Sam's final week

Yesterday we had our last dance class in Manenberg which was amazing. The girls were so happy to be there and we could really tell how much it meant to them. They had practiced the dance from last week and knew it perfectly which shows how much it means to them. We also left them with some food and a lot of clothes we are leaving behind. Seeing how excited they were and how appreciative they have been the entire time was so worth everything.

This morning at Christel House I handed out 280 blankets to students. Their faces say it all and exactly why it was so worth it for me to do. These kids are amazing and will be in my heart forever. The kids are going to keep their blankets with them at school because if they were to take it home it would most likely be gone within a day, and even though this is so sad I am so happy they have these blankets to keep at school. There are no words for how much I'm Going to miss them. They have inspired me so much and I am without a doubt going to pursue my career in social work that much more because of them.

 

 

 

Dani reflecting on this past semester

                   

As the final week of our program comes to a close, I have been reflecting upon this past semester with great joy.  It is unbelievable to think that three and a half months have gone by.  It seems like just yesterday that I was welcoming my fellow Huskies to Cape Town at the airport.  Now, as we come to the end of our journey, I am thinking back on all of the incredible moments and experiences I have shared with some of the most amazing people I have ever met.  I am so thankful to be staying an extra few weeks in Cape Town, because there is no way I would be ready to head home quite yet.

It is hard to sum up the past semester, because there are so many things I have experienced that I simply cannot express with words, I can only say that this has been the most amazing few months of my life, and I would not go back and change a single thing.  Above all, this semester I have learned that incredible things can happen when you take the time to get to know somebody and their story.  You can learn so much by sharing stories and ideas with new people, and taking the time to get to know somebody can really make a positive impact in your life, as well as theirs.  The most important thing I have learned is the importance of keeping an open mind and a positive attitude towards all things in life, because doing so has changed my life in so many incredible ways.

The next few days will be filled with some sad goodbyes, but luckily I know that the friendships I have made this semester are so strong, and we will always be able to share in these incredible memories and South African experiences.  Also, in the next few days Onna, Maria and I will be heading to The Karoo, the desert a few hours from Cape Town, to participate in AfrikaBurn, which is South Africa’s version of Burning Man.  We will be living in the desert for four days and meeting up with my cousin and a friend of his.  I am incredibly excited for this experience, and cannot wait to meet more interesting people there.

Onna thankful for the realization that the adventure doesn't stop here

Life moves too fast when you least want it to. Yes, here I am talking about time once again. I need to stop denying the fact that I will be leaving Loch Road on Thursday morning. I am thrilled that I have the opportunity to extend my trip for 10 days but I can’t help but think that it isn’t enough time.

To put it lightly, I’ve fallen in love with this place. Cape Town has exposed me to new worlds of opportunity. It has reconfirmed my hope in humanity. I have learned that the love you can give and take is limitless. I have learned that action speaks volumes over words. I have learned to look within myself and celebrate the fact that I make mistakes and still have so much to learn. I have learned to think twice about judging another as they might have problems that we can’t even wrap our mind around.

My last week here has been relaxing but enjoyable. On Sunday night Emily L, Julia & I attended a production called Artsemble. Andrea, the social worker at Elonwabeni that we have grown quite close to was one of the MCs for the night and introduced the many different acts; a choir, comedian, dancers, bands, poets and rappers. Each performance was absolutely incredible and reminded me of the incredible capacity of humans. I thought it was impossible, but I have grown to appreciate the world of art even more since coming here.

Last night we grabbed dinner with Andrea one last time. She asked us what the highlight of our trip was… trying to narrow every single experience into one was overwhelming and it made me think about how I am going to emulate this experience to my loved ones when I return. I want them to hear the street music, feel the love of complete strangers, see the light beams above Table Mountain as the sun saluted to us every evening, taste the spice of the curries. I want everyone to feel what I have felt because I have never felt so thankful to be alive.

I’m worried that people won’t understand this transformational experience or the things that I have come to believe in. Andrea understood our concerns about going back and told us that we must keep ourselves busy when we return home for the summer. She told us that it is going to be easy to get lost in the memories of being here. It’ll be easy to sulk and become unmotivated when comparing South Africa to the United States. A place can never be compared to another. She advised that we keep ourselves busy this summer and let the memories continue. She also suggested that when we do long for those memories, that we surround ourselves with people that we shared these memories with. My level of discomfort decreased after she said those words and I remembered that I would have the pleasure of meeting with these 17 incredible individuals that contributed to making this experience the best 4 months of my life.

