The Biggest Lessons In Studying Abroad in South Africa
In 2014, I made the wild decision to fly across the world completely by myself and work an internship in Cape Town, South Africa.
Most of my friends and family thought I was nuts. I had never traveled solo before, let alone internationally, and this was a big jump for somebody that was heavily co-dependent on my community. But at that point in my life, I knew I needed a change. My mental health was getting the best of me and I felt completely stuck in a mundane cycle. So, I applied to work at the Cape Town Refugee Centre and was accepted. I booked a ticket and two months later, I was hopping on the longest plane ride of my life.
The experience lasted just short of 3 months and was completely immersive. I lived in a house in a local neighborhood, took transportation to and from work, learned my way around the city, made friends with locals and other international interns, and so much more.
Now, as my time has wrapped up, I’ve been reflecting heavily on my time spent in SA. As my first international solo trip, it was a huge breath of fresh air, filled with lessons (both great and also hard-to-swallow). So, here are my biggest lessons from studying abroad in South Africa.
1.) There is a difference between tourist activities that I am actually interested in and ones that I feel like I need to do for the sake of the story. I have participated in some activities just because they are highly suggested or because I know I won’t be in South Africa again anytime soon. However, I have instead learned to do things I am actually interested and intrigued in.
2.) Even better, do the things that I thoroughly enjoyed twice. There are certain activities that I was absolutely in love with. One of my friends, Claire, recently told me that her grandfather gave her the best travel advice, which was to do the activities she loved twice instead of wasting time on other activities she didn’t think she’d enjoy as much. I thought this was pretty brilliant.
3.) There is a certain amount of time that you must live in a country before you can tackle the lingo. In South Africa, people say the term “is it?” the same way Americans say “no way!” The first month, I attempted to throw this phrase into some of my conversations and had way too many people laugh in my face. I think I may just wait to bring home the lingo and use it to feel cool and globalized.
4.) It is okay to go longer periods of time without contacting friends while traveling. I thought that so many of my friends and family would be upset with me that they hadn’t heard from me until the middle of my 2nd month abroad. However, everybody has been beyond understanding and mostly just excited to hear about my trip. This also assures me that life is going on without me at home but that my relationships will still be very similar upon my return.
5.) When reading the name of the next refugee client I am going to see during work, check with one of the staff members for correct pronunciation. Out of respect and care for the clients, it’s important to me that I am able to talk to them and use their names properly.
6.) A large group will not always mesh well. If there is one thing I have learned here, it is that certain people are meant to be friends and others are not. I don’t see this as a bad thing. I just think that there is beauty in finding people who share common interests and bring out the best in each other. If you find that people are consistently bringing out your negative qualities, it is absolutely acceptable to allow yourself space.
7.) It is okay to not have huge goals at every moment in life. I feel as though my life revolved around goals before coming to South Africa. Making sure that I received a high enough grade on a final, submitting an application by a deadline, completing all my work before clocking out at 5:00, etc. Even IE3 made me create a list of personal, professional, and cultural goals before my departure. I was fairly preoccupied with meeting them during the first few weeks but now, I have learned to let that go (mostly). That sounds horrible. I don’t mean that goals are a waste of time. I simply mean that I was able to learn lessons that came to me and grow in ways that wouldn’t have been possible if I had been so oriented by a list of goals I was trying to fulfill.
8.) I must, I repeat, MUST, count my gains within the social work field instead of counting my losses. There have been five too many times that I have cried in the bathroom at work. Last week, I attempted to go on a walk to a park after hearing a horrid refugee story during an intake interview with a client and I threw up my lunch in disgust while sitting on a bench in a lovely Cape Town public park. With that being said, I have had multiple cases where clients come back into the office, ask for me, and hug me in tears with words of gratitude for my previous assistance.
9.) Building on number 7, I need to limit the number of times that I question if I chose the right college major (AKA not two months after I walked during the graduation ceremony and have yet to even receive my diploma.) Times will be tough and there will be days where I want to rip my hair out or drink a bottle of wine to myself when I get off work, but there will be moments like the one mentioned above. These tiny moments make all the hard work with it. Today, the head social worker of CTRC told me, “tiny moments will come your way and you will realize that you have made the right career choice. These moments will come when you least expect them but also when you need them the most.”
10.) Sometimes, it is okay to live in a fantasy world. Somewhere along the way of this experience, I have forgotten that I have roots in Oregon and that I am not permanently living in South Africa. Although it is making the realization that I am leaving soon seem much harsher, it has also made this experience much more meaningful than I ever could have anticipated. I have whole-heartedly committed myself to the present and I could not be happier. I am barely thinking about the fact that I graduated 2 months ago or the fact that I am flying to Europe in 2 weeks. Instead, I have utilized every single moment of my trip here and it has allowed me to build deep, intense connections with those around me as well as get to know myself better than I ever have before.