Onna's extending her stay and learning through listening

It’s official…. I’m extending my trip here in Cape Town!!! I will be staying an extra 10 days after the program to attend AfrikaBurn (a week long community festival in the Karoo desert with participants who come together to create art, music and meaningful interactions) and to also relax before my visa expires (eeeeek, still in denial about that....). I am overflowing with excitement at this opportunity to stay longer. I’ve said this before, but things can get pretty hectic here at times trying to soak in and make the most of each experience here. It will definitely be nice to have some extra relaxation time to reflect on this transformational experience.

I’m realizing that I have become more of a listener since arriving here. Usually I am quite the talker… I was always the one who got ‘socializes during class time’ on report cards. But now I find myself stepping back to listen closer to each conversation that I have while here. With many taxi rides I’m learning about the extremely difficult times of the people who fled from Zimbabwe because of the economic crisis. I’m learning about the ongoing discrimination here and the problems that vary from individual to individual. I’m listening more because each conversation is bringing me to a broader sense of this country and more broadly, our world.

However with listening, talking becomes more difficult. It gets uncomfortable when we sit around at our Monday meetings and the staff asks me what I did this weekend. Either I went scuba diving, skydiving, or danced my butt off at a Kirstenbosch concert. I know that many of my coworkers will not have the chance to experience these things in their own city; many haven’t even been to the top of Table Mountain. This gap of opportunity is something that my coworkers aren’t ashamed of expressing, but often times I am left feeling guilty. It’s interesting to observe that people here are fine with admitting what they do not have, while in the U.S. we try to hide what we think are 'faults' as much as possible.

 

Onna's flying high