Tag: study abroad

To Be Continued…

After over 30 hours of traveling this weekend, I’m finally back home in Virginia. When I got home from the airport, I started unpacking my suitcase full of gifts and explaining each one to my parents. During the process, my dad asked me how I would describe my whole experience in South Africa. After taking a second to think about the question, I responded, “It was good. But it was incomplete.” I looked up to my mom, who was kneeling on the floor with me, admiring the hand-carved pottery I bought in Port Elizabeth and said, “That’s why I have to go back.”

When my dad asked me to elaborate on my response, I had to explain the missing pieces. Yes, I made great friends and had a lot of fun, but I feel like those are self explanatory. That’s not what was missing.

Our class was titled, “Social Responsibility Enterprise and Education in Post Apartheid South Africa.” The substance of the class focused on the education system in Grahamstown and the disparities created by apartheid. It was pointed out to me during my own presentation on the ANC’s Reconstruction & Development Program that I didn’t mention the experience of colored people (those who are not white Afrikaaners nor African people). I did have some knowledge of the geographical area colored people in Grahamstown lived in. I interviewed two faculty members at Rhodes University’s geography department for my research and one of them, lecturer Philippa Irvine was gracious enough to share her master’s thesis with me.  It was on Post-Apartheid Racial Integration in Grahamstown from a time-geological perspective. Within the thesis, she mapped out the “Apartheid City Model,” the spatial dispositions of each racial group and corresponding economic class in the city. With the exception of this brief overview, I realized that colored people were generally excluded from our class discussions as a whole. We spent so much time in the township, there was little to no interaction with the Indian, colored or Afrikaans communities.

On the one hand, the way we spent our time makes sense. Black people are the dominant racial group in the country (based on numbers, of course) and therefore, most of the people we met would be of color. One the other hand, the way South Africans define “color” and the way it’s played out in political and social systems was not explored to the greatest extent possible. Although I don’t identify as mixed race, I do find value in including those who do into the greater conversation on race, apartheid and the “Rainbow Nation.” After all, we know upward mobility and economic status are linked to these historical policies all based on the color of one’s skin. We know the South African democracy is 20 years young and the government is sorting out it’s kinks – some of which may be more valid than others. Some of us who are sports fans may recognize the country for it’s recent role as host for some major tournaments, which brings with it international attention, national pride and many teachable moments. So, when I spoke to Ms. Irvine about the political and economic state of the country, one of the things she said to me was:

The problem is that change requires cash for the individual and our political transformation was just a political transformation. It wasn’t an economic transformation. The government has worked in the constraints of what our country looks like and how our economy is structured, but that’s not radical change. South Africa isn’t seeing radical change and it probably never will.

Reactions to the above statement might label her outlook anywhere on the spectrum from completely false to pessimistic to refreshingly realistic. Personally, I see it as intriguing, a motivator to study more and understand this unique emerging national economy. Since I don’t consider myself an economist by any means, I don’t want to ignore the power of experiential learning and how valuable it is to academic, professional and personal growth. If I learned anything on this trip, it’s that there’s so much I want to know more about – and not just “know,” but to see, to study and to understand. When it comes to education, whether formal or not, there is always more to be continued. I don’t think change needs to be radical, but can be incremental and impactful with time. Hopefully the work I will soon begin in Atlanta at the Georgia Justice Project and a neighborhood revitalization firm will add another layer of depth to my experience, which will one day lead to change on a scale I have yet to fathom.

Better.

Being a fairly reserved and introverted person, I find it hard to believe I’ve made such strong connections in just three weeks. Although it is fair to say much of my trip in Grahamstown has been filled with a different type of air, or attitude different than other circumstances, it is amazing what can happen in such a short amount of time. I recognize that the people around me and the people I’ve been introduced to here are perhaps, of unique quality. They may already be biased due to their passion for human rights, education, reform or civic responsibility, but I think that is beside the point. As cheesy as this sounds (and I know it does,) the people I’ve spent time with over the last 21 days have restored my faith in other people, and my own ability to live wholeheartedly. I cannot count the number of times I was out in Grahamstown or hanging out at the hotel and said, “I cannot believe…” or “I can’t get over [FILL IN THE BLANK].” I was constantly mentally pinching myself to make sure I was not hallucinating when I looked up at the millions of stars at night, when I found myself laughing hysterically at a joke from a friend, or even just walking in silence on the street. I cannot say I’m a different person from experiencing Grahamstown, but I can honestly say I am better.

I am better because I found comfort in the moments I shared with Sanele, when I found out he also loves John Mayer; with Violet, when we realized there was someone else in the group of ~15 Rhodes students who did not know Xhosa; with Ron, when we shared inside jokes about being Policy Studies majors; with Nerisa, when she gave me a shoulder to cry on; with Karyn, when we understood each other’s sarcasm; with Fatima, when I realized she too had a nickname involving the title of “princess”; and even with the many students at Rhodes, whose names unfortunately escape me, when they complimented me on my American accent and asked me my opinion of South Africa, including the “f***ed up” parts.

