Aimee keeping an open mind and heart

Aimee open to learning to drum

My name is Aimee Roberge and I am majoring in Human Development and Family Studies and minoring in Human Rights at the University of Connecticut. I plan to graduate in May 2014. I am so thankful that I am able to study abroad in Cape Town to gain more knowledge about myself and the world around me. My internship placement is City Mission Educational Services (CMES). I am very excited to learn about the tasks I will be doing everyday and the challenges I will face along the way. I will definitely talk more about my internship once I know exactly what I will be doing while I am there.

Some current issues that I am passionate about are abolition of modern-day slavery, children’s education., and women’s rights. In my future, I hope to work with young children in the human rights field. I would love to further my experience in counseling and work towards eliminating human rights violations in various countries. I have not always been content with not knowing what lies ahead of me, but now I realize the true value of keeping an open mind and heart.

When I arrived at the airport on January 10th at 4:30am I saw other half-asleep Uconn students making their way to the luggage check-in line. That was when it hit me that I would be spending the next few months in a foreign country with these people, away from usual family and friends. The flight from London to Cape Town was not the most pleasant thing I have experienced but it was more than worth it. Everyone had felt like they lived on the plane for days. The first glimpse of Table Mountain at the Cape Town airport was breath-taking. Little did I know I would I get to experience many beautiful views throughout the rest of my experience in the city of Cape Town and beyond. I think we are finally starting to get over the jet lag and adjusting to the extra sunlight that makes the days feel much longer. It is fun getting to know my way around the city like it is my own.

Somehow after a cell phone dice roll with my roommates I ended up with the queen sized bed in our room. People made sure to point out that I was one of the smallest people in the group but I agreed with my roommates we could take turns. We didn’t have hot showers for a few days but now that it’s back I actually miss the cold showers. It made me feel so awake, alive, and ready for what the day would bring. I love my roommates and getting to know everyone in our group.

Orientation has been a whirlwind of emotions. Our internship coordinator, great friend, and Cape Town Encyclopedia, Vernon, told us, “Cape Town is like a wave. Don’t resist it, ride it.” I am planning on riding the wave and soaking up as much of it as I can. In this short amount of time we have already seen the richest and poorest parts of this city. The history of apartheid still has a direct affect on the current state of Cape Town. The tours of the slave lodge, District 6 museum and Robben Island were given by people who considered these things to be a part of them and directly experienced them first hand. Some other highlights of our touristy excursions included taking pictures with penguins, eating at an Ethiopian restaurant, seeing the play Kat and the Kings and going to Jazz clubs. Music is so vibrant and diverse here. The tour we took around the peninsula could not have been more surreal. Thankfully our fantastic bus driver drove us safely around the looming cliffs.

I feel so blessed to be a part of this group getting to study abroad in one of the most beautiful and educational places in the world. So many people are supporting the work that we do and sharing their own stories with us along the way. The journey is only going to get better and even more meaningful from here. I am looking forward to learning more about the history behind all of the things I have been witnessing this past week. Our internships and classes will be so meaningful and emotional, and the changes that will occur in each one of us will speak much greater than words can describe. There is so much more too say and not enough adjectives to describe this journey that lies ahead.