Hooray, USA?

July 13

It’s 10:30 pm on my last night of freedom. It was really strange to be surrounded by such a huge group of Americans today. Though it was nice to meet a lot of new people, I can tell that my time in South Africa has already had a huge effect on me. It was easy to see how different my mindset about living in this country was from those of my new friends, and how I’ve already learned to take so much less for granted. After sitting in one of the UCT computer labs and having slow internet I couldn’t help but overhear several people complaining. Dinner was served half an hour late, and there was plenty more griping. I realized that only slightly more than two weeks ago I was in the exact same boat as they were – frustrated by lack of access to things we take for granted in the United States. At this point I have learned to accept the way that people live here and embrace how it is different from our own culture. I feel far more aware of myself now than I did just a short time ago. People were leaving their padlocks off of their doors and telling everyone where they lived – two huge no-no’s in Cape Town. Our housing director pick-pocketed several people during our first orientation discussion to prove a point: how unaware Americans are. Meanwhile I’m afraid to go to the bathroom at night, and I check my pockets every five minutes to make sure all the stuff I brought with me is still there. I’ve never in my life been so cognizant of everything going on around me. This trip is going to do wonders for me.