Ashlyn: "I Don’t Think I’m in Connecticut Anymore"

The overarching theme of my past week here was remembering where I am. Since I have a normal routine in South Africa, live in a nice suburb here, and live with 17 other Americans, I don’t always feel as if I’m halfway across the globe. A lot of us joked on a safari last week that it was the first time we really realized where we were. I also often get caught up in my own life and I become so wrapped up that I don’t take the time to reflect. So this week really reminded me that I am halfway across the globe and what I really want to do here is serve Cape Town.

           

This past week our group traveled to Johannesburg and Kruger National Park (where we did the safari) while the university was on break. On one of the days in Johannesburg the group went to the Boys and Girls Club in Soweto, a township on the outskirts of Johannesburg. I spent half the day organizing child membership binders for the organization and the other half playing with the children, who were also on break. While going through the binders I had a great difficulty organizing them alphabetically because I couldn’t understand the handwriting. So I would go through the packet looking for the parent’s names in the hopes I could figure out the child’s last name. By doing this I found a section asking for the annual family income. There were options to check off ranging from R 1,000 to 10,000 (less than $100 to $1,000 USD). I was shocked. This was a gentle reminder that I only have two weeks left in South Africa, and that I should do everything in my power to assist the communities here because a lot of work needs to be done.

Ashlyn & her mom

The citizens of South Africa are very informed on the policies and practices of the United States. My mom is here this week visiting and is staying in a hotel relatively close to where we stay, but I’ve been staying with her most nights. The television was on in the background last night while I was scrolling through Facebook. The news station was discussing Hilary Clinton traveling to Iowa in order to gain more support. I didn’t think much about it at the time, but then at dinner it dawned on me that I was in South Africa and the news was discussing the U.S. presidential election. Back in the U.S., I don’t even know if the news covers when other countries elect their leaders (let alone cover candidates early campaign trails). It’s the subtle things that happen throughout the day that remind me I’m not in the U.S. anymore.