More than a trip

Overall, this summer has been astonishing. The fears and hopes I had pulling into DC (for our pre-program orientation) were completely different from the fears and hopes I had pulling into SIT (post-program orientation), and even those differed from the ones I had pulling into the driveway of my home in New Jersey. I feared that I would create superficial relationships with my peers and that I would learn nothing applicable to my own community. Obviously, I was wrong. I consider the 28 other students I’ve met on this trip my most supportive and dependable friends and the 6 leaders my mentors. I’ve been so inspired by various community organizations and activist groups in South Africa and Mozambique and am extremely eager to implement the ideas and methodology they have equipped me with. At the end of the program, students create and present a yearlong capstone project to implement into their own communities, and it's an effective way to apply the learning from our trips. Expect to not only learn the culture and history of the countries you visit; expect to really engage in the sociopolitical climate of South Africa and Mozambique.
A big takeaway I have from this summer is that each country moves at its own pace; it has its own history and culture. Its political, economic, and social progress occurs in a different historical context, so, as outsiders and as Americans, we should respect that historical context.