I cannot help but to be emotional when I look back on this experience, realizing it is already June 1st. I have learned so much over the last two weeks, but I have a yearning, unexplainable desire to continue this journey in a meaningful way. Although I am leaving South Africa in a few days, I’m vowing to make a commitment to myself and to the people I’ve met to come back soon. Not because I think the country needs my help and feel obligated to do so, but because this experience has taught me things I cannot yet explain, but know will be invaluable.

Unpacking Ideology

Written: Wednesday, May 28th 2014

Today marks the 12th night I will lay my head to rest in Grahamstown, South Africa. Over the last week and a half, I’ve been stretched mentally, emotionally and even physically (likely as a result of spinning one too many preschoolers around in circles). I received a warm introduction to South African nightlife, shared tears with learners I met only hours before, and have experienced the depths of the newly defined emotion: hanger (hunger + anger). In short, I don’t think it’d be a stretch to say I have witnessed, first-hand, some of the lowest and highest points of the human condition. Though my course’s framework is conceptually modeled after ideology, political economy and education, I have truly begun to see the world as my classroom. Although this means I am in some very long classes, this mindset also sets up the stage for invaluable learning experiences. 

Over the last 12 days, I have laughed more consistently than I have over the last 12 months. Not only that, but I’ve also felt more chills than I can describe, and asked more questions that maybe only God can answer. As I unpack the trip so far, the major theme which shines through each day is the power of raw emotion, fueled by unconditional love for humankind. Some of my peers and I have expressed frustration with the slow start of our “community engagement” project deliverables – I just received the details on my agency’s needs today. However, a part of me is able to find comfort in these uncomfortable emotions. Despite the chaos and communication failures, I know our frustration comes from a good place. We all want to engage with the community and have a truly mutually beneficial relationship with the learners. At some points along the way, this aim is hard to see actually coming intro fruition – perhaps, for a variety of reasons that may or may not be out of our control. 

Regardless, I’m powerfully struck by the exposure this trip has provided me on so many levels. I must admit, the people of South Africa were quite romanticized by the Americans I spoke to who had already visited the country. From my observations, this leads visiting Westerners to say comments like, “South Africans are so much richer than us in many ways,” often followed by, or implicitly stating, “even though they are poor.” Such romanticization can also lead to habits of thought which I find problematic. For example, declaring oneself as “colorblind” as a precursor to being offensive – which has happened with the group I am traveling with, but I digress. The main objective here is to recognize the assets everyone can bring to the table. Regardless of whether or not the above statements are true, the question I’ve began to ask myself and discuss with my classmates is: how we define assets, how we see the role of capacity-building in community development work, and how we understand the source of ideology that tells us which assets of are value and which are not.  

My Introduction to Schools in Grahamstown

This morning marks my third full day in Grahamstown, South Africa. While I’m still trying to mentally compress everything I’ve experienced, I definitely want to share a little bit of what I’ve done so far.

The program coordinators have partnered with the Community Engagement (CE)  office at Rhodes University to help organize trips to volunteer/tour around the city of Grahamstown. Yesterday morning, I went to Luzuko Methodist Preschool outside of the township. On CE shuttle, I met a woman doing graduate studies at Rhodes and she was from Gwinnett County, Georgia – right outside of Atlanta, of all places. Speaking to her introduced the idea of going to graduate school overseas to me, but that is a topic for another day.

There was one staff member at the preschool named Pam. Although she said there were three full-time staff members, one woman was maternity leave and the other hadn’t reported to work in some time, so that left Pam to manage two classes by herself: one pre-K and one class of 2-3 year olds. The absence of the other staff members also meant Pam couldn’t perform her full job functions, which were supposed to include home visits with parents when appropriate situations arose.

The Luzuko Methodist Preschool

I spent about two hours with the class of 2-3 year olds and it goes without saying that they were absolutely adorable. Earlier in the day, my peers and I had a first hour-long Xhosa lesson so we had very minimal verbal communication skills. Although the language barrier was frustrating at times, we eventually realized it wasn’t necessary to communicate via verbal language. Matt, the Deputy Director and Curriculum Advisor of Inkululeko was with us in the classroom and he started leading songs and activities with the children with ease (he’s lived in SA for about 7 years, but is originally from the US). Seeing the comfort Matt had with the children started to rub off on the rest of the group. Although I couldn’t understand the words to the songs, it was easy to follow and I eventually caught on: these are the days of the week, these are the months of the year, this one is head-shoulders-knees-and toes, etc. With leadership from Matt and one of our community liaisons who served as a translator, we taught them the Itsy Bitsy Spider and head-shoulders-knees-and toes in English.

 

Pam provided commentary throughout the period, noting many recent years of classes have had trouble remembering some days of the week. For example, they remember Monday, Wednesday, Saturday and Saturday, but could not remember the others. She’s observed this trend for some time, but isn’t sure what the explanation behind it is. After reviewing the material, Pam said the children would dance to one song, have snack, use the toilets (there was no indoor plumbing in the main building,) and then have recess. When she put on the CD, Katy Perry’s “Roar” was the song that started playing, which we all enjoyed. Some of those little girls were really getting into dancing. I was so impressed.

