South Africa: Leadership & Social Change

When I first arrived in South Africa I was terrified, but soon after I felt welcomed with open arms. I learned so much about the history of South Africa and learned how to appreciate everything that we have. I was able to build long loving friendships and make so many memories with amazing people. This trip was so enjoyable yet education. There were so many breathtaking views. The homestay was one of the best experience I had, it was the highlight of my trip. Getting to know and be apart of a Xhosa speaking family was an experience that words cannot describe. The activities were so amazing, the safari, zip gliding, and the boat rides. I was able to gain more confidence and love from myself and others on this trip. This trip has shaped the way I see the world because everyone can benefit from learning from another culture.

My trip to South Africa was one of the best experiences of my life. It was my first time ever traveling and even with all my frights and emotions, I was able to make it. I had a very supportive group that made sure I was alright no matter what. Even when I felt uncomfortable, I didn’t feel forced to do all the activities and everything went at my pace. My favorite part of the trip was the homestay, I got to meet my new family and learn all about their culture. We did everything together as a family and it made me feel like I was very much at home. My goal for this trip was to come home more vocal. Before my trip, I would shy away from people and not be vocal with the important things that I have to say. But after coming home, I am very much aware of the power that a everyone’s voice has no matter what!

I thought that my homestay experience was so unique and amazing. I had a great time getting to know my family and the community, and it was undoubtedly my favorite part of the entire trip. I not only had fun, but I also grew so much as a person. I had no idea how much I would learn from the members of the township that we stayed in going into this trip. Volunteering at the local school, doing community service, and just getting to know all the teens my age in the neighborhood... Everything was a learning and growing experience. I feel like this trip has completely changed the way I view the world and the way I want to live the rest of my life. I would definitely recommend this to anyone who is up for an adventure and open to new experiences!

Going on The Experiment in International Living’s program to South Africa this summer (2018) was so amazing! The program itself was centered around the theme of leadership and social change, which are two subjects that I am very passionate about. Some of my favorite parts of the trip were hiking Lion’s Head in Cape Town, spending 10 days in an Afrikaans speaking community for homestay, and learning about sustainability at the Tlholego Ecovillage. There was always an activity or thematic workshop to do; the trip was never boring or too touristy. I feel like I came back to the USA with so much more confidence and ready to tackle the social issues facing my community. Our group leaders were some of the most supportive and nurturing people I have ever met, and always challenged us to get out of our comfort zones. My group was full of wonderful, diverse people from all over the US, and we all bonded really quickly. I would highly recommend this program to anyone who is looking for some challenge and adventure- be warned that there will not always be things like WiFi and showers available to you!

What I appreciated the most about this program was the immersion into South African culture rather than deeming ourselves the white saviours of poverty ridden Africa. We never bought a goat or installed a well. We watched and listened to the sounds of South Africa and its people rather than our own. I fell in love with everyone we met, everyone was so incredibly smart and funny, eager to share their worldview to such clueless North Americans. Because of this program my perception of the world has expanded beyond my Canadian and American experience. I'd never seen a mountain before and suddenly I was standing at the peak of Table Mountain overlooking the beautiful city of Capetown! Although I was an obvious tourist, with my pale skin, red hair, and Canadian accent, I never felt like one. Tourists are comfortable, viewing the attractions and landscape from a narrow lense. We were thrown into South Africa -- I was never fully comfortable and that's a good thing. We toured through Langa, a township a little outside of Capetown, where we saw inadequate housing like never before. We were warmly welcomed into a small room where clothes and furniture were stacked upon each other, a woman sat there and invited us to take pictures of her poverty as she explained that 5-10 people lived in this small room. We stood there boggled, our privilege glowing and becoming ever apparent. We hopped from museum to museum consuming all of the information about apartheid and South Africa's history as we could get. We lived with host families and soon became a part of a community in Plettenberg bay. I connected with people who speak a different language and live a hemisphere away, but it makes no difference.

In the end I felt very at home in South Africa. Because of my partaking in this program I have an experience that the majority of people will never have. I go to a high school where people take long vacations in France and Italy, living in the comfort of their hotel room. They could never imagine a life without heat or wifi. They've never woken because of the rooster's call, and they definitely have never walked down a paved street next to a wild cow. My world has changed because of this program. I highly recommend it to everyone and anyone! Especially if you want to experience a world outside of yourself.

The nation is beautiful and it provides many great experiences. (Safari, abseiling and exploring Cape Town.) However, I was not in love with the program. I signed up thinking I would gain a lot of independence and my leaders were competent. Both were false. We were traveling with a family the whole time. Although they were nice, it made the trip seem pretty fake. It also made it harder to bond as a group with more people in the mix. We were only allowed to be in groups of three when exploring. This was beyond frustrating and made it harder to get immersed in the culture. Our instructors were very unreasonable with this rule. We couldn't even go across the block or walk to the ATM without being in groups of three. I understand that South Africa is not known for being safe and why they wouldn't want us walking around in Cape Town all alone but I thought they could have been much more reasonable with that rule. I felt very safe in South Africa and I am a white person. I was also disappointed with the food on this trip. Although I had a lot of great South African food (especially on the homestay), they could have taken us to more rustic places to eat instead of South African fast food restaurants. We also barely ever talked about the "big picture" for the trip. I wish we would have talked about Nelson Mandela, Multiculturalism and its effects on South Africa, Sustainability, etc. more but we only talked about it probably about 1-3 times. Everything else, the safari, homestay, Drakensberg, Grahamstown, etc. was awesome. Bottom line is: go to South Africa and do everything you can there but try going with another program if you can.

Between the beautiful hike to Cape Point, safari, and home stay with my new family I felt that I not only saw a nation but learned so much about the history and culture that I began to call myself a traveler- not a tourist. This has exposed me to traveling in the best way possible and I hope for the day when I can return to South Africa and see the nation I feel in love with.