AIFS Abroad in Stellenbosch, South Africa: Semester

The best part of this program was our onsite director, Hestea. She is a Stellenbosch local and took us on excursions to see the most beautiful parts of her hometown. Being able to travel with her was a unique opportunity that added so much value to all of our trips. The academic life in Stellenbosch is very different from a standard university in the United States. Classes meet once a week, and there is usually only a paper and a final. It takes a lot of independent commitment to make sure you do well. Class discussions were interesting because there are students from all over the world. This made group projects a challenge, especially with some language barriers, but I always looked forward to gaining new perspectives from my international peers. I liked that our class schedules made it easy to have time for seeing more of the town and taking trips to Cape Town (about 40 minutes away). Stellenbosch is a fun town for college students. There's always something to see or do, and it's fairly easy to navigate. I enjoyed walking or cycling most places, but uber is also a very affordable option. The housing situation looks different each term depending on how big the group of international students is. I had a great experience with housing. I lived in an apartment with 3 other girls from the United States, and we had plenty of space. It was cool to live in a building with other international students, because I made connections from all over the world. It did make it more difficult, however, to connect with local South African students. Still very doable, but it's definitely something you have to seek out for yourself! There is so much diversity in South Africa, and I'm thankful for the friends I made there. Can't wait to visit again soon!

I would absolutely recommend this program or any AIFS program to anyone looking to study abroad. This program gave me the once in a lifetime chance to travel to a beautiful country and immerse myself in a culture that I would not have been able to if I did not study abroad. I so appreciated the fact that AIFS is an inclusive program, meaning that your meal plan, housing, travel insurance, excursions, etc. are included in the cost of tuition. I also found the flight package they offered unbeatable. My favorite excursion I went on during this program was completing the world's highest bridge bungee jump! Through my photograph course provided, I was able to learn how to take professional grade photos of all the wildlife I saw, including a family of elephants. I highly recommend this January term program to anyone looking to go somewhere amazing and adventurous.

Every international experience helps you grow and provides context for your own life and experiences. But none of my prior experiences have opened my mind quite in the same way that this program did!

I selected this program because it was on a continent I'd not yet journeyed to and because it fell within the guidelines of the research grant I was awarded that summer. While short (8 weeks or so flies by so fast!), I felt challenged by the classes and cared for by the staff and local students. That's right, I said local students! Getting to meet and spend time with locals is unfortunately not always a given during academic-focused programs, but this unique program uses a crew of local volunteers who take classes with you (this is their winter term, so they are giving up their school break to hang out with international students - so cool), live in the dorms with you, and help guide your transition to the new city. By the end of the experience, it felt like a private school full of international friends.

In addition to that component, two other things really stand out about this AIFS experience: 1) The option to take part in a Garden Route one week tour when the classes are done. Your classes are finished, you've made close friendships, you've had a unique culture experience and now you get to take it on the road for a week! So fun and solidified the friendships I had made in the previous weeks. 2) The classes are interactive, exploratory, and created to open your mind beyond the classroom. I am struggling to think of a single course I took that didn't have a field trip or cultural experience linked to it. Taking the class about HIV & AIDS in South Africa? Well, not only do you learn about how it is affecting the nation, but you actually go to a site where locals are working to create legal action to make the change and get to sit down with them. Taking any class about Apartheid? You are learning in a classroom where political decisions were made about this injustice and learning from teachers who participated in the first open elections. You visit townships to see first hand how that still plays out in today's society.

It's not for the faint of heart, but it will open your heart in a big way.

As a student with a STEM major, I was only able to do a summer study abroad program, and it was not long enough. The AIFS Public Health Program in Stellenbosch, South Africa was applicable to my field of study, as well as during the ideal time of year and within the continent of my choice. This program was truly the perfect option for the opportunity of a lifetime.

During my stay, I was able to live in the dorms with other students from all over the US and the rest of the world, and was even lucky enough to room with a South Africa, who knew all of the local places to go and see, and all of the activities to do. The first of two classes I was able to take were an introduction to the political history of the country, which was taught in the most engaging, and memorable method of instruction I've experienced in my college career. The second, which related to my career, was the public health program, where I was able to learn about the local health care system and health problems that plague the country in a personal and eye-opening manner.

Throughout this time, classes were balanced by experiencing the beautiful country, nearby cities, culture, and tasting all of the amazing food that South Africa had to offer, all with the best company a person could ask for. As a whole, the organization of courses and excursions that AIFS offered for this program made my study abroad the best I could have possibly asked for. It's the best thing I've done for my studies and for myself, and I wish only that it could've lasted longer.

This experience was so meaningful for me and my peers. The people of South Africa are very heart-warming and caring folks. I felt connected to many of the people I met while abroad. I was in the service-learning course, where my peers and I became more immersed to one of the many cultures South Africa is home to. This experience was eye-opening and it challenged me to grow. I enjoyed being with the primary kids and learning more about where they come from.

The culture in South Africa is rich and diverse. It was incredible to learn so much with each passing day, most days were full of opportunities to learn more about other perspectives and yourself.

I want to make a difference in my students’ lives, even if it is in a small way. Each week, as we taught our students English, they taught us Xhosa and imparted some of their culture, building their confidence as competent and valuable sources of knowledge. While the students were always excited to see us, and I knew I was getting something out of the experience, I often wondered whether I was actually making a difference. While I cannot guarantee that our students' lives are better because of this program, I did see some positive outcomes during my time there. On the first day, our teacher started hanging up the vocabulary words we covered so the students could practice English every day of the week, on their own. One day, some students were finished coloring early and were sitting by the wall. Usually, they’d sing songs or play games amongst themselves, but this time, one of them stood up, went to the front, and began to quiz his friends on the vocabulary from that day. In all of our talk about sustainable development, this image replays in my mind. It gives me hope that, even after we leave, our students will continue to educate themselves. We cannot instantaneously change the fact that knowing English and Western culture increases opportunity in life, but we can attempt to bridge the gap and make those opportunities more accessible. This experience has inspired me to become a more informed global citizen and to practice sustainable education. Throughout my career, I hope to empower others through education and help bridge the socioeconomic gap.

Studying Abroad in Stellenbosch, South Africa with AIFS truly changed my life. Having the opportunity to participate in the Service Learning program in the township of Kayamandi allowed me to both give back to the community I was studying abroad in and gave me the chance to experience a new and different culture from my own. This program was a transformative and enlightening experience that allowed me to reshape my notion of community engagement and what making a difference actually means. While having the opportunity to study abroad comes with the excitement of excursions, having some of the most memorable experiences of your life and building friendships, it was also a time for me to learn more about myself in a new environment away from the comforts of what I knew. My reflections of my surroundings and the people around me were important in how I perceived the new culture I was experiencing.

My experience in Stellenbosch, South Africa with AIFS was one of the most influential moments of my life so far. My time there was a really pivotal moment in both my personal life and career plans. There were many opportunities for myself and others to learn about and experience the rich culture. South Africa has eleven national languages, so it was so different and great to meet people who spoke completely different languages from town to town. Living there, we were able to experience the every day lives of South Africans and feel extremely welcome there. We also experienced the diversity that is present in an individual town and from town to town across the country. It was extremely important to me to be able to travel to different parts of the country and learn about their culture. This experience allowed me to be immersed in their culture and be challenged. It allowed me to grow as an individual and I believe that it presented me with a purpose in life that I plan to pursue.