Relaxed Departures

I awoke for my final day in the Republic of South Africa to considerably more than a continental breakfast (eggs, toast, salty white cheese on the side) and a subcontinental sunny 70 degree day. Stumbling into this overnight stay through my tour guide clearly beat the plastic hotel environment. After a slow breakfast, my host and her morning visitors asked me what I was going to do for the day. I said I was thinking about visiting Mandela’s House and maybe seeking out a few souvenirs (why do I love wooden bowls so much?). At this they insisted on accompanying me, first the host’s 40 something year old daughter who took me to an arts and crafts market. I grilled her about how blended she really thought the various ethnicities within Soweto really were. I was pleasantly surprised when she gave several anecdotes of intermarriage and cited her own ability to speak 3 of the African languages. When she went to work in the afternoon, one my host’s friends from the neighborhood took me to Mandela’s house (the whole street has been taken over by merchants and attractions). As my flight grew near he offered to take me to the airport if I would fill his tank up with gas. I gladly obliged and we talked about perceptions and actuality of race relations in the US and SA as he drove me 75 minutes around the Johannesburg beltway to the OR Tambo International airport.