Cynthia on learning more than she ever could have imagined

1. Learn a popular language spoken in South Africa.
2. Figure out my specific passion in life.
3. Touch the lives of at least one person I come in contact with there.
4. Learn how to make at least one popular South African dish.
5. Become immersed in the South African culture while I am there

Sitting in a room of other study abroad students I quickly wrote down these 5 goal and promised myself the make do my best to make sure I accomplish them during my 4 weeks in Cape Town. I was feeling a mix of emotions but I was mostly excited and nervous at the same time. Excited to travel abroad to a place I’ve never been before but kind of nervous because I did not know any of the people I will traveling with. Little did I know that I would become great friends with some of these strangers and I would learn so much about myself in such a short period of time. Even though I accomplished most of the things on this list, I also learned many valuables lessons that I could  have never foreseen sitting in a room at UCONN the week before finals. Four weeks in a different environment may not seem like a long time but it was just enough time for me to mature into a completely different person.

Besides learning about the apartheid years and South African culture, during that time I learned to accept people and now I am more open minded about certain things. Now, I look at the world from different points of view. I have also learned how to properly react in situations that I would not have done nothing about before this trip. My professor, Marita McComiskey, taught me about consensus decision making and with that everyone’s voice is heard. One thing I am grateful for is rediscovering my passion for the field of pharmacy. Now I am more determined than ever before to become a clinical pharmacist. I can go on for days talking about how grateful I am for this study abroad experience but unless you experienced it for yourself, you may not fully understand most of the things I am saying right now.

In conclusion, the things I’ve learned are things that are not taught in a normal classroom. They usually take many years for most people to realize them but I am glad that in those 4 weeks I learned them because they are valuable life lessons that have matured me into a better person. This entire experience is indeed a once in a lifetime experience and I would not have traded in my summer for anything else.