2015 Co-educators

2015 Co-educators
2015 UConn Co-educators Begin Their Cape Town Adventures

WELCOME TO OUR BLOG

As anyone who has participated in UConn's Education Abroad in Cape Town will tell you, there are no words to adequately explain the depth of the experiences, no illustrations to sufficiently describe the hospitality of the people, and no pictures to begin to capture the exquisite scenery. Therefore this blog is only intended to provide an unfolding story of the those co-educators who are traveling together as companions on this amazing journey.

As Resident Director of this program since 2008 it is once again my privilege and honor to accompany another group of students to this place I have come to know and love.

In peace, with hope,
Marita McComiskey, PhD
(marita4peace@gmail.com)

Monday, June 1, 2015

Becca has just begun her journey to bcoming the best version of herself


So I know that it has been awhile since I have written a blog post. It is so hard to believe that I have been back in the US for a month now. Adjusting back to life in the US has definitely had its ups and downs, which I was definitely expecting. It has been so great to see all my family and friends and to talk with them about the wonderful time I had in South Africa. It is also just difficult sharing everything that happened to me while I was in South Africa. So much happened in the three and a half months I was there, it is hard to just pick a place to start sharing my experiences, and even harder to share the new beliefs and values that I now believe in. That this is because of difficulty of not being able to fully express just how my time in South Africa has changed me as a person, which I think is the most important part about my time in South Africa. I think that people do realize that I have changed but I don’t think they realize just in what ways I have changed. And the only way they are really going to see that change is time.
It is also extremely difficult to feel that kind of satisfaction that I got from working in South Africa compared to working here in the US.  I have been volunteering at a hospital close to me, hoping it would help me readjust, but it is just makes me miss working at Tafelsig Clinic even more. I miss the fast-paced working place Tafelsig, where I was really looking at the health of the patient on all facets of their life, whereas volunteering at the hospital, it is very business-like and just about finding what is wrong and getting them out. There is just a lack of compassion in the hospital compared to Tafelsig, and I really miss that compassion.  

I also miss living at the house and seeing everyone. My house is a little bit too quiet now a days, which I am not used to after living with everyone for so long. I also miss the spontaneous way that we live while in South Africa, always making last minute plans and just going with the flow. It doesn’t always work like that here in the US just because people already have their plans set of what they are going to do. I definitely took that way of living for granted while I was there and I do miss it a lot.

Not to say that everything has been awful since returning to the US. I was definitely happy to see my family again, especially my sister who I missed a lot and I was glad to find out she was doing great. I also missed my friends, so seeing them again was so great. I am also looking forward to the future because my time in South Africa has made me realize that I do want to see more of the world and explore places because the world is filled with amazing people, and I want to meet as many as I can. Even though my time in South Africa is over, I know that it is only the beginning of my journey to be the best version of myself that I can possibly be. I will never forget my time in Cape Town and I know I will carry all that I have learned from my time there. So thank you Cape Town, it has truly been amazing.  

No comments:

Post a Comment