My experience in South Africa was a truly mind opening and motivating experience. It was after landing in America that I was finally able to process and rationalize all the events and meanings of this trip. I am thankful for the lessons I have learned and the beautiful culture that I was fully emerged in for 14 days. This trip and the meaning behind it will be one never forgotten by myself and I’m sure everyone else that participated.

Prior to our departure for Africa, I did some independent research along with what was provided in the course materials. This research allowed me to become better prepared for the way of life and various crises we were going to be exposed to during our stay. I am thankful I did this because I felt that it allowed me to have a better understanding of life in South Africa and to be better prepared for the hardships we were about to see.

When people speak of an enlightening experience they often give it the tag, “eye-opening.” After sometime trying to apply a tag to my time in South Africa, I came to “mind opening.” The time I spent in South Africa was too powerful to be simply eye opening. People can have their “eyes opened” through a commercial, a documentary, or an everyday lesson. I’m sure we have all experienced something eye opening and know the feeling of suddenly being aware of how positive our own experience is or how negative another experience can be. These experiences often give us another perspective, but in my experience, don’t have a lasting change on the person. To me Africa provided the opposite, a lasting experience that has changed my thoughts and outlook on various aspects of life. Here are some of the experiences, lessons, and ways in which these experiences have made me a different person. I wish I could share them all however there is just too much to write about so here are some of the more powerful experiences.

First and foremost, Apartheid has vastly impacted my views of segregation, racism, and the power of political movements. This was a lesson that surprised me and I originally thought would not have the impact that I did. Living in America, we have our own race issues that I have been exposed to all my life. From growing up and learning the history of slavery and segregation, to seeing racism in everyday life and in the media, this is not a new concept. I have personally seen the damage and pain that such behavior can cause, from physical to emotional. However, after stepping off the plane into South Africa, the lesson on the need for tolerance, compassion, and brotherhood amongst all races, religions, and creeds became crystal clear. This may be due in part to how recent Apartheid was and how evident it still is in the culture and life of South Africans. The museum, the tour of Robben Island, and the tour of the Hostel all played a part in this lesson.

One of the most personally satisfying lessons that I learned was of our own ability and power. We can make a difference, and not only can we make a difference but we can make a difference in a miniscule amount of time. Going into the different schools we were given a short amount of time, an amount of time that I have so often wasted in America. Sometimes I think I can’t even walk to 7-11 for a cup of coffee in that amount of time. However, we impacted the lives of many children in these short windows since we stayed only long enough to hear one song and clap in some classrooms. In that short amount of time, I feel that we shared a life changing experience with those kids. Through their performances I was able to see the difference the volunteers teaching them can make, and the difference that clapping and telling a child they did a great job can make on their life. The smiles on their faces after we clapped and cheered was one of the purest forms of happiness I had ever seen. In addition, Nelson Mandela was able to change the entire country in a matter of about 4 years, from his release in 1990 to the establishment of democracy in 1994. If this man was able to bring about so much change in just four years, what can we do in a lifetime?

A few other life changing lessons I learned were forgiveness, positive thinking, adaptation, and the need for meaningful relationships in the lives of children and adults. Forgiveness was made clear through the Amy Biehl foundation. Positive thinking can be seen in the thinking of many of the people we interacted with. No matter how hard the people we interacted had it, they all seemed to remain positive. The people in South Africa can represent adaptation through the life and means of making a living. The power of relationships and love is evident by the longing for hugs, and attention by the kids in many of the schools we visited.

If I could make one of the situations we saw in South Africa better, it would be at the Lambando Sanctuary. Not only were these kids abandoned and had no exposure to a typical family upbringing but they suffered from HIV. In addition, many of these children suffered from additional diseases and disabilities. I would make their situation better by providing them a family experience. Unfortunately, I could not provide them all with a home and a loving family, so I would give them something that many families do with their kids in South Africa. I found out through the pictures and speaking with the lady in charge that many families take their children to the shore, to play on the beach. After seeing the smiles of these children in the pictures at the beach, I knew that this would be an experience that they could appreciate with their “family” at the sanctuary.            

If I were grading myself I would give myself an A. I think that I embraced all aspects of the trip and learned a lot from it. In addition, I believe I excelled at something outside of my comfort zone. I went into schools and interacted with children, something I am not comfortable doing and have never previously done. As if this wasn’t difficult enough I did this with a group of people whom are all going to make a career of interacting with children. In addition, I became part of a family of people whom I had never really met before stepping on a plane to go to Africa.

Thank you for the time, effort and experience you made possible for us.