These thoughts bring me back to a sign outside of one of the food trucks at the music festival that we attended in March. It read: ‘I can’t go back to yesterday because I was a different person then.’ We all have the capacity to fill our minds, hearts and souls with new experiences everyday. The adventure doesn’t stop here. 

Maria hoping folks at home understand the transformation she's gone through

Writing one of my last blog posts is extremely emotional for me because I can’t quite grasp the fact that my time here in Cape Town has officially entered the home stretch. Although I extended my trip 10 days I don’t think that will be enough time for me to fully reflect on my experience before leaving. This last week as been filled with “I want to go here one last time” or “omg this is going to be my last time here” ITS SO WEIRD. Some of my others friends have recently arrived back home and I try to picture myself home but I can barely recall what that is like. I know I probably sound dramatic but I now call Cape Town my home and leaving is extremely unsettling. As I have mentioned in previous blogs, Dani, Onna and I are attending Afrika Burn and will be leaving this Thursday morning. I believe it has the potential to be the experience of a lifetime. It is basically a community based on arts, creativity, love and music that bring people together. You have to leave with everything you bring and the only thing you can buy at the burn is ice; everything else is based on trade with all the unique people you meet.

Part of me is ready to go home to see my family. One thing I have realized while being in Cape Town is how much I truly love my family. We talk a lot in class about our values; working with so many children who come from broken homes has made me realize more than ever how lucky and thankful I am to have a loving and supportive family. We watched a video in Vincent’s class called “Miracle Rising” and as soon as the film ended I emailed the YouTube link of it to my family members because I thought it depicted so well the history of South Africa that so many people just don’t understand or are not educated about. I am excited to tell all my friends about my journey here but nervous at the same time because I hope they understand the transformation I went through.

Even though it is sad that we are all leaving so soon we know we have to make as much time as possible for some fun. Here is a picture of a few of us on a sunset cruise, which was absolutely gorgeous. The water was so calm and the sun was showing off big time. 

I have come to love scuba diving since starting it here; it is such a relaxing activity and really makes me appreciate the ocean and all the species in it. Here is a picture of Christina and I having fun just before going down for a dive. The gopro is quite the camera and I was able to capture rally cool things with it while being in South Africa. 

Christina & Maria

Emily E wonders how time went by so quickly

I honestly wondered how the time went by. When I was complying photos of orientation human rights, weekend, and the Homestay in Oceanview for the symposium, it still felt so fresh. I’m not good at saying goodbye; at this point, I’m pretty sure I’ll be back to South Africa a few times more in my lifetime. Lately I’ve been taking advantage of the small things--I’ve been looking at the sunset from our house; watching as the clouds weave through the mountains. When I come home, I’ll be 8 days away from graduation, a day I thought would never come. I’m afraid and excited to come home. However, I know how different things will be and notice how different I’ve become to my surroundings.

Jillian is preparing to leave and bring home some of the lessons learned

With less than a week left here, it’s hard to believe that I will have to say goodbye to beautiful Cape Town soon. The lifestyle in South Africa is so different to the lifestyle back at home. Everyone is much more relaxed here and less focused on rushing around trying to get places. I love the slow pace of life and the appreciation for the outdoors and enjoyment here. Even with all of that, it’s still hard not to notice the discrimination and unrest here. I was in a cab the other day and the driver was "classified" colored. There was a group of black men crossing the road and the cab driver got really hostile and honked at them. One black man was still crossing the road and the cab driver ran right into him and the black man moved out of the way just in time. The cab driver yelled out the window some very offensive and insulting things to the black man. This was my first real encounter with racism here. I’ve heard of things happening, but I had never been in the presence of it. This showed just how real the competition is between blacks and coloreds. It bothered me to see such hostility when the black man wasn’t doing anything wrong. I didn’t speak up, but I wish I did. I was so confused and shocked at what had happened that I didn’t know what to say. After the occurrence, a lot of things from Marita’s class came into my mind. I have a whole new appreciation for Marita’s class after this happened because I’ve learned so much about what to do in those types of situations. I’m hoping that if I have another encounter like that, I will be ready to speak up. After being in Cape Town seeing and hearing acts of racism and discrimination, I wonder if I will be able to notice things more at home. I’m hoping if I do see something like that again, I will be able to speak up.

