Thoughts Become Things

I was planning on writing about my first couple weeks in South Africa in my next post, but it looks like I will officially fall behind, because today was the best day yet.  I’ve been living in Stellenbosch, one of the wealthiest municipalities in the country, I’ve traveled to Cape Town, the Cape of Good Hope, and Cape Point, I’ve seen penguins on a gorgeous beach, wild baboons and ostriches, I’ve spent an evening on a wine farm surrounded by beautiful friends; but today was the first day of classes, spent in a dusty township outside of Stellenbosch, during a heat wave.  It may not sound like the setting for my best day yet, but it was the day that I finally experienced the South Africa that I’ve been hoping for.  Don’t get me wrong – I’ve been having the time of my life here …but something was missing.  As I sat in Lynedoch Primary School today, listening to my new professor Grant Demas tell us what the next semester holds for us students in the LSCE course – Learning for Sustainable Community Engagement, I found the missing piece that will completes my heart and my passion for this incredible country. 

We will be at Lynedoch two days a week.  One day is for discussing theory; the other is for applying what we have learned, and teaching in our assigned classrooms.  I’m in Grade 3!  Perfect age group, same as my mentee Taylor in Vermont – old enough that they understand what you’re communicating, but young enough that they’re still super cute!  Each grade has one teacher and three LSCE teachers.  The other two in grade 3 are Tiffany, one of my AIFS friends, and Helga, who’s from Norway!  Grant told us that one of the children once said that they may not get to see the world, but they get to have the world come to them!  It’s things like this that make Lynedoch children so special.  They truly want to be at school, and they’re so interested in their new teachers!  I sat with a group of girls aged 10 – 13, and they were so sweet and welcoming – quite unlike how a typical American “tween” girl would act, sadly.  They shared what they knew about American culture, and they told us a little bit about what to expect from their school. 

When most people look at Lynedoch, they see poverty.  But what I have already learned today is that in its place I should see HOPE.  While these kids may have little material wealth, we learned that they feel lucky to live in South Africa, which despite all of its downfalls, is at least not a warzone.  They don’t take their school or teachers for granted.  They don’t oversleep or want to skip school.  As someone that loves children, and loves empowering children, it is such a blessing to find kids that so look forward to education and personal growth.  As for my own personal growth, I can already tell that I am quite lucky to have a professor like Grant Demas.  Grant is overflowing with knowledge and positive energy.  After just about any comment, he has a bit of insight that speaks to the very soul.  The quote from Grant that struck me most today was “thoughts become things.”  I’ve always been a dreamer, and so this quote is perfect for me.  I’ve dreamt of doing service abroad, particularly in Africa, for years, and look where I am now.  My dream became a reality.  Grant’s example however, was particularly touching.  He said that there used to be a world map in the very classroom we were sitting in today.  He asked one little boy where he wanted to go, and the little boy pointed to Norway.  Grant asked him what on earth he would do in Norway, and the little boy replied that he’d go see the king and queen!  An adorable story already, right?  Well the next year, that little boy was on a plane with Grant and a few other children, heading to Norway, at the invitation of the king and queen.  Thoughts become things. 

Paradise

Soon I will write a longer post about the highlights of my time here so far (sneak peek- our first braai, dinner at Moyo on Spier Wine Farm, going to Cape Town, exploring Stellenbosch, and our first Stellenbosch University event!) but for now I’m just going to make a list of things I love most about Stellenbosch and South Africa so far.

·         Everyone is so happy and laid-back.  When a South African says they’ll do something “now-now,” that can mean right now, in an hour, tonight, tomorrow, maybe next week.  I fit right into this pace of life!

·         Everyone is SO NICE.  I’ve had more conversations with strangers in the past week than I’ve had in my whole life at home.  Sometimes it starts with someone hearing our accents and coming over because pretty much everyone here loves Americans, which is really cool!  When you ask for directions, people tend to walk you most of the way there until you have a straight shot and no possibility of getting lost. 

