This is one of the biggest questions I’ve gotten since I announced back in September 2014 that I was going to spend a semester studying, traveling, and interning in Southern Africa.
For starters, why not? Africa is beautiful and it has beautiful people. To be honest, Africa has held an allure to me for as long as I can remember and I’ve had it on my bucket list for a long time. Many people I know put Europe or Asia first on their list of places to travel, but mine has always been Africa. Something about the culture, the environment, the mystery had me completely smitten. When I started surfing a few years back then the amazing surfing culture in South Africa also caught my eye. Some people might view Africa as this untamed place, almost wild, and that’s what hooks me. I loved the prospect of being in a culture that was so different from my own Western world and being with people who I knew could teach me new viewpoints and a way of thinking. I loved how historical and influential Africa had been on the rest of the world. Part of the mystery and pull Africa had for me was the fact that I would be so out of my element like nothing else in my life and I relished that challenge. I knew that no matter what, I’d be in Africa (whether volunteering, working, or just on my own crazy backpacking whim) the very first opportunity I got.
When I started college, I knew I wanted to go abroad. I was willing to do whatever possible in order to make it happen. Interestingly enough, one of the colleges I looked at had a study abroad program in Southern Africa offered to students sophomore through senior year. I would be lying if I didn’t say that was one of my main deciding factors when I finally choose a University. Freshman year rolled through and I kept talking about eventually going to Africa without really knowing how to put my plan into action or what it would really mean or what would actually be involved– I just really wanted to go! Then sophomore year rolled around and I experienced some major life changes. It was in a very blah night that I decided I needed a life change and right then and there I decided I would follow my heart and the desires that had been rooted there for so long and try to go to Africa that spring. I went to my parents and my academic adviser the next day and that started the giant ball rolling. Surprisingly everyone was SUPER supportive and encouraging and the more I found out about the Southern Africa study abroad program, the more I realized it was a perfect fit for me and my academic studies. Africa really was perfect for me.
During the final month I spent stateside and after I made my travel plans official I had a lot of people come up to me and ask about my trip. I got a variety of responses but some common ones were “Oh good for you”, “Are you going to work in an orphanage?” “Aren’t you afraid of Ebola?”. The stigma and misconceptions surrounding Africa are huge but I knew that I was going to be taught. What I’d be taught was a little more obscure but I didn’t care. I was completely willing to be open to this new experience and whatever was thrown my way. I wanted to be broken down and remade. I was fearless in traveling to Africa because I knew deep down that it was exactly what I was suppose to be doing with my life.
So it’s now three months into my travels through and studies in Africa and I can happily say that each of my desires have been fulfilled and are continuously being fulfilled every day. Africa has been challenging, heartbreaking, miraculous, and beautiful all in one. It has given me everything that I hoped and provided so much more than I could have ever imagined. Things have happened where in the moment I didn’t know I needed and I’d spend a lot of time confused or making gripes, but looking back I realize it was exactly what I needed. During my first two weeks here, I learned more about life and humanity than I learned in thirteen years of school. And in three months, I have learned more about myself and what I am capable of and I am so thankful. Not every day here is easy and not every day is happy, but what matters is how each day is taken in side and each day is a chance to discover a little more about yourself and the world around you. Coming to Africa has been a blessing and with one more month left to love, I can’t wait to see what other joys are coming.
(Spending the day with my Host family’s little ones.)
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