Melissa's Cape Town experience will last a lifetime.

Melissa with grade 9 learners from City Mission Educational Services, Cape Town

A year ago I had no direction. I was busy doing everything and anything but I feel like I didn’t have a goal. I knew I wanted to be great. I loved service (still do) and academics were important. This time last year I was taking seven classes and working four jobs (much like I am right now) but it was all so that I could go to Cape Town. I spent my time being as busy as I could but never reflecting on my experiences. I would admit that every experience shaped a person and influenced their next experience but I don’t think I actually lived that way. I had a routine. Each day went by and the next day came and I went through the motions ascribing to passions I thought I was informed about. I was pretty sure I knew what it meant to learn but I was wrong. I knew what it meant to consume information. Learning is different, Cape Town showed me that. The biggest thing learned it is not our responsibility to judge and critique those who display unappreciable actions instead we must teach them and we must lead with integrity and be an example for others. It is my responsibility, our responsibility, to educate others by speaking out on important topics and sharing knowledge and inspiration. This is a lifelong commitment; there is always something new to learn and explore. Therefore I must lead by my actions with the proper intentions and for the right reasons to teach, enact change, or motivate someone.  I can’t say in even an unlimited amount of space how much this program changed me. I can say that I’m grateful and through meaningful conversations and lifelong connections I will always appreciate my time in Cape Town. When I’m stuck I’ll remember my students. When I’m struggling I’ll call on my friends, my second family. I never knew that when the day came to go home, I’d be calling Cape Town my home. Cape Town changes people. It reminds you that beauty exists around every corner and that the opportunities to learn are endless. My journey in Cape Town did not last three and a half months, this experience will last a lifetime. That’s the truth.    

Melissa making the best use of her time now that she's back

"Do you realize that your summer vacation is longer than your entire stay in Cape Town?" 

On our last class this news was shocking. After having gotten so used to "Cape Town time" and feeling like I could do anything not only was the reality of home slowly sinking in but after a semester of wonderful opportunities and the time of my life I was struggling how I would make the summer just as meaningful. Marita always reminded us that all we have in this world are time, energy, and resources and those three things kept coming back to me in various ways as was thinking how I would spend my summer. The time seemed daunting because I had learned how much change and insight can occur in what felt like forever on some days and a blink of an eye on others. 

A little over two months has passed since we've been home and not a day goes by that I do not think about Cape Town. It's crazy how little things can remind you of a night filled with music and fun or how preparing a meal can bring back memories of Braais and kitchen drama. Coming home has been one of those exercises of taking the good with the bad. I've been seeking the independence that I had in Cape Town while realizing that I have no money to support myself. As many of us have shared, living at home can be both great and frustrating. Aside from that, since I've been home I started working as a substitute teacher in the Westford Public Schools. It has been a privilege to compare the stark differences in resources and opportunities between this district, my home town, and Cape Town. I learned a lot about the challenges suburban schools face and after my initial disappointment and frustration with the endless shelves of books I was able to appreciate this. I was proud of where I grew up and happy that the students could benefit and flourish. Although some days I found myself lost in the classroom looking for markers or folders and I was irritated at what felt like excess stuff, I enjoyed the comparison I have been able to make. It shows me that everything comes with its unique challenges and strengths but also confirmed that adequate resources in schools are necessary. This perspective will carry through my summer job at the BELL Foundation. BELL serves students in the Boston Public Schools who are at risk of not passing and being promoted to the next grade. I'll be working with these students at an intensive summer enrichment program to help curb the learning loss which occurs during the summer. Once again, I find myself back in city schools. I love it there. In a school where students don't have text books and most rely on the government sponsored food each day I'm ready to help these learners thrive. I am excited to take all the skills I have been acquiring and apply them. Without my experience at City Mission my perspective on this situation would not be as clear or determined. 

As I think about Cape Town, the changes and challenges I could talk about are endless. From being a smarter consumer, to recognizing gender inequalities, and understanding communities I've gained knowledge that will guide me forever. That is why when I got home I applied and was accepted to the Masters in Public Administration Fast-Track program at UConn. This program will allow me to recognize community issues and apply realistic solutions to improving schools, businesses, and other organizations in the area. I am sure that I will take the skills I learned in Veron's class to critically evaluate struggling organizations and identify the proper next steps toward change. I hope to study more regarding race and policy through the lens of education policy and the achievement gap which I became more interested in through Marita's class. I am excited to apply what I know about international education to my interest in domestic education policy. This is an exciting time! 

