OVERVIEW
I went to South Africa and worked with children on a daily basis. I was constantly forced out of my comfort zone which was new for me. I worked at a RoseAct Saturday school in Alexandra Township. I worked with an organization called Child-headed Households with children who had lost their parents to AIDS and the HIV virus. Our GIEU team live in a foster care village for a majority of the time, tutoring and mentoring the children in the village. I had an intercultural experience. I experienced things in South Africa that I would not have experienced in the United States. The respect I gained from the country and the love it gave me could never be repaid. I came back a different person. I have abandoned a lot of my materialistic ideals. My experience in South Africa has shaped my present and my future.
SKILLS GAINED
I learned how to exercise patience in a classroom of 52 first graders. Working with children whose home language is not the same as my own was a difficult task. I had to find ways to communicate with them using certain gestures, games, and more.
I also learned how to resolve conflict between children inside the classroom. There were times in which the children would argue and start to put their hands on one another and I had to break it up. I made the children ask each other why they did what they did and then asked them to apologize and hug it out. Even with the external conflict the children face each day in the township of Diepsloot, I was able to resolve the small conflict happening in the classroom. I knew that if I taught these children that being soft with each other instead of violent, the classroom would become a safer place.
I also learned how to resolve conflict between children inside the classroom. There were times in which the children would argue and start to put their hands on one another and I had to break it up. I made the children ask each other why they did what they did and then asked them to apologize and hug it out. Even with the external conflict the children face each day in the township of Diepsloot, I was able to resolve the small conflict happening in the classroom. I knew that if I taught these children that being soft with each other instead of violent, the classroom would become a safer place.
LESSONS LEARNED
This experience helped influence my understanding of myself by making me realize how privileged I am to even have an education. I value now more than ever my undergraduate experience at the University of Michigan. The fact that I am even able to have an opportunity to travel is a blessing. My GIEU experience brought me back to Earth, humbling me in ways I did not think possible. This experience made me become more of an observer and as a worker. The effort I put into our daily work in the classroom and with the foster children was a good one. I learned that the love you show a child is so important and we all need love. The strong bonds I made are everlasting and there is not a day that goes by when I don't think about that beautiful country. I know for sure that I will visit South Africa again. Millie, mother of the foster children, even offered for us to come stay with her and the children for a gap year after we graduate. It is so tempting!
IMPACT
In my process of learning, I definitely overcame many personal challenges and fears. I conquered my fear of heights traveling up the Hartbeespoort Mountain in a cable car, climbing up Table Mountain, and I challenged my fear of animals. Living in the Village of Joy, there were wild monkeys, ducks, rabbits, and chickens. In my younger years, I would have wanted to be sent home if I even saw an animal! I lived almost comfortably with them. I easily trusted the people of South Africa because their hearts are so warm and their sense of community is admirable.
If you read this and are thinking of traveling abroad, GO TO SOUTH AFRICA. Even if it makes you nervous to work with children, go to the Village of Joy in North West, South Africa. Millie and the kids will welcome you with open arms! You will never want to leave! Challenge yourself! Going abroad can be a scary experience but it is so worth it! Being an only child, I know about the anxiety of leaving home but trust me, you will grow as a person and you will be impressed with what you can accomplish. The impact you may want to leave on others will not even compare to how they impact you.
If you read this and are thinking of traveling abroad, GO TO SOUTH AFRICA. Even if it makes you nervous to work with children, go to the Village of Joy in North West, South Africa. Millie and the kids will welcome you with open arms! You will never want to leave! Challenge yourself! Going abroad can be a scary experience but it is so worth it! Being an only child, I know about the anxiety of leaving home but trust me, you will grow as a person and you will be impressed with what you can accomplish. The impact you may want to leave on others will not even compare to how they impact you.