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.