While I could go on and on about this I must say, some of the best parts of this summer so far have no been my Introduction to Public Policy class or applying to graduate programs. I've loved sleeping late on the weekends and especially Dunkin Donuts iced coffee! When I wake up and get voice messages from my students I smile for hours. Those messages are the things that encourage me to get up and keep working to educate and serve. I have enjoyed continuing relationships that I built in South Africa and growing the relationships I have back home. I have been able to share my passion with my friends and family and also have fun taking trips to DC and Boston, rollerskating, listening to country music and enjoying the summer! So I guess, in two months I've made the best use of my time as I can and each day has had something meaningful.  Although... I still miss Table Mountain and minibus taxis. 

Aimee's parting thoughts on her CPT experiences

Aimee and Cape Town Co-educators jumping for joy!

Now that it has been about a month since I’ve been back from South Africa, I think I am finally ready to submit my last blog. At this point I have shared some pictures and stories, visited friends from the trip and taken another Women’s Studies class during the month of May. I have officially adjusted to being back home and I am looking forward to what the rest of the summer will bring. Studying abroad in Cape Town was a crazy ride and I enjoyed learning, loving, and living in such a beautiful place. I am so thankful that I was given this opportunity and I knew it was one I had to take. I wanted to write one last blog as a conclusion to my journey and highlight some things that I learned, favorite parts, least favorite parts, and what it’s like being back at home.

One of the most important lessons I learned is to always ask questions and never accept things as they are. It is important to do research and educate oneself about the way things work and why society is the way it is. I am not the most opinionated person, but just knowing both sides of an issue and talking about it is so valuable. I also learned the importance of story - telling and having meaningful conversations. In American society we don’t always take the time to open up and share deep parts of ourselves with others. We are too often afraid of what others may think when in reality we have so much in common with one another. Talking to other people is one of the best stress relievers and therapies out there. I enjoyed every minute of discussion that I had with my co-educators in Cape Town and continuing in my Women’s Studies class this past May. I have gained confidence in contributing my own thoughts and insights to a discussion. Everyone has his or her own stories and voices that need to be heard.

Furthermore, I learned about privilege in society. For example, being white is a privilege whether we realize it or not. Our society is based upon capitalist ideals and a hierarchy that keeps certain people at the bottom. Even those who don’t consider themselves to be part of this privilege still reap the benefits of this type of society. Although improvements have been made, denying that it still exists does not help to eliminate the problem or make situations for others better.

One of the hardest parts of the trip was staring poverty in the face that was mostly caused by the country’s history of apartheid laws. It was very interesting and eye -opening to hear perspectives of blacks, coloreds, and whites living in South Africa now and during apartheid. Our group lived very comfortably during our stay, while we knew so many others were living in extremely poor conditions. We tried to reach out to show our support in any ways we could, for those striving for better wages, proper living conditions, and safer communities.

It was also difficult to balance exploring and having fun with schoolwork and intensive learning. I learned so much just by meeting new people outside the classroom and experiencing different aspects of South African culture. I admire the culture of South Africa and wonder what the culture of the United States is. Just as we often have stereotypes of other cultures, other people have stereotypes of our culture. I often laughed when people asked me if I saw celebrities or went to crazy parties all the time, but they have good reasons to think that. They get ideas about our culture from the media and shows like Jersey Shore, just like we think of safaris and exotic animals as a part of Africa. I loved the culture of South Africa that came from slower-paced living, a passion for music and dancing and Ubuntu- the term used to represent the strong sense of community and family. I hope that I can learn to cherish my family, friends, and even strangers more. I am tired of living a comfortable and easy life. One of the greatest lessons anyone can learn is that a comfortable life is not necessarily a happy one. I am going to try to live a life filled with taking risks, serving others, and spending time wisely.

It was difficult adjusting to being home, mostly because I was no longer living in a house with ten college girls. You can only imagine what life was like during those few months, but we definitely tried to keep the drama to a minimum. I was very jet-lagged but took advantage of some time off to visit friends and loved ones and finish planning for the Fall 2013 semester. It was challenging to find the right words to say when people asked me how South Africa was or what my favorite part was. South Africa was so awesome, challenging, confusing, joyful, different, colorful, scary, thought-provoking, full of life, and everything else in-between. I don’t have a favorite part because every part was necessary for this experience to be complete and meaningful. At home I felt like I needed to be running around doing so many things because that was what I was used to. My life became quiet and I had to spend some time filling it back up again. I only had a few minor emotional breakdowns that were so necessary and freeing for me to let out whatever I was feeling. As I mentioned, taking a women’s studies class this past May also helped the transition. Most of the class was reading articles and having discussions about topics that interested me and could relate to my study abroad experiences. Cape Town was so great it could have easily been a dream, but it taught me so much about the realities of even my own country.