Julia: through the ups and downs, determined to enjoy her last week in Cape Town

On Monday I got to step out of my usual routine at the GEU and help out the organization on campus called, Differently Abled Students Association (DASA). I spent the day gathering signatures for a petition to make the college campus environment safer and more accessible for the differently abled students. Many of the ramps on campus are too steep for wheelchairs and some places, like residence halls, don’t even have ramps. Then there are many potholes, unmarked and unblocked construction, and unpainted steps that the visually impaired wouldn’t be able to see. These are things I would never think of as much of a problem, but that’s because I have never been differently abled or known anyone personally that was. Again, another privilege we don’t even realize, but these problems are huge for those that are in a wheel chair or are visually impaired. While the overwhelming majority of people were more than willing to sign the petition, some responses of others surprised me. After explaining the purpose of the petition- to get funding from administration for these fixes- a man just nodded and walked away without signing with an attitude that seemed like he didn’t trust me. When I think about it now, I think perhaps he heard my accent and felt I really shouldn’t be representing the black and coloured South African community that dominates the campus. Perhaps he is right, if that is what he thought. Why should I be the one to ask for a change on a campus that is so obviously not mine? Is this an instance of white privilege to assume my voice will be heard and found reasonable and accepted? Even though I didn’t really choose to help out with DASA, the actions can still be interpreted as a white person trying to put her foot in something that is not hers to do. One other response that surprised and disappointed me was when a man said he wasn’t disabled and then walked away. The purpose of the petition is not to get signatures from only people that are disabled, but signatures to support the disabled. I very much hope that he did not understand this distinction, rather than just using it as an excuse not to support a noble and worth venture. Lastly, I realize now how many people walk away from petitions like this that take a minute or less to sign. I also realize that I do this all the time at UConn because I can’t be bothered on my way to class. How ignorant and self-centered is this, though? When your signature can make a difference for the better, you should take advantage and do it- at least for the sake of those benefitting. By experiencing being the one behind the petition, I will never again walk past a petition on Fairfield Way without knowing what the petition is going to help.

           

My week didn’t continue as smoothly after Wednesday, though. On Thursday at UCT my computer crashed. Not only is my 12 page paper for Vincent on there, but also my documentary clips. Right now I am a little more worried about the final, but there are so many things on that computer I need and want. My brother’s pictures are on there, my own pictures from Honduras, Kenya, and South Africa, and documents. Hopefully all of this, besides the South Africa pictures are on my external hard drive at home. I’m just thankful I kept up with uploading South African pictures onto Facebook. When this first happened I was a wreck. The iStore here doesn’t actually fix Macs if they were bought in the US, so I had to go to another store called iFix. Then since it’s on a first come, first serve basis, mine couldn’t be looked at immediately. Plus, it’s a holiday weekend so I won’t hear officially about the computer until Tuesday. So I cried in the back of the UCT jammie on the way back to UCT to finish all the assignments I had left to do considering I would probably spend the rest of my time doing another final or studying. I at least have a few more weeks in South Africa to scrounge up more interviews, and I went to Ocean View Friday since Chantel got her younger cousins for me to interview. My mom helped me find out that the problem I have with the computer, a faulty hard drive SATA cable, may be fixable and still help me save my files. I am hoping this is what the iFix store also tells me on Tuesday. Vincent also was very understanding and said I could take a written exam, shorter than the twelve pages, but still open notes as if I was writing an essay like everyone else. So, if anything, I am happy that I don’t have to rewrite twelve pages because I take days to write just a three page paper. This is not how I planned to spend my last week in the program. I was done with nearly everything and now I have to redo something that I took so much time to do in the first place. Some sort of karma must be in the air for me. I know this isn’t the worst thing possible- I’ve already been through that, but it’s still a devastating situation for me to have at the end of my time in Cape Town when I am trying to fit everything in before leaving.

