Freedom Day Voting in Chicago...

I travelled up to Chicago on Saturday, 27th April, to vote as a South African citizen abroad in South Africa's sixth democratic election since the demise of apartheid in 1994. The 27th of April is a special day in South Africa - Freedom Day - and is a public holiday. It commemorates South Africa's first democratic election of 1994, and it filled me with South African pride to be able to vote on this the 25th anniversary of South Africa's democracy.

I left home at 07h00 and drove across to Effingham, Illinois, where I caught the 09h00 Amtrak train up to Chicago Union Station. It was very cold and snowy when I arrived in Chicago at around 13h00. I then walked the fifteen minutes to the South African Consulate General, where I voted in the general election. I was so excited to be able to make my mark as a South African citizen overseas. I felt very patriotic, and it was lovely to see fellow South Africans again!

I walked back to the train station and met up with a good friend from our Mercy Ships days, Sam, for a bite to eat and a catch-up. He now lives in Chicago with his wife and children and we make it a point to visit them whenever we are in the area - as we did back in 2016. I boarded the train again to head back to Effingham at 16h00 and eventually arrived back home at 23h00 that night. It was a long, but fun sixteen-hour day!

The rest of South Africa went to the polls last Wednesday, the 8th of May, to vote in the general election. The African National Congress (ANC) won 57% of the vote with the Democratic Alliance (DA) a distant second with some 20% of the vote.

 My train pulls into the station at Effingham.

 A good read for a good day!

 Water taxi on one of Chicago's rivers.

 A really cold, dreary day.

 Union Station entrance on Adams Street.

 Skyscraper disappearing into the clouds.

 Following the signs inside the Consulate. IEC is Independent Electoral Commission.

 My thumb was marked with indelible ink - a simple way to prevent people voting twice.

 Crossing the Chicago River.

 Moody skies on the train trip back to Effingham.

 Beautiful skies.

Lovely sunset.