It’s hard to believe, but we have only been in South Africa for a week and a half! It feels much longer and I’m looking forward to the next half of our adventure in Cape Town starting June 5th. But let’s start with what has been happening so far because there is much to go over in both text and photos.
As a lover of history, our visit to the Apartheid museum was just what I needed to get my bearings on South African society.
To me, this was important because in doing reporting work in another country, knowing the history to understand society today is key. I keep in mind everything I learned at this museum as it has been helping me understand the social issues today in this country.
I could speak on the history of South Africa forever, but I know this may not be the best place for it. All I can say is that if you are interested in culture, history, and society, this program may be exactly what you are looking for.
Everyday is jam packed; we wake up every morning to a delicious fresh cooked breakfast and hop on the van onto our next location.
To name a few of our excursions, we have been 750 meters underground in a gold mine, witnessed the extremes of economic disparity in South Africa, and visited historical sites such as Hector Pieterson Memorial, where students in 1976 protested against the use of the Afrikaans language in school.
Because I am not a journalism major like most other students in the program, I could say choosing my topic to report on has been more difficult as I find so much of what is happening here to be interesting and noteworthy. Due to our continuous activities I am finally coming around and have found interest in learning about the programs for youth and how they are helping develop the upcoming generations.
Another task I have taken on beyond reporting work is being the website producer for tusouthafrica.com. As a travel nut and former blogger, this opportunity has been fantastic as I am constantly working with my team to create great content for our site while we are here; as soon as the chance was offered, I hopped on it.
I look forward to the upcoming weeks; both the project work and the adventures. This may be a class, but it is as hands on as it gets!
This upcoming Saturday we will all experience one of the moments we have all been waiting for: a safari! After the safari, we will have one last day to say goodbye to Johannesburg before we move onto Cape Town.
Klein Global Opportunities 