           

Happier news: I stopped totally sulking and went to see the Firefighters play in Khayelitsha today with Bernie, Christina, and Maria who did their activist project with them. Despite struggles with transportation and missing the first game, we still got to see the older boys play and completely dominate. Their skills and passion for soccer are amazing for how young they are. I know I was never really excited for soccer when I played, so it’s good to see that they actually love what they are doing and come without their parents forcing them. In fact, sadly, their parents don’t even come to the game to see their children play. We were really the only outside people, aside from coaches, that were there to watch. I wouldn’t think playing games like that would be so much fun without support and cheering, but the kids had fun. One more thing that was rather upsetting about the game was that the uniforms are shared between both the younger kids and older kids. So once the younger kids finished their game, they took off their uniform and gave them to the older kids to wear for their game. Maria, Christina, and Bernie had a Go Fund Me account that raised money for more uniforms for the boys.

           

Being in Khayelitsha was really interesting for me because I actually read a book about a white man that went to live in Khayelitsha. So I asked our taxi drivers about all sorts of places that I read about in the book like where iLitha Park is and where Vovo Cash Store is and Site B. I was so excited to see some of the things I read about; it makes the story so real. Aside from amazement of the sights a reality, we also had a quite a fun time in the taxi. I showed them Koze Kuze, a very popular South African Kwaito song and from there another Kwaito song came on. This type of music is just beats with very little lyrics and can only be enjoyably listened to when in the taxis (in my opinion), nevertheless we found ways to dance to the music and the gotchi and driver found it very funny. We also got to practice our Xhosa clicks. This is why I love taxis- you get to see all types of things, practice Xhosa, and listen to music you would never hear or listen to anywhere else.

           

Tonight I am especially excited because a few of us are going to a gay burger joint called Beef Cakes for a drag show. I’ve been wanting to go to one for so long, especially since I work at the GEU and know Miss Gay Western Cape.

Despite a tragic (exaggerating) few days, I am managing to still have a good time and enjoy the last bit of Cape Town with everyone before my parents come. You can’t let one thing ruin everything. Cape Town is too beautiful and exciting to stay inside and cry. I honestly can’t believe my four months is almost up. I am almost certain I will cry when I have to leave. I’ve been pretty close to crying when just thinking about it. If anything, though, I talked to Chantel on Friday about getting an internship in a clinic with a dietician during December and January. I am hoping this will happen because all I think about is how I don’t want to leave. Rather than think about leaving, I am going to think about coming back.

Molly looking forward to bringing what she learned home

As my trip is coming to an end I have been catching myself reflecting on my experiences while I have been here and actually picking up journaling a bit. In class this past week we discussed our different experiences by walking to different sides of the room based on our feelings on certain topics. When we were asked if we had trouble with culture shock when we first arrived. I initially walked to the side of not having trouble with culture shock but after thinking about it now I am really do not think I thought about that question fully. I thought back to my first two weeks here during orientation when we traveled around and especially the day that we went to the townships. I remember being in utter disbelief that day of the number of people that were living in informal housing and just the conditions of living. I then continued to drive through the townships every day for my internship and it never became less disheartening. I am glad in a weird way that I have experienced all of this and seen it because now going back home I will never forget it. I think that it will make me more aware of the poverty in the United States as well as making me more motivated to do more to help. I do think I will experience some culture shock going home and not being in this environment anymore but I am excited for all of the new things I am aware of and going to do

Emily L reflecting on how she's become motivated to work for positive social change

To be honest, I have been struggling a bit this past week coming to terms with the approaching departure from Cape Town. I’m not quite sure how I’m going to be able to go back to living the way I did at home because I feel completely changed from these past few months. In class last night, we did a few exercises that required a good amount of self-reflection. My ability to reflect within myself has become so strengthened since coming here, something I’m proud of. One of the questions Marita asked us was whether or not we were going to have a hard time assimilating back into life at home. I immediately knew that my answer would be “yes.” During my time here, I have become such an open minded, positive person. Almost all of that can be attributed to my time working in Tafelsig Clinic and conversing with locals while out and about. I’m going to miss the welcoming spirit of Cape Town and how people are, for the most part, full of light and love.

           

This past weekend, I was lucky enough to be able to spend time in Noordehoek with Onna, Dani, and Dani’s cousins who live there. We spent the evening watching the sunset at Noordehoek Beach, an experience that had a lot more depth to it than I would’ve expected.  Watching the hot pink and vibrant oranges dance across the sky filled me with such a sense of peace. This peace comes at such a troubling time in South Africa. Lately, the xenophobic attacks that have been occurring are all I can think about. Who am I to be feeling such peace in the same land where people are terrified to leave their houses? I’m realizing that these kinds of feelings are going to be a lifelong struggle, and that should motivate me to act against change. 

