Part 2 of 3: Two Worlds 20 Minutes Apart

I am an observant. I have this ingrained habit to observe every single thing around me. I have been this way for as long as I can remember. If I am placed in an unfamiliar setting, I will scan every tree, every street, every building and every person that is around. It can be a blessing and a curse depending on how you use it. For me, it has been the majority of a blessing because as I observe everything I am learning just as much. An unfamiliar setting tells a new story and that story is filled with the unknown that I will soon get to know. This is how I choose to see South Africa since I arrived on January 25th.

I knew very little of South Africa prior to landing. I have been very limited in what I was taught in school about SA and all I can remember is discussing apartheid (although very little) and Nelson Mandela. You can then imagine how observant I was when the pilot announced over the intercom that we will be arriving in Cape Town in the next 20 minutes. I remember looking out the window and seeing land and a huge ocean. However, as I looked further out into the ocean I saw an island. Mind you, I did not know then that it was Robben Island, where Nelson Mandela was incarcerated for 18 years, that I was looking at. I did not know that in the next few weeks I would be on the island looking into Mandela’s cell. Talk about life coming at you full circle.

An advantage of being an observant is that you are able to see the world in great detail which eventually leads to curiosity. I remember the first day I arrived in South Africa, my program directors took everyone to eat at a really nice restaurant in a really, really nice location – Camps Bay. As we were driving to the restaurant, we passed through neighborhoods. These were not your regular neighborhoods. There were houses lined up and down Table Mountain. There were houses on Clifton Beach (literally on the beach itself). There were some houses that were completely see through because of the glass. I realized I was trespassing in wealth. It felt very uncomfortable at first because it was unfamiliar. I have never been surrounded by such wealth. Although I go to school in Georgetown and my university is located in a very wealthy college town, Camps Bay was a different level of wealth. It felt weird. But then I let my eyes scan everything and my uneasiness turned into curiosity. I wondered, “What kind of jobs do these people have to live like this?” “What did they do to acquire such status and wealth?” “How come in Mowbray I saw so many homeless individuals right outside of my house gate but in 20 minutes I am immersed in a new world?”

These are the questions I asked myself continuously for the next months to come while abroad. Then, something happened that made me view my status in a completely new and unfamiliar light. One of the first days of classes, my roommate and I were in the student center doing some work on our MacBooks. Like I said, I am an observer. So as I looked up from my laptop just to check my surroundings, I noticed that my roommate and I were the only one with a laptop out. Everyone else was either using notebooks and pen or conversing amongst one another. In that moment, I had privilege and my status was different than my peers. That has never happened before. The first time I experienced and witnessed wealth up close and personal on a grand magnitude were when I came to Georgetown in 2016. However, I was the one who stood out from the rest of the crowd in the student center. I immediately felt uncomfortable, mainly because I did not want my colleagues to think I “had it all” because I honestly didn’t. This particular experience has stuck with me and made me reflect on the way I view status, wealth, and resources.

I go to school in Bellville, South Africa. Cape Town, South Africa is roughly 15 minutes away from me. If I was to take out my MacBook in Cape Town, I would be viewed as average and possibly lesser than average as I do not have the latest MacBook nor is it paired with me listening to music or movies on AirPods. However, if I take my MacBook in Bellville, I am viewed as someone with money and looked at differently. No one prepares you nor mentions these sort of experiences when studying abroad. That’s ok because I will. Studying abroad is so much more than “living life with no worries.” Often times, you will find yourself reflecting on every single event that happens. You will see parts of the world that are not brought to you by your local news, social media or television. You will be placed in very unfamiliar settings and have to use your instinct, your conscious and your gut to figure out how to best handle the situations that you are placed in. Lastly, you will be exposed to things that will leave you in awe or disbelief. These are parts of the study abroad experience that many don’t take time to explain or warn you about.

While I do live in two worlds that are 20 minutes apart, I also live in two worlds that causes me to see life through a new perspective. I am more aware of who I am because of the two worlds and I have grown in more ways that I could possibly describe on this post (see my next post at my attempt to do this). For those reading who are considering to study abroad, please understand that it is more than “living a good life.” It will both excite you and terrify you. It will be an experience that only you can describe. It will benefit you in ways that you did not think were possible nor imaginable. It will be worth it.