Jillian knowing the things she's learned in South Africa will always be with her

For our excursion we went to Johannesburg and Kruger National Park. I enjoyed both places a lot because I was able to see a completely different part of South Africa. Living in Cape Town has been amazing so far, but being able to travel to other parts of the country has given me a more wholesome idea of South Africa. I also really enjoyed going into Soweto for some of the museums and for the Girls and Boys Club. I liked going to the museums because they reinforced the knowledge I’ve already learned and taught me more. I was able to see the effects of apartheid in another part of South Africa as well and learn about it in the museums. At one of the museums, we went to a cemetery where many victims of apartheid were buried. We walked up and down the line of people buried and that made me realize just how many people were affected by apartheid and how many lives were lost. One of the museum tour guides has her husband and children buried there and she got emotional during this part of the tour. Seeing that emotion and that affect in real life and not just hearing about it or watching it in videos made it that much more real. After learning so much about the horrible effects of apartheid, I still don’t understand how humanity could let something like that happen. I don’t understand how the rest of the world could let that happen. In the United States, I live in a mostly white community where I don’t see the oppression of the world or learn enough about it, but in South Africa I see and learn about it every day. The things I’ve learned in South Africa will always be with me and will be something that I can’t ignore.

Another part of the excursion that I loved was volunteering at the Boys and Girls Club. The children there were so fun to be with and I couldn’t help but wonder what their home lives are like. I think it great that Soweto has the Boys and Girls Club as a resource but that isn’t enough for all the children. It’s not right that children are punished for circumstances that they were born into and can’t help. All of the children at the club had such warm hearts and were so playful, but I wonder if the influences of society and the effects of apartheid are going to change that. There are a lot of great resources in South Africa and a lot of people working to improve the country, but there is so much more to be done and it’s hard to know where to begin. The excursion in Johannesburg was another great learning experience that exposed me to the beauty and hardships of South Africa in a different setting.