My study abroad experience
Hallo! Molweni! Those both mean “hello” in the Afrikaans and Xhosa language, which are only two of the 11 national languages of South Africa. Over winter break, I had the wonderful opportunity to study abroad for three weeks in Cape Town, South Africa. After applying and interviewing, I was accepted into the program eight months before departure, but it was well worth the wait.
As a biology major, I always knew that studying abroad would be difficult to fit into my hectic schedule without feeling like I left some important classes or experiences behind. The three weeks this program offered was the perfect amount of time to get away. Leaving the freezing Chicago winter back home during the break made the experience that much more fun.
The eight months of waiting for the trip to arrive flew by. In the class leading up to the trip, we learned about the history, culture, people, food, and nature of South Africa. We had a lot to learn, read, and get excited about. How cool was it that I was getting to visit the place where Nelson Mandela was from?
After about 30 hours of traveling and enough airplane food to give me nightmares, we finally arrived in beautiful Cape Town. Luckily we had great weather the entire trip to accompany our fun. Once we got to our houses, it was time to go to Camp’s Bay to relax on the beach after our long journey.
During the next three weeks in Cape Town, I learned more about apartheid and the city than I could have ever read in a textbook. From visiting museums, going on nature walks, and trying the food, everything about the experience was amazing. Outside of learning about the history, I also had the opportunity to volunteer at Red Cross War Memorial Children’s Hospital where I was lucky enough to meet and play with some locals. Meeting the locals of a place outside of the United States is an eye-opening experience and enabled me to learn about different cultures.
Going on this albeit short three-week program changed me as a person and helped me come one step closer to what I want to do following graduation. After my visit to Cape Town, I want to get involved with international health care work either as a nurse or a physician. I encourage all students to apply to go abroad no matter how long the program. It will change you and you will learn things that you never even thought possible. Without this experience, I would have never learned about other opportunities available overseas.