Emily E's beginning to discover her identity on this side of the Atlantic

Emily E on Signal Hil

It’s weird being in an environment in which you have no connection. In other words, you’ve left behind your family, friends and the place you were raised in. The components that make you you are on the other side of the Atlantic. Having not traveled outside the country before, I’m dealing with a type of dilemma. I am trying to figure out my identity outside the things that make me who I am. Being a graduating senior means my college career is coming to end; however, I should be used to transitions and status changes. What I know for sure is that I’m a woman, black, artist and writer. What status that is so blatantly obvious as soon as I arrived to South Africa is that I’m American. As we rode the shuttle from our airplane to the terminal, a little girl said to me that she liked my English. Cute! But, what exactly did she mean by that? Did she mean to reference my accent or something else? After an awkward encounter with one South African male, what it’s like being a Black American woman in Cape Town has sparked my curiosity. Prior to coming to Cape Town, I searched this topic and very little information surfaced. This will be something I have to explore myself. Otherwise, it’s enlightening to be’ the foreigner’ --- I believe everyone should experience that at one point in their lifetime. I believe the negative perceptions some people have on other races is linked to them never having to experience the world outside their own. I believe that understanding can only be gained from experience as outside knowledge like the media can be distracting. The beauty of Africa, specifically Cape Town, is hard to describe. The images of Table Mountain, palm trees, and enriched plains that I’ve imagined for so long are suddenly a reality. As we explored Cape Point, Boulders Beach, ogled the houses that lay on the coast, it felt a mirage. Orientation does give you the proper opportunity to be a tourist; however, this beautiful side of Cape Town is overshadows its areas of poverty and oppression