The
city of Cape Town was founded in the 17th century as a small port
city to be used by the Dutch East India Trading Company[1].
Imperialized by both the British and the Dutch, South Africa has become a mix
of cultures from both Europe and from within the continent of Africa. Today,
South Africa, and, more specifically, Cape Town, has become a huge center for
tourism, drawing in visitors from around the world to see its natural beauty,
historical landmarks, and unique blend of cultures.[2]
If you are looking for a unique mixture of both traditional and modern/Western
culture, South Africa is the place to go.
It’s
possible to find loads of information—like the information I presented above—about
Cape Town with any simple Google search. It’s easy to read about the beauty of
Table Mountain, or read the names of different townships, differentiated by the
race of the people who live in them. It’s even possible to look up the history
of the country, and use the culture of imperialism, racism, and inequality to
attempt to understand all that there is to understand about South Africa.
But
nothing compares to living here. From my few months of being in this country,
I’ve learned that there is no one way to understand South Africa. Even within
the group of thirteen Loyola students who came to study here this semester,
there are thirteen different South African experiences. I could go to six
different places, all within the city of Cape Town, and all six of these places
would inspire a completely different feeling. How could I feel the same when
sitting on UCT’s campus, surrounded by college students as when I’m sitting on
the top of Table Mountain, surrounded by tourists? How could I feel the same
while surfing at Muizenberg beach as I would while volunteering with high
school students in Kensington, one of the many townships surrounding the city
of Cape Town? What have I learned about Cape Town while being here? I’ve
learned that it is a city unlike any other.
The
last time I was outside the United States, I was seventeen, had just finished
my junior year of high school, and had only a vague idea of what I wanted from
my life. My dad and I traveled together to Germany, spending two weeks with my
German relatives in a tiny town on the Rhine River. I distinctly remember going
to Munich, and watching some random twenty-somethings surfing this continuous
wave that emerged from under a bridge in a nondescript park. It was the first
time in all of the two weeks that I actually felt like more than a tourist, and
it was everything I wanted. But at the same time, it was tinged with this small
feeling of jealousy, of knowing that I was only going to feel this way for a
moment. That’s what studying abroad here has been like. There are these moments
when I feel so incredible, so immersed in this place. There are moments when
Cape Town feels like home. And yet there is the constant knowledge that I am
only here for a short time, that this place, this experience, is only mine for
so long. What have I learned about myself while I’ve been here? I’ve learned
that the thing I want most in life is to keep chasing the high. I want to, at
least for a while, be living life as a true global citizen. I’ve always known
that I want to travel, but I think this trip, the things I’ve been able to do,
and the people I’ve met have given me so many new ideas of how to do that. I’ve
learned that it’s not really difficult to see the world, if you know the right
ways to do it. If you’re willing to work and learn in different countries, and
if you’re willing to let go of inhibitions, willing to immerse yourself in the
global culture.
I
think even before I left, I knew that in my near future I would want to live
outside of the United States. And though this experience has significantly
furthered that desire, living in South Africa has definitely given me a strong
appreciation for my home country. It certainly is the little things, but those
are easy to get over. What sticks in my mind are the big things. There is so
much inequality here—certain opportunities available to almost everyone in the
United States regardless of means are available only to the highly privileged. The
United States, despite its imperfections, has been extremely good to me. Simply
being born there gives me an incredible leg-up above so many other people who’ve
grown up in other places in the world.
I’m
sad that my semester of living in South Africa is almost over. But in my time
here, I’ve learned that I was naïve to fear that my experience would be over
once I left the country. As strange and perhaps cliché as it might seem,
studying abroad has actually felt like the beginning of a much longer
adventure. My days of travel are not over; in fact they actually feel as if
they’ve barely begun.
I’ve
decided to make this life my future.
