Wylie on samosas, penguins, and weaver birds

Hi!  My name is Sarah Wylie, but I generally go by my last name—Wylie.  I am currently a junior Political Science/English double major, but plan to switch to a Political Science/Human Rights major with an English minor.

Although I was officially accepted into the UConn Cape Town program about two weeks ago, I have been planning on going to South Africa for a long time.  My grandmother (who is exceedingly well-traveled) has gone on several trips to Africa over her lifetime, from Morocco to Egypt, Kenya to Mauritius.  But South Africa has always been one of her favorite places.  I have grown up listening to stories of her adventures, and always felt seduced by a certain sense of African mystique. 

When I received the acceptance email, I had a brief, solo dance party in my room and then called my mum.  Pretty standard.  When my mum asked what I was most excited for I said “samosas, penguins, and weaver birds.”  To me, these three things translated to diversity, biodiversity, and socio/political change.  But my mum was confused (rightly so), so I started to explain:

Samosas are my favorite food.  My best friend from home is from South Africa, and she told me that really good Samosas are easy to find on streets in Cape Town… even though they are a traditional Indian food.  She also told me that you can find carts selling curries, shops with traditional African cuisine, corner stores with Dutch biltong (beef jerky), English tea places, and more.  The diversity of people descending from Africa, Asia, and Europe, as well as the diversity of language (11 official languages!?) in South Africa is incredibly rare and exciting. 

In addition, South Africa is home to African penguins (which look adorable.)  As penguins generally bring images of icebergs and frigid waters to mind, my friends were confused when I told them about species of penguins confined to warmer climates.  South Africa is extremely bio-diverse, with a wealth of unique animals, plants, and geographical beauty.  I am excited to see one of “the Big Five” and to gaze at Table Mountain in person.

Lastly, any American child in the early 2000’s may have seen “The Color of Friendship,” a movie about two girls becoming friends during apartheid-era South Africa.  While cheesy, this Disney Channel classic includes a metaphor that still resonates with me: the weaver-bird, which builds nests where all birds take care of each other despite differing colors or familial ties, shows that we also have the capability to peacefully coexist.  The end of apartheid is such an incredible thing to me; it may be wrong to idolize any one person (after all, everyone is human) but after reading “The Long Walk to Freedom” Nelson Mandela became my superhero.  I want to be in a country that has risen out of the darkness, and play a role, however tiny, in helping to remove some of the remaining shadow.  This is what I am most excited about.      

In the end, my mum and I had a great conversation about South Africa that left me very excited.  I’m looking forward to the pre-departure class, and for planning my trip to South Africa. Until January, I will be dreaming of samosas, penguins, and weaver-birds in Cape Town.