Dani & Emily L

Taylor L becoming increasingly aware of the gendered expectaions placed on children

In Marita’s class we have learned a lot about gendered expectations and how society influences individuals to think, feel, and act in a certain way. While I have heard about this before, I have never talked about it to such an extent. It is pretty interesting that after these discussions I have become so aware of these supposed gender roles. I have become increasingly aware of these  at my internship and I have tried to combat it.

           

One of the learners I work with loves to play with the kitchen set in the Speech Therapy big room. I encourage him to play and pretend cook after our sessions. I never thought that this might not be acceptable in society’s eyes. Therefore, I was taken back when I witnessed one of his classmates get upset after he tried to play with the kitchen set in the classroom. I confronted the girl and told her that anyone could play with the kitchen set and informed her that she could also play with all the toys. While my statement quieted the girl, I am curious where she got this idea. I surely hope the teacher did not say that only the girls could play with the kitchen set. I do not think this teacher would say that but this young child was so adamant that the boy coming to the kitchen was not allowed.

           

Another instance where I noticed gendered behavior was at lunchtime. One of the boys in the classroom did not want to finish his lunch and a male volunteer turned to the boy and said “come on, don’t you want to be a man.” This statement insinuated that society expects young boys to become strong men and that anything but is not acceptable. This got me thinking about how the volunteer would have responded if the learner were a girl. I think the volunteer would have dismissed it and believed that the girl was full.

It is sad that these ideals are passed on to youth when they are so young. I hope that educators and individuals coming in contact with youth eventually read these articles. We have such a profound influence on the youth and we could prevent the next generation from abiding by the imposed gender roles.

Becca finding similarities between South Africa and the United States

Even though I have been here for three months or so, the similarities in the problems that South Africa and the United States face are just frightening. With the xenophobic attacks that have been occurring in Durban and Johannesburg, I can’t help but to draw similarities to the topic of illegal immigrants in the US. And what is incredibly shocking was that people believe that foreigners are taking all the jobs from citizens and everything. But that is just not true. And at least most of the people that I have talked to are not just jumping on the bandwagon or anything. In fact most people here really respect their foreign neighbors and everything. But still the violence that I have heard about is just so heartbreaking so horrible. The pictures that I have seen on CNN on an attack in Alexandra, a township outside of Johannesburg, are just horrible. 

 But I wish that people in the US would not be so blind to follow that same bandwagon about foreigners in our country. Like all the myths about undocumented immigrants not paying taxes and using all of our social welfare programs are absolute nonsense. According to the American Civil Liberties Union, illegal immigrants pay taxes but don’t use those services that could actually benefit them so they actually give money to the government. And let’s look at the jobs these people usually have. They are the ones that are doing jobs that are usually working jobs that are paying below minimum wage. Yet there is so much hatred because people believe “facts” that are just not true.  Yet people still spread these lies around. And these lies can lead to violence. It is what appears to be happening here in South Africa so how do we prevent these lies from spreading around in the US.

Taylor P looking forward to getting involved once she returns home

This past weekend Taylor L., John and I went on the garden route. It was amazing all of the animals we got to see and the scenic views. We even bungee jumped off the highest commercial bridge in the world! It was an amazing weekend and I think we could all agree that we felt like such tourists. Like Taylor mentioned, we shared a van with two British ladies and a German couple. It was definitely interesting spending a whole weekend with different people rather than being in the house with all of our housemates/friends.

One of my favorite nights was Friday night when we had load shedding at the backpackers place. There was no electricity but we had a huge fire and a bunch of the guests sat around and talked for hours. I didn’t know these people and I could barely make out their faces but it was so easy for us to talk and share our South African experiences. It was almost refreshing to have such open conversation with complete strangers. It just shows how easy it is to find people who you relate to and can learn from.

The weekend consisted of a lot of driving and therefore a lot of time to think and decompress. I think I realized over the weekend just how lucky I am to get to experience all the different sides of South Africa and how although I haven’t taken my trip for granted, I haven’t appreciated it enough. As our trip comes to a close I am starting to think about how I can bring my experiences and changed perspectives back to the states. Up until recently I haven’t been that excited to go home, but I realized this weekend just how much I can do and get involved in once I return back home.

