And so it goes… the final stop on our GSE tour: I hereby bring you a brief account of our time in Kimberley.

Tuesday, October 5th

We arrived in Kimberley on Tuesday morning, after being dropped off by the Bloemfontein Rotarians. We began with a drive around Kimberley, stopping briefly at several notable spots (including a township pre-school supported in part by the Rotary club, a hangar housing South Africa’s first airplane, and a viewpoint over a former De Beers diamond mine).

After lunch, we split off with our host families for a relaxing evening.

Preschool in Kimberley

Wednesday, October 6th

Wednesday was given over to sight-seeing around Kimberley. We started with a visit to the Big Hole, the major diamond mine in Kimberley (which is no longer being actively mined). Happily, this site bears the title of ”world’s largest hand-dug hole.” (Thank goodness someone has claimed this distinction!) The site is very interesting, with a view of the hole, a visitor-friendly reconstruction of a mine tunnel (think the mine exhibit at the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago), and a museum.

The Big Hole

After leaving the Big Hole, we traveled to Platfontein to view some excellent examples of rock art. Following a stop for lunch, we visited a local winery for a tour and tasting.

On Wednesday evening, we gave our presentation to the Kimberley clubs. (And with that, we can now stop listening to one another give the same explanations over and over… for which we are truly grateful.)

Wine Tasting

Thursday, October 7th

Thursday was set aside for vocational visits. Again, look for individual posts for the team about vocational experiences!

Lunch was at the historic Halfway House Inn (or “the Half” if you’re really snazzy), where at one point in time you could be served a beer without having to dismount from your horse. This strikes me as a very useful thing.

In the evening, we were treated to a musical evening, with entertainment provided by some students and teachers from the National Institute for Higher Education (check out my vocational post below for more details about the organization).

Friday, October 8th

After a lazy morning, we attended a lunchtime meeting of the Rotary Club of Kimberley South. Frank Baffoe, the District 9320 governor, was in attendance — so we’ve done our duty by making sure to shake hands with the governor!

After lunch, we headed out to Marrick Safari Farm (owned and run by Kimberley Rotarians Trevor and Hebre Datnow) for a game drive and final dinner. In particular, our team enjoyed having a chance to chat with two of the team members who will be visiting our area in April (Celine and Ivan).

On Safari at Marrick

Saturday, October 9th

Saturday (today) is our departure… I think it’s fair to say that we’re all sad to be leaving but excited to be moving on (whether to home or to locations farther afield). Special thanks to the Kimberley Rotarians who took time out of their busy schedules to host us these past few days: Wes and Ethne Papenfus, Trevor and Hebre Datnow, and Philip and Estelle Vorster (as well as others I’m sure I’ve failed to mention).

And with that… once again onward!

Leaving Kimberley

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