A word, meaning prologue. An introduction, an overture, and a background to the adventure.
First, an introduction: I'm Jacqueline, an age nineteen junior at Humboldt State University in Arcata, California, U. S. of A. I like reptiles, garbanzo beans, thunderstorms, fish with funny faces, Alice in Wonderland, dollhouses, Doctor Who, surrealism, and fireflies.
An overture: I am going to study in Port Elizabeth, the Friendly City, in the Eastern Cape of South Africa. I will study zoology at the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University for two semesters as a part of the California State University International Programs, CSUIP.
A background: a longer explanation, starting from the beginning: I have always wanted to see the world, to travel and experience new places. Luckily for me, the CSUIP allows for students in the CSU system, not known for their pecuniary endowments, to live and study in another part of the world for a year, with academic credit transfers and about the same tuition as an in-state resident of California.
I applied, wrote an essay, was interviewed, and was accepted to the program. One of the requirements to being accepted was one course with an African focus. I took an amazing class called Race, Class, and Culture of South Africa, which used an anthropological approach to explore South Africa from its origins as a Portuguese trading post to modern day, post-apartheid society. I read Nelson Mandela's autobiography along with other books about South African society, talked about the social implications of the human immunodeficiency virus/ acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) epidemic in South Africa, and I even did a research project on how the colonization of South Africa led to the modern day game reserves and national parks that are scattered throughout the country. This class prepared me more for entering South Africa than any tour book or orientation because it combined history with the anecdotal evidence of individuals. Now, more than simply wanting to see the world, I want to see the amazing people of South Africa, who managed to transition from a life of segregation to one that makes a conscious effort to acknowledge the rights and freedoms of every individual. I want to see the land that made leaders like Nelson Mandela, Oliver Tambo, Walter Sisulu, Archbishop Desmond Tutu. I have read a variety of accounts of life in South Africa, both during and after apartheid, and I am simply awed by the struggle each person has had to undergo to reconcile with such a past.
A list of books I have read about South African culture
-The Making of South Africa
-Country of My Skull
-Long Walk to Freedom
-The Struggle is my Life
-Kaffir Boy
-Cry the Beloved Country
-Age of Iron
-Disgrace
-Skinner's Drift
I am going now, to learn about a new place, a new people, and a different past than the one I have been granted. I want to see how people have become tolerant of human rights. I believe everyone has a story to tell and I want to hear as many as possible. How do we love one another as humans, unconditionally? How can we forgive past grievances? What will it be like to see a different treatment of women, especially as a girl traveling alone? What will it be like to be an American abroad, a teenager, a white girl, or a Jewish girl?
I am going now, to learn about science and how a different culture treats scientific methods and discoveries, how science is taught at a university level to prepare professionals for the world, how teachers operate both as scientists and ambassadors to the natural world. How does Africa plan to solve problems of conservation for wildlife? How does the tribal past of Africans exist with the science of a modern, developing society? What solutions does South Africa have for the future?
I am going now, to learn about myself. How will I reconcile with myself in such a place? How will I learn information, interact with people, and experience the human condition? How will I manage away from the people and places I know and love? How will I think about the world differently having been exposed to more than my suburban America? How will I feel about home, my friends, my family having seen more and done more regarding one nation of this wide planet? Will I change, will I grow closer to the visions I have of myself as a good and decent person? Will I finally begin to establish my place in the world?
Many questions, much hope for answers. From the future. From myself. All made possible by the opportunity to learn, to grow, and to push the boundaries of each sphere we inhabit. Growing spheres, pushed outwards from the inside, intersect and find common ground amongst the shared areas of ideas, causes, and understanding. It has to start somewhere, right?
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