Here are some links of organizations that I worked with in Cape Town and movies that we watched in Marita’s class:

http://www.homestead.org.za/Khayelitsha.htm

http://iamthedoc.com/

http://www.dwf-film.com/

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Volunteer-Mzansi-Afrika/138426352870553

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Books-For-Nyanga/162868653868712

http://www.africaunite.org.za/

https://www.facebook.com/pages/City-Mission-Educational-Services/276045382491927

http://www.cmes.co.za/index.html

http://newsreel.org/video/the-essential-blue-eyed

I hope you all have been enjoying my blogs about my Cape Town adventures. Thank you for all of your enthusiasm and support! My time in Cape Town has been so surreal and I recommend that everyone add it to their bucket list :) I want to thank everyone who made this experience possible for me. Please do not hesitate to ask me any questions no matter how silly or personal they may be. Sometimes it is hard to get all of my thoughts out into a blog. I will conclude my last blog with a South African blessing. Go well and spread peace and love among the world!

South African Blessing

Walk tall, walk well, walk safe, walk free

And may harm never come to thee.

Walk wise, walk good, walk proud, walk true

And may the sun always smile on you.

Walk prayer, walk hope, walk faith, walk light

And may peace always guide you right.

Walk joy, walk brave, walk love, walk strong

And may life always give you song.

Until next time,

Aimee

Audrey: Timing is everything.

Audrey and Ainsley

"Let yourself move to the next chapter when the time comes. Don't remain on the same page."

In a previous blog I wrote about the magic of timing so not to repeat that blog I want to reiterate my beliefs and love of timing. I came across the above quote while mindlessly scrolling through twitter. In a different part of my life I may have over looked the significance of this saying yet I could not have read it at a better time.

Some may already know but after leaving South Africa a few of us decided to travel Europe. now two months ago this seemed like the best idea I could ever have but two weeks approaching the trip I was dreading every single minute of the trip. In my mind it was either I stay In Cape Town or I go home to wallow in the fact that I was no longer in South Africa. But ging into things with such a negative attitude is not normally my style as I am a firm believer in mind over matter so while flying to London I attempted to fill my mind with many positive thoughts and why it was a good idea to do a two week stay in Europe. For the first couple days this worked but as time went on I found myself comparing everything to ZA and how South Africa is ten times better. If that doesn't sound like a way to put a damper on a trip I don't know what does.

I realized that this approach to the trip was not going to make it any better; I was having a great time and I was seeing many beautiful things they were just different. But what's wrong with different? Isn't this what I was learning all semester. Nothing is wrong with different. 

So lesson number one I learned from this trip is that it is okay to recognize the difference between places but it is don't okay to believe that one place is better than another. Every place has a different history, atmosphere/environment and demography that causes it to be the way it is. 

Lesson number two is that living in the past and wallowing about not being there anymore is going to hurt me much more than it will help me. So yes I have the right to love South Africa, to cherish every memory made, person met and lesson learned but I do not have the right to believe that I will never have an experience like it ever again.

So am I happy I went to Europe? Absolutely yes. I had ten days to spend with my aunt learning and experiencing a new culture. I had time to reflect on my experience in Cape Town. I had time to recognize what may be my challenges when back in the US. Europe was the perfect cushion before going back to my life in the US. 

Timing is everything. 

Savitri on housing

I was watching an episode of “Vice” where a reporter was investigating acres of unfinished and unoccupied apartment complexes in China. These building projects, designed to generate revenue through real estate, are abandoned because they are expensive and located in areas far from work. They were built over farmlands, effectively displacing thousands of farmers and as one woman bemoaned “turned them into beggars”. Contrast that with the surplus of informal settlements and backyard dwellings that I see in Cape Town it is not hard to see that humans are doing things inefficiently. The problem is, how do you fix something so complicated and far along?

Empty apartments in Chenggong, China (source)

Informal settlements in Cape Town, South Africa

I don’t pretend to have the answers nor do I think the answer is so simple that it could be explained in a blog post. I think one thing that has to happen, however, is a consciousness of this problem. Maybe you don’t know what to do about it but maybe someone you tell does or maybe someone they know will have an inkling of innovation. But just as importantly, I think, there must be consciousness of all the parts to the problem. Why can’t we just build housing structures anywhere for all the people who need homes to live in? For one, it would be unfair to move people away from their place of work and family and social community and resources. For another, we need to make sure that the area those houses or apartments are being built are suitable not only for the people who going to be living there but for any people who are living there already. It is not fair to interrupt other people’s environments either.

This dilemma reminds me of my first few weeks in Cape Town. Marita was telling us about an area in Khayelitsha that had suffered a terrible fire and people were currently discussing whether they wanted to rebuild the community with roads that would permit easy access for fire safety vehicles but that would displace approximately 30% of the community. I wondered, why not build multi-level apartments so that the same number of people could live there and still access emergency care when they need it? But then, what would happen to these people while they waited for such a building to be constructed? There always seems to be a “but” and so often short term solutions seem to negate or complicate long term goals. How do you integrate the two and how do you address the “but”s? Maybe someone who reads this will know.