·         Everyone loves Americans!  American accents, music, movies, television, stereotypes.  It’s so interesting to learn what other people think about the country I’ve lived in all my life.  It’s also bizarre to hear American music every place I go.  Once when I told a South African I was from New York, his response was, “Like Blair Waldorf!!”  (Blair’s a character in Gossip Girl, for those of you who spend your time productively.)

·         South Africans are extremely proud of their country.  They are not proud of its history in regard to human rights and politics, but South Africans are fiercely South African.  They constantly gush about the country, and tell us all of their favorite places to go.

·         This place is BEAUTIFUL.  I’ve never seen so much beauty everywhere I look.  The mountains, the architecture, even the people! 

·         Shoes are optional!  It’s amazing.  It’s completely normal to see barefoot adults and children alike strolling through a mall, the street, or a bar.  To deem the dress code of an event or venue, one is told whether or not shoes are required.  So far I’ve only been one place where I needed shoes!

·         Stellenbosch is the perfect college town.  It’s like a bigger, more diverse and cultural Burlington.  There’s always something going on!

·         Of course I have to mention the weather.  It’s beautiful, and although I have a terrible sunburn right now, I’d take that over snow any day.  It’s hot but breezy, not too humid, and cool in the shade – perfect!

·         Finally, I’m in AFRICA.  (I know, common theme in my posts).  I’m on the continent that I’ve wanted to travel to ever since I can remember.  And it’s my home for the next five months!  It’s better than I ever imagined.  South Africa is both a first and third world country, which is terribly sad, but also very interesting from a sociological perspective.  I am definitely going to learn a lot here, both from my classes and just from living in this amazing country.

right outside my building!

Ginny, me, and Corie having a snack in Stellenbosch

Flatmates - Shana, me, Brooke, and Hallie in Cape Town!

masks in a market near school

So this is Africa

Hello everyone!  Sorry that my first post took so long to get up here.  It took awhile to get internet, and then I’ve been so busy that the only time I'm in my flat is for socializing or sleeping!  I typed up my first post in a Word document last week, so here it is!

Tuesday January 24, 2012

“Guys, we're in AFRICA!!!”  I’ve heard and said this about a million times today.  It’s so crazy that after months of brochures, applications, planning, packing, and everything else, we’re really here.  Stellenbosch is BEAUTIFUL, even more beautiful than I thought it would be.  We got in around 1 AM this morning, so it was pitch black.  When we walked out of our building today, we were in for a grand surprise.  There are mountains EVERYWHERE.  I thought the Adirondacks and the Green Mountains were gorgeous, which they are, but nothing compares to how incredible Stellenbosch’s mountains are.  They pop up out of nowhere, surrounding the city with beauty.  The campus itself is huge, which is going to be interesting to navigate, coming from such a tiny campus at home.  Today we had a mini orientation for AIFS.  Mainly it showed that AIFS is the best program ever.  We get priority on so many things, like our student cards for instance.  We also have amazing excursions, many which are paid for by AIFS.  They’re paying for us to see Freshlyground in March!  I had been listening to them a lot before I came.  They’re the backup band in Waka Waka (which has been stuck in my head alllll day – this time for Afrika!) and they also have cute videos; check this one out!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4XPl6Pb8K4I

We cooked dinner together as a flat for the first time today, adorable.  My flatmates are Shana, Hallie, and Brooke.  They’re all wonderful!  None of us are exactly chefs, but we did a pretty great job!  We made spaghetti and meatballs in a yummy (store-bought) sauce, with some veggies on the side.  After we made dinner, we went out in Stellenbosch for the first time.  Our student advisor, Janien, drove us to town so that we could learn the “green route.”  The green route is patrolled 24/7, and is the safest way for us to walk around Stellenbosch.  We fit 27 people in a 14 passenger van, in true South African fashion.  Here they have mini bus taxis that don’t leave until they’re full, and usually they have many extra passengers.  People also ride around in the beds of pickup trucks all the time.  Most things about South African driving are completely different from America.  For one thing, they’re on the opposite side of the road.  And while the pace of life here is quite leisurely, their driving is INSANE.  Stop signs are apparently optional, and we’ve all come pretty close to getting hit by cars.  Sometimes they speed up when you’re crossing the street to get you to hurry, nice adrenaline rush there.

