Why there?
My first entry in this travelogue, I suppose, should answer the number one question I get asked when I tell people I am studying in South Africa. "Why there?" There are numerous answers to this question, so I'll lay out the main ones here.
1) I really wanted to study abroad in general. I wanted to take my learning out of the classroom, shed my comfort zone, and spend a serious amount of time in residence in another country. I wanted to test myself and my independence by going where I have to rely on myself and God alone.
2) South Africa is...different. I initially thought I would study in New Zealand, since they have really interesting Geology (my minor) and since fewer students go there than, say England or Australia. However, one of my friends studied there and, upon his return, told me that he wished he had gone somewhere with a culture farther removed from the U.S. I gave this some thought and decided that my interests in studying abroad were in experiencing a very different culture and going far off the beaten path. I decided South Africa would be the best choice for that sort of different-yet-still-reasonably-safe experience.
3) They speak English. While I took four years of French in high school and always got excellent grades in the subject, I haven't taken a foreign language in four years and feel that I wouldn't be able to take classes in that language. So an English-speaking country was a must.
4) Service Learning. I decided when I switched to an Interdisciplinary Studies major that I wanted to do a service-learning capstone. I decided to combine that with my study abroad and complete my capstone working with a non-profit organization overseas. When I considered this possibility, the opportunities seemed more varied and exremely interesting in South Africa.
5) When else am I going to get a chance to visit, much less live in, Africa?
So, I started investigating and planning, did paperwork, talked to people, did more paperwork, and eventually got everything set to study in South Africa. And in just over a month, I'll travel to do just that.
1) I really wanted to study abroad in general. I wanted to take my learning out of the classroom, shed my comfort zone, and spend a serious amount of time in residence in another country. I wanted to test myself and my independence by going where I have to rely on myself and God alone.
2) South Africa is...different. I initially thought I would study in New Zealand, since they have really interesting Geology (my minor) and since fewer students go there than, say England or Australia. However, one of my friends studied there and, upon his return, told me that he wished he had gone somewhere with a culture farther removed from the U.S. I gave this some thought and decided that my interests in studying abroad were in experiencing a very different culture and going far off the beaten path. I decided South Africa would be the best choice for that sort of different-yet-still-reasonably-safe experience.
3) They speak English. While I took four years of French in high school and always got excellent grades in the subject, I haven't taken a foreign language in four years and feel that I wouldn't be able to take classes in that language. So an English-speaking country was a must.
4) Service Learning. I decided when I switched to an Interdisciplinary Studies major that I wanted to do a service-learning capstone. I decided to combine that with my study abroad and complete my capstone working with a non-profit organization overseas. When I considered this possibility, the opportunities seemed more varied and exremely interesting in South Africa.
5) When else am I going to get a chance to visit, much less live in, Africa?
So, I started investigating and planning, did paperwork, talked to people, did more paperwork, and eventually got everything set to study in South Africa. And in just over a month, I'll travel to do just that.
posted by Lauren at
12:03 AM
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