Christina contemplates going home

Throughout this entire semester, we’ve focused on race and gender in Marita’s class. During our studies we have learned about a lot of stereotypes and gender norms especially. Women normally do this while men do that. It’s been going on for generations and has become normalized on many levels. For example, in my own experiences, men usually pop the question and propose to their significant others. One might say it’s even tradition, yet I’m not even quite sure how or when it originated. But just the other day at work I experienced someone defying that gender norm. A girlfriend of a co-worker of mine comes in occasionally to volunteer at the aquarium. One day when she came in, we got the opportunity to join the collections team out on the boat while they were busy collecting kelp. During the time the divers were underwater we got to chatting about her relationship. They have been together for two years now and the matter of marriage has popped up a few times. He wants to wait a few years, but knows he wants to ask her. Her mentality on the other hand is that neither of them are getting younger, she’s 29 and he’s 33, so she wants to ask the question herself. Apparently there is a tradition regarding leap year that allows a woman to ask a man. This was unheard of by me so I did a little research.  According to old Irish history or tradition, believe what you may, St Brigid struck a deal with St Patrick to allow women to propose to men every four years. The reasoning behind the myth is that it came into place to balance the traditional roles of men and women in a similar way to how Leap Day balances the calendar. To be honest this woman seems like she would ask him to marry her even if this tradition didn’t exist, but I found it very interesting and empowering that she was planning on doing it. She has everything planned out including the proposal happening at the aquarium and although I enjoyed hearing about it because I am a helpless romantic, I couldn’t help but be intrigued by how confident and excited she was to make such a big move that is traditionally a man’s role in society.

Another thing we’ve focused on this week has been the reality of going home so soon. It’s crazy to think that 3 ½ months have gone by. I also have been dealing with how I feel about it all. I have very mixed emotions in a sense that at times I feel ready and okay to go home because I have accomplished so much and have seen and experienced more than I could ever imagine. But then I’ll have a really good day at work or something will just make me so happy like the mountains or looking at the ocean and then I’ll get an overwhelming feeling of sadness and nostalgia about leaving this place that I have grown to love so much. Cape Town is my home. I can officially say that I have lived somewhere else other than Brookfield, CT. And at moments that realization alone is enough to terrify me to leave. Going home will certainly be a process, and adjusting back to life will be an even bigger one that I am not looking forward to. There are many challenges I am anticipating on facing when I get home. How I deal and handle those challenges are something I can think of and prepare myself for now. But how I react for sure is a mystery until the time comes. Until that time though I am going to enjoy every last minute here in my beautiful city of Cape Town.

 

Maria's not leaving quite yet

It’s pretty hectic, as many South Africans would say that our time here in Cape Town, for now is coming to a close. I have been extremely busy these past couple of weeks trying to fit every possible thing in that I wanted to do throughout the semester. A few days ago I was in a gift shop and picked up what was labeled a South African passport. As I read through it I realized I had been to or experienced all but 2 pages that was listed as top things to do in Cape Town, which was a pretty cool feeling. I am such an avid hiker back home so being able to bring that love here and finding awesome hiking trails to enjoy with friends has been one of my favorite parts. Here is a picture of Jess, Caitlin, Bernie, Christina, and I at the top of Table Mountain after hiking it. For some of us it wasn’t our first time up but for others it was their first time so it was a good mix. The hike was extremely hard, probably one of the most mentally draining hikes I have ever done.

           

Jess, Caitlin, Bernie, Christina, and Maria on Table Mountain

The weather temperature dropped pretty quickly here just as most people said it would but I refused to believe them until now. I have no reason to complain though because by cooling down I mean it is now in the low 70s. The beauty of this place ceases to amaze me. When John, Dani and I were walking to work one hazy morning a rainbow happened to be hovering over Table Mountain, which was a sight to see. The past week one of our assignments for class was to watch a few videos and one of them was called “Look Up” which was about putting down your cell phone and enjoy the world around you. Before watching this video I started to notice myself and how I was becoming unattached to my phone in a way; meaning I wasn’t dependent on having wifi in a restaurant or running straight up to the common room every time I got home to connect to the wifi. This is a habit I most definitely want to bring home with me. 

I am so happy I am fortunate enough to be able to extend my time here in South Africa. Dani is staying until the end of May but Onna and I are staying until May 12^th. We are all attending AfrikaBurn and if you don’t know what that is I suggest you Google it because it is such a unique event that takes place here. They adopted the concept of Burning Man, which is held in Nevada back in the states.

