Gearing Up: A South African Summer

In the words of Nelson Mandela, "education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world" and "it always seems impossible until it's done." My name is Andrea Eleazar and I'm a junior (now senior) from southern New Jersey, the rather uneventful suburbs of Philadelphia. As I write this post, I'm preparing to embark on CIEE's Leadership Through Mandela's Example program (Session 1) in Cape Town, South Africa. Packing my bags for our June 17th departure from Washington, D.C. has surely gotten me excited for these next three weeks. I couldn't be more excited to spend it with my fellow program participants, whom we have already dubbed the "South Africa Squad"!

If it wasn't already obvious, our trip will revolve around the ideals of Nelson Mandela, one of South Africa's (and the world's) most prominent social justice figures. Mandela lived by the philosophy Ubuntu, essentially referring to humanity and the threads that link us together. I found this idea particularly fascinating when selecting a program during the application process back in the fall; I felt it could provide insight into the things to which I had never really given thought. For a studious person like me, small but impactful ideas like Ubuntu are easy to forget as we live our day-to-day lives with the sole purpose of becoming successful, productive citizens. Perhaps there is another way of being "productive" - a way that will give direct interaction with people that's not superficial, all the while working across cultural lines. So, in a sense, the program might allow me to take a break from the traditional routine of academia, but it forces me to put another part of my brain at work.

With this in mind, I selected this particular program because it was the most different out of any study-abroad program I'd heard of. It seemed like a great hybrid between fostering leadership and historical lessons in addition to the typical sightseeing and cultural immersion aspects of a trip. Readjusting my focus on leadership skills could help me reach more people and find more applications as I move onto greater causes beyond high school. Finally, Cape Town is considered a dream destination by many (including my envious friends, family and teachers!). However, I haven't been able to mention my trip without being questioned about the state of the infamous water crisis. Although I haven't been too concerned, last I checked, Day Zero had been pushed back to 2019. It should be interesting to see the situation firsthand as their cool rainy season (my favorite kind of weather) commences.

Water crisis aside, after looking at pictures of Table Mountain, Lion's Head and Bo-Kaap, how could anyone ever pass that up?

In general, I don't know much about the African continent in itself, so I'm looking forward to the surprises in store. I'm not sure what to expect out of the culture, much less what South Africans eat for breakfast everyday; despite my preliminary Google searches, the culture remains a mystery to me. Regardless, I've never been one to get culture shock, and I imagine my first day on the program as an exciting day of firsts. Specifically, as a German language learner, which is similar to Dutch and therefore Afrikaans, I can't wait for language classes as well as observing the wildlife and seeing Cape Town's multiculturalism and eclectic art/music scene! In addition, I'm quite interested in seeing the contrast between the city and the supposedly poorer townships on the outskirts, so I hope we'll be able to see the lifestyles of South Africans and connect with them, especially students my age. While I'm excited to dive into the culture, there are many activities I will miss in my daily American life, like driving around town or practicing my violin. I guess I could use a break from them though.

I can't wait to update you all along the way - the thought of being across the Atlantic at the time of my next blog post just blows my mind. I look forward to following in the footsteps of a great charismatic leader and hope that I'll be one step closer to filling the shoes that created them!