Back in Johannesburg

Last night we got to the capital city of Gabarone earlier than we expected and continued southeast to Lobatse, Botswana. Lobatse is only 8 km from the border with South Africa. Crossing into South Africa today was unbelievably easy. The woman at immigration couldn't believe that all 7 of Nancy's kids (she was including me) were "of both different mothers and fathers". We continued south, driving through Pretoria and ultimately stopping in Johannesburg. After driving around downtown, seeing the store of a diamond mining company (where Frank bought Nancy's engagement ring) we checked into an inexpensive guesthouse for the night.

Nancy and I talked that night about Johannesburg and how much it's changed since she was in Lesotho with the Peace Corps in the 80s and in Morija, Lesotho with her family from 85-91. Nancy told stories about life in South Africa during apartheid but that seemed like another world as I looked around Joburg, seeing barely any whites. Most of the Boers (Dutch South Africans) have moved to affluent suburbs of Johannesburg or moved to Europe. Nancy said that when she had her biological son Nathan and their first adopted son (Basotho, from Lesotho) Moses that they were turned away at hotels and restaurants in Joburg. I'm eager to get to Lesotho and see how it differs from SA. Nancy saw the movie "Cry Freedom" before the end of apartheid in Maseru; it was anned/illegal in South Africa. It's hard to imagine that the small country of Lesotho, landlocked by South Africa, did not institute apartheid. But it was and is still deeply affected by all societal and political changes that take place there. I wonder why and how Lesotho has maintained its separateness from SA.