Jerard on avoiding misconceptions

This week marked the end of orientation and the beginning of truly living in Cape Town. The time for pictures and tourism has past and it is time to get into the swing of things. That being said things did not start the way I expected them to. My first day was quite the experience. After being told that I had made a good first impression when we visited the State Attorney’s office the first time as a group, I turned right around and embarrassed myself by getting lost on my way to work the first day. I foolishly misread the train map and got off at the wrong stop. I ended up in what appeared to be a bit of a rough neighborhood with dilapidated buildings and graffiti everywhere. Standing outside the train station with a backpack on and a suit must have made it really obvious that I did not belong there. After wondering around for a little while and unable to figure out where I was I phoned attorney Bailey and informed her I was lost. She showed a great deal of concern and rushed to where she thought I was. Despite the neighborhood not looking like the nicest place the people around me were some of the nicest people I’ve ever run into. A young man who goes by the name of Q approached me after overhearing my conversation and told me I was in the wrong place and had gotten off the train too soon. Before I left he gave me some tips to make sure I didn’t get lost again and warned me of some of the dangers to look out for while riding the train. This episode taught me the lesson of avoiding misconceptions and keeping an open mind. It has been something I’ve been trying to be cognizant of all week.