So we finally got downtown, and had a blast!  Even on a Tuesday night there are tons of people out in Stellenbosch.  It’s a great college town.  We went to a place called Bohemia first, where we will probably be spending a lot of time.  Then we went to dance at Mystic’s, which plays dubstep after midnight.  We celebrated Raemy’s 21^st birthday tonight too!  It was awesome getting to know all the other Americans in my program.  Everyone seems really cool and like the kind of people I would have hand-picked to go abroad with!  It’s also great getting to talk to locals and other foreigners – everyone is SO NICE here that there is always someone new starting up a conversation.  So far, I LOVE South Africa!!

Why I Chose to Study Abroad!

I've always wanted to study abroad, and Saint Mike's makes it extraordinarily easy to do so, so perhaps this post would be better titled, "Why I Chose to Study Abroad in Stellenbosch, South Africa."  I honestly always pictured myself studying abroad in Italy, living in the land of my ancestors (my full name is Samantha Montana Francesca Giglio; don't let my red hair fool ya!).  When I picked up my Sociology/Anthropology major at SMC, I was informed that students on the Anthropology track (which is the track I'm on) are required to study in a non-western country.  I jumped at the chance to go somewhere more exotic than Europe, especially seeing as I've already been to Italy with my parents and I'm sure we'll return in the near future, and was also excited that this requirement would gently force my parents to allow me to go somewhere that they may have not normally regarded as acceptable (read: safe for their only child and somewhere they could easily visit).  

After months of looking through study abroad brochures, spending plenty of time in the study abroad office, researching cities and universities, and talking to professors and fellow students, my advisor (hope you're reading this Ari!) suggested that I go to Stellenbosch, South Africa.  He had had students that had done this program in the past and absolutely loved it.  Since he has always given me great advice, I went back to the study abroad office to talk to Peggy Imai about it.  Peggy knows EVERYTHING there is to know about study abroad programs, and she easily tracked down the provider of the program Ari had told me about.  It was AIFS, American Institute of Foreign Study.  

As I looked through the AIFS Stellenbosch booklet, I immediately fell in love with the program.  It had everything I wanted - an incredible service learning course that would allow me to work with South African children, getting to see Robben Island where Nelson Mandela was imprisoned, hikes, wine tours, beaches with penguins, even A SAFARI. The list doesn't stop there - I have to save some surprises so you keep reading!

The program is a really important part of the study abroad process - there are a ton of countries that I would love to go to for a semester, but this program through AIFS was by far the best one for me.  As far as the country itself goes, South Africa seems absolutely AMAZING. It's incredibly beautiful, with mountains and oceans and just about everything in between. Everyone that has been there cannot say enough about the kind, welcoming people of the country. There is ample opportunity for hiking and other outdoor activities, as well as gorgeous sites to see.  I hear there is great shopping too, yay! And of course, culture.  I will be volunteering in a township school surrounded by poverty, which is something I’ve always imagined myself doing.  South Africa has a tumultuous history, which is terribly sad, but also quite interesting.  While I’ve been reading up on the Zulu Wars, Apartheid, the AIDS epidemic, and other parts of South Africa’s turbulent past and present, nothing will compare to learning about these things in the very setting in which they took place.

After all of this thinking, I'm sure that South Africa is the perfect place for me to spend the next five months!  This weekend I am off to a beautiful country to have the experience of a lifetime, and the next time I update my blog, I'll be in South Africa!!