nelson Mandela and other political prisoners 16 years before being relocated. We met at 7:30 and arrived at the docks at 8:00. The ride took 25 minutes and we all stumbled out, more than half our group was ready to puke. The swells of the ocean were large, and the boat was enclosed: these were the primary catalysts of everybody's sickness. We then boarded a bus which toured us around the island. We saw the leper graveyard (the island use to be a home for banished lepers). We saw the limestone quarry where Mandela spent his days working, and made a few more stops that usually would be picturesque views of Cape Town, but the fog was thick and we could not see much. After the tour of the island, we got off the bus and toured through the islands main prison. Our tour guide was a former prisoner and added insight of his experiences. I was a little dissappointed with the tour of the prision because we blasted through the prision in a little over a half hour. It was very humbling to see the state of the prison. Aside from Mandela's 5x10ft cell, he was allowed to roam for an hour in a small courtyard the size of a tennis court. ^^^Mandela's Cell
I could see a week of this, but 16 years? That is almost the length of my life. I can not imagine the trails and tribulations the prisoners faced there. We got back home where we rested up to leave for the home-stay in Langa Township for the weekend.