We flew into Johannesburg on January 26th, convened in the airport, and then made our way to the Airport Game Lodge 10 minutes from the airport. I think I can speak for the group when I say that we were pleasantly surprised by our accommodations; the rooms were clean and cool, the grounds were beautiful, and there were ostriches, antelope, and peacocks to keep us company.
After a big chicken dinner and a long night's sleep, we headed to the Apartheid museum right outside of the city. The program directors told us they were throwing us right in the deep end, which is exactly what they did. The museum was laid out in a way in which both aesthetics and content played a major role in the impact of the history. For example, upon entrance we were given either 'white' or 'non-white' cards to cary, emulating the experience of black South Africans during apartheid. After lunch we went to Soweto, the largest black township in the nation and visited Mandela's home.
The following day, post early morning run with our director Imraan, we went to the Constitutional Court of South Africa. After writing a remarkably progressive constitution, the court opened in 1995. Since then it has made it its mission to lead the nation in a progressive manner, but the majority of South Africans are (at least socially) more conservative than the constitution. Additionally, the nation is not economically stable enough to be able to support the demands placed on it by the constitution (housing and healthcare for all). Thus the outcomes of cases are not always representative of the constitution.
After seeing the court, we hopped in vans and made the seven hour journey to Durban.