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)

Friday, June 12, 2015

Maria looking forward to being reunited with study abroad "co-educators"

I cannot believe I am writing my last blog about my study abroad experience in South Africa. After extending my trip 10 days it doesn’t feel real to be back living in my own home since I have been away for about 4 months.  While it has been so nice seeing my family and friends I cannot stop thinking about Cape Town and just how free I felt and how at home I felt.

I was so fortunate to be able to extend my trip; attending Afrika Burn was really a once in a lifetime experience and it was totally worth it. It is a community-based festival almost in the middle of the desert that resembles how people believe life should be lived. Onna, Dani, and I and our 2 friends spent 4 days there meeting people and having great conversations. It didn’t feel like we were in the middle of the desert because people made us feel so at home. After arriving back from the burn we had a lot of time to relax and unwind before we headed home. Writing about my time in Cape Town is much easier to write about than my transition home. It was something that was always in the back of my mind since I was really nervous to tell my friends all that I had learned and seen. While they appreciated everything I had to say, no on can fully understand unless you experience it yourself. Being home has also made me even more eager to get back up to school so I can be with the friends I made abroad. This was not something I was expecting but I really did make some friends that will last a lifetime.


Overall my transition has been okay but it is definitely a work in progress and I think will be for a while. I am looking forward to taking our reentry class when I return to school in the fall so I can have the great conversations I was used to having while abroad. Here are a couple of pictures of Afrika Burn that I took!




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