“Humans are the only species with
three flaws: ears that don’t listen, greed, selfishness.” Joe from District 6
Museum said an abridged version of this to our group while on our tour of the
museum. While I was standing there listening, I started thinking about how I
had never been introduced to this type of introspection and about how ears were
such a human flaw of ours. I have always believed our mouths to be the main
flaw through the spreading of false ideologies. I wrote down this quote when he
first said it and allowed myself to reflect on it during the days following the
tour. I began observing people around me and realized that although we talk a
lot, it is not our flaw; our flaw is that we begin to tune out what others are
saying because we believe that our opinion is more critical than anyone else’s.
Although this flaw plagues the world, the people in this country have something
fundamentally different about them where they don’t allow this to plague themselves.
The charity and kindred spirits throughout this country have taken my breath
away. If it isn’t a random person or an organization we have visited, it is a
fellow co-educator. They have all seized to amaze me.
We have visited multiple areas in
Cape Town that suffer the consequences of the apartheid and these three flaws.
Yet these people who have nearly nothing do not allow their economic state to
touch their mind set instead I see smiles all around and every person is gladly
willing to help one another without a second thought. Although noticeable
throughout the USA, it is not as prominent and visible as I have seen here in
South Africa. I admire these people because I truly wonder how I would react if
those were my conditions of living.
 |
| Audrey experiencing the joy and resilience |
Everyday I have been here in
South Africa I have learned new things about the culture, the people, the
history, fellow co-learners and myself. It is hard to explain to someone the
beauty of this country inside and out without having them see it themselves.
After a few hard and eye opening
days my fondness has grown more and am looking forward to my ever growing
fondness for this country and city to continue throughout my experience.
~ “I may not have gone where I intended to go, but I think I have ended
up where I needed to be.” ~ Douglas Adams
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