The South African team shows up on Saturday. We can't wait. All kinds of activities have been planned from children's theater to preschool observations to a tour of the Park City and a weekend that will include a visit to the Amistad. Their three-week stay will allow them to attend some workshops and discuss early childhood practice; compare some American pizza styles; experience life in a New England family; see the Big Apple; and consider the similarities and differences in early care and education in Bridgeport and in The Royal Bafokeng Nation. I can only hope that we are affording them the richness of experience that they provided for us.

Made rusks....did not turn out at all. Made melktert...I think I have a winner. Tonight we open the Roodeberg and maybe the Amarula too. Need to find mint liqueur to make springboks.

We are home. It's winter...serious winter. Snow today (5-8 inches) and ice tomorrow (.25-1 inch). But everything about our 3-week South African summer lingers. Biltong made it through customs (we are such scofflaws). Shot glasses adorned with images of the big 5 are awaiting the perfect Amarulla moment. My shopping list contains the ingredients for milk tart and rusks. And I am reworking the hundreds of pictures to make meaningful (yet brief) presentations for a variety of interested groups. Once we catch our breaths, the next step is to plan for the 3-week visit of the South African team (our newest friends) who will be here in March.

Colors of South Africa

Knowing we are coming home to a world covered in white, I think I will above all remember the colors of South Africa. The colors of the uniforms, the rich red earth, the green foliage, the painted walls of even the most meager shacks, the colorful language, the tile mosaics, and the many colorful people we have met in the past 3 weeks. The blog will continue as we prepare for and finally get to host the South African team in March and April.

Constitution Hill

Violet Weinberg's cell in the white section of the women's prison.

Original stairwell from the Old Fort jail where prisoners were first brought after arrest.

Nelson Mandela's cell.

Solitary confinement.

Number 4-5 cell blocks.

Thanks to our wonderful host families in Rustenburg for putting us up and for putting up with us for the past 2 weeks. We really appreciate your hospitality. On to Johannesburg for our last day before leaving for home tomorrow evening.

Impala Platinum Mines

The smelter at the platinum mines.

Prepped to go down 1.3 kilometers into the platinum mine. Hot, dark, loud. They produce approximately 4 grams of platinum for every ton of "core" rock they remove from the mine.