At snack time, some of my peers were excited to see the children pull out healthy snacks from their backpacks: juice, apples, bananas and simple sandwiches. There weren’t any potato chips or fatty foods in sight. Michelle Obama would’ve been so happy. One of the little girls sat next to me and started chatting away. Without remembering any Xhosa besides molo for “hello,” I couldn’t do much but smile and nod. I noticed one of the girls sitting in a corner eating a boiled egg, but didn’t think twice about it. However, Pam said something to the young girl, and explained to us that she was from one of the more well-off families in the group. The school recently asked all of the parents to only pack fruits and simple foods in the lunches because the poorer children would not eat their own food if they saw students with better food than them; they were embarrassed. Receiving this information from Pam made me think of the most simple ways class is seen in society. I never would’ve thought an egg would draw attention as a sign of money, but these children noticed. Even at such a young age, they knew what was different and seemingly better. In what I interpreted as a similar attempt to ameliorate the display of class within the school, they also asked the parents to purchase uniforms for their learners. If they didn’t or couldn’t purchase the uniform, the parents were asked to take their children to another school. But all of the other preschools in the area implemented the same policy, so it was basically ineffective and the students went back to their original schools. The parents wouldn’t buy the uniforms regardless. I only observed a few learners wearing the black and purple uniform, but the girl with boiled eggs was one of them.

Today, I spent two hours at the Amasongo Career School, an alternative school for “street kids.” We received a tour of the school from the principal and met with the pottery teacher and one of his pupils. Many of my peers, including myself, purchased mugs, teapots, and other ceramic pieces. Half of the proceeds went to the Friends of the Amasongo School charity and the other half went to the student who made the piece. We all thought this was a great cause and the pottery was awesome. Although I have much more to say about my experience at Amasango, I will leave this link to further explain the school itself and perhaps elaborate more on the trip later.

Amasango Career School Seeks Adequate School Structures: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0K8cj-fUaa8

 

Message From a Nomad

When I was younger I had this idea that I was a nomad. At one point in my life my AIM screen name was actually NomadGurlsomethingsomethingsomething. I didn’t think that I was actually like a gypsy or something, but because I moved around a lot and I traveled a lot, it was very hard to place myself somewhere that I felt I was home.  For example, if people asked me where I was from in fifth grade I might say: well I live in Arizona but my family is from Louisiana but never actually lived in Louisiana so I don’t really feel comfortable saying that I’m from Louisiana so I’m not exactly sure how to answer your question.

For a long time, my lack of a traditional hometown was confusing to me but eventually it became something that I felt proud of, something that I embraced. When I moved to Virginia, my dad retired and I soon went to college. Then it was like Holy crap — I’ve lived here for like seven years I guess I’m from Virginia. Today, I’m in an exciting season. I get to travel abroad, I get to see the world and I’m getting ready to graduate which means I can literally move anywhere I want to. Anywhere that there’s a job that will pay me and where I can live safely. I think that’s why I’m so excited to go to South Africa today. Although it’s a little scary because I’ve never been there, in some ways it’s like being back in my comfort zone. I have no idea what to expect and I think there’s something very, very liberating in the experience of being a wannabe nomad. 

Me and my parents, before leaving from JFK
Me and my parents, before leaving from New York City

 

4 Days Until Departure: Please Excuse My Overuse of the Phrase “Mind Blowing”

I don’t think my brain can fully comprehend everything I’m about to do. I say that because when I think about it – and I mean really sit down and think about it – I get emotional.  Of course those emotions are a little bit of fear, a little bit of nervousness and perhaps even anxiety but I think a lot of it is just overwhelming faith and belief that things really do fall into place. Honestly, that’s a notion that’s difficult to fully understand. This weekend I’ll be leaving for Grahamstown, South Africa for three weeks. While many college students study abroad for a semester, a year or some amount of time in between, I really feel like my trip is not about to just be another “study abroad” experience. I’m confident that I will fully engage with the community I’ll be living & working with and if that leaves an impression beyond myself, that’s more than I can ask for.  

There has been a lot of research and studies done on Gen Y/Millennials that say we express a need to lead a life and have a career that benefits society in some larger way (see pg. 35 of this 2012 Pew Research Center report).  Obviously that can misinterpreted when we see everyone feeling like it’s their personal duty to start a non-profit to solve a social problem (which is actually kind of discouraged). But at the same time I don’t think there’s a problem with wanting to experience something that’s bigger than you… to feel a part of a movement… to connect with humanity. 

So when I consider all the forces that have led me to this position and the people that realized my potential, the family and friends that donated money to help make my travel possible and the institutions that have allowed me to be where I am, I am literally at a loss for words. My mind is blown. 

I’ll be blogging my experience along the way partly because it’s required for my class but I also feel like I owe the people that have supported me for years, months or even days to share the amazing things that God has put into my life. Upon my return from South Africa I’ll be interning in Atlanta for two months which is a whole other mind blowingly exciting result of faith, determination and deliberate action that deserves it’s own background story. 

If you’d like to know more about the community agency I’ll be working with in South Africa, check out Inkululeko’s website here: http://www.inkululeko.org/. If you’re really interested, I’ll also be reading these texts:

Thank you all for following along.