           

It’s going to be really sad to see my fellow peers leave for the semester but I know that I will see some of them this summer and definitely all of them once we return back to school in the fall!

Taylor L balances her adventures with some thoughts on her time here

Taylor L, John, and Taylor P playing with the elephants

This past weekend, John, Taylor and I headed on the Garden Route Tour. While we had expressed our interest in doing the tour, we did not think we would be able to because of how busy our last few weeks in South Africa would be. We were nervous about spending one of our last weekends away from our home in Cape Town but I am so happy that we took the chance and left for a few days.

Our weekend was full of adventures. We rode elephants, pet cheetahs, held lemurs, walked with lions, enjoyed the night on Myoli beach, and of course bungee jumped. While I was nervous about bungee jumping because of my shoulder, I was quite surprised that it was very smooth! It was such an adrenaline rush and so much fun that I wanted to do it again! However after bungee jumping I began to wonder if the majority of people whom bungee jump are tourists or if they are South Africans. This reminded me of how so many South Africans look at Table Mountain everyday, but have not been to the top of it.

Taylor L jumping off the highest bridge

 We were lucky to share the tour with two individuals from London, two individuals from Germany, one individual from Saudi Arabia and of course our awesome guide from Cape Town! Additionally, at the backpackers we talked to people from all over. It is pretty remarkable that everyone we meet seems to fall in love with Cape Town, despite the amount of time he or she may spend here. I am so grateful for my opportunity to study and intern here. 

When we were at one of the backpackers we experienced load shedding. It was pretty awesome to be surrounded by such amazing people, at night by a fire, and have to talk to one another. If there was electricity, we may not have had the same experience. Everyone may have been in their rooms and updating their friends and family on their awesome experiences on the garden route.

While on this garden route tour, I was once again quite surprised with how much information I have learned about South Africa. Before applying for this program, I knew nothing about South Africa. While there is still so much depth to South Africa’s history, I definitely have learned so much by immersing myself in the culture. Additionally, at my internship, one of the other Speech students asked me how I have responded to the social issues in South Africa. If this had happened in my first few weeks here, I would have responded to her with a blank face. However, now I feel comfortable sharing my knowledge and my experiences to answer such a question!

While it was nice to get away, I was once again thrilled to be back home. On the way back from the game reserve, we drove by Eros and I was thrilled that I would be going into work in less than twelve hours. At that moment, I realized that I only have a few more days to drive by Eros. I really cannot fathom not being greeted by the amazing students and staff there

Ashlyn's reflections on Unity

So this is the last post before I return home, which is really strange and doesn’t seem possible. This past week my mom has been here visiting the beautiful city that I’ve come to love. We’ve done quite a lot the past week and even a few things I hadn’t done yet, including going to Cape Point (which provides a beautiful hilltop view of the ocean), and going to a delicious restaurant called Mama Africa’s. On Friday, the two of us went to the Cape Town soccer game in the 2010 World Cup Stadium and we caught up with a bunch of other girls living in the house. I was sitting behind Caitlin, and we were commenting on the vuvuzelas (plastic horns that are used at sporting matches). At the game, various vuvuzela players who didn’t know each other would come together and get a tune going without any prior planning. Caitlin was telling me about a conversation she had with someone else about how such an occurrence would never happen in the United States. During our time here we’ve been discussing the differences in South African and American culture. I find the vuvuzelas a good metaphor for both South African and U.S. society. South Africans know that by banding together they can create something bigger and better than they could do alone, whereas Americans often get too caught up trying to get their own voice bigger and better than everyone else’s.

Ajax vs University of Pretoria (2-0) at Cape Town Stadium

As my time here in Cape Town comes to a close, it comes with a great deal of reflection on what I’ve done and learned here. Overall, I think the most important thing I’ve learned is to think more critically and to keep everyone’s best interests at heart. On the application to come here (which strangely feels like it was a thousand years ago or yesterday depending on the day) we were allowed to write an optional scholarship essay on what it means to be a global citizen. At the time I really had no idea what to write (or what the committee would want to read) and I remember being puzzled because I had never heard the term used before. I like to think I now know what the term means to me (and that it doesn’t matter as much what other people want to read, but what you believe). To me it means that many people throughout the world are only thinking about themselves, and it’s important to question the norm and think what’s best for everyone. To put it in South African terms; Ubuntu.