Walk through history and botanical gardens... and dance the day away

March 30, 2026

Walk through history and botanical gardens... and dance the day away

March 30, 2026 Day 8

For our last full day in Cape Town, our group shuttled into the bus and made our way to the ‘Long Walk to Freedom’ museum, an arrangement of one-hundred statues of prominent figures in South Africa’s fight for freedom before/during/after Apartheid. We took a 350-year journey through South Africa’s liberation history, told through the lives of iconic individuals crafted as life-size statues. We were fortunate to be joined by our friends from iThuba who spent the day with us. Upon arriving, we were blown away by how many indivduals–from different countries, cultures, and backrounds–played such a crucial role in South Africa’s liberation, such as Mahatma Gandhi, MLK, Robert Sobukwe, and Helen Suzman. Moreover, seeing all these figures, men and women, from Angola to Zulus, from Xhosa to the United States, in real life was particularly fascinating because we have been exposed to these individuals on our various daily excursions, like seeing where Robert Subukwe was imprisoned at Robben Island. We loved being able to connect with the iThuba students as we walked through and explored this vast array of statues; in addition, for many of the iThuba students, this was the first visit to the museum for many of them, and we loved exploring and learning with them.

After the ‘Long Walk to Freedom’ museum we made a short journey to the Kirstenbosch National Botanical Gardens where we had the privilege of seeing the beautiful gardens and Table Mountain up close! Still with the iThuba students, we made our way to a tree canopy where we walked on a bridge above the trees and saw all the gardens and mountains from above. Then we were given some free time to explore the beautiful scenery. One thing we all particularly enjoyed was the waterfall and the sculpture gardens which were breathtaking.

Next, we split up with the iThuba students and went to the grocery store to grab some lunch and enjoyed some classic peanut butter and jelly sandwiches at a park with apples and potato chips. After eating quickly, we headed over to Langa, where we were met with the iTuba kids who ran with tremendous excitement to the gate. Reflecting on that experience, seeing the kids run to our bus everyday has been a highlight of our trip.

Today, our time in Langa was centered on dance. After some bonding time with the kids, we split up into four separate groups, tasked with blending three South African dances and one American line dance. It was so cool learning the Kulu dances with the iThuba students as well as the Gumboot dance; our dance session was filled with so much laughter and joy as we all bonded over different forms of dance, even if they were out of our comfort zone. We performed all our dances in front of everyone and it was so fun to see how the iThuba students and Poly students worked together and choreographed such cool dances. One of my favorites was the “Scubbas” who did the Nay Nay and brought us all in at the end to dance with them. There was so much energy in the room and it was such a welcoming environment. In the end after a dance battle the “Scubbas” beat the “Rockers” and took home the dancing championship. Bonding with the kids and immersing ourselves in these traditional dances was such a unique and fulfilling experience. This concluded our time at iThuba today. As always, we said our goodbyes to the students, which consisted of many hugs and high fives. One of the most touching things this week has been seeing the kids chase the bus as we exit iThuba and waving goodbye to us. While we are heading to the safari tomorrow, we can’t help but feel sad that our meaningful time with the iThuba students is coming to the end.

We finished the night walking through Bo Kapp district (it reiterates South Africa’s history of enslaved people from Malaysia and is a predominantly Muslim community), which is a culturally rich and, historically significant neighborhood in Cape Town. Each house is painted in a vibrant color. Lastly, we enjoyed a delicious dinner at a restaurant called “Bo-Kaap Kombuis,” where we ate Cape Malay food, a fusion of South African and Malaysian. Several of us tried a wonderful Malaysian dish, bobotie, and finished with a delicious desert called malva pudding. We are so excited for what is to come and are so grateful for the incredible experience we have had thus far and are excited to go on the safari for the next two days!

Mariana and Jack