Daniella transformed by Cape Town

what I've taken from cape town...

 Cape Town has transformed me definitely for the best. I've come back to the U.S. smarter and more aware of issues in Africa, the U.S. and with myself. Being in Cape Town and seeing the way others lived made me very appreciative of the things that I was so blessed with. Usually I would complain about materialistic things, but seeing the South Africans not complain about their circumstances make me ashamed. I've learned to be more grateful for the things that I do have and it makes me want to work hard for the things that I want to accomplish in the future. City Mission Educational Services played a big part in my transformation. School was just something that had to be done, I always did the minimum. I never pushed myself to do more and actually work to my potential. I'm not saying that I have completely changed and now I will be getting straight A's all the time, but I am working towards pushing myself to doing my best. I am honestly happy that I was given this opportunity to have a free education and such good teachers willing to teach me. I think that is very important in having a successful future. So I do not plan on taking my education for granted anymore. I also have become more aware of social issues around my community and country. I recently participated in a Trayvon Martin rally because I feel it is necessary for me to show my support for a cause that I feel strongly about, and Africa has taught me that. I hope I can get more involved in other charities and foundations that fall in line with my values. When I was in Africa I didn't realize the impact that it had on me until I came home and started applying it to my everyday life, so for that I am thankful.

Leslie's activist project and growing awareness

When I say I had no idea what to do for an activist project, I mean there were so many options to choose from. I wanted to do a project for those in Cape Town but sadly our time there wasn’t enough. When I got back home I sat down and my sister texted me. At that moment I found inspiration on what to do. Although my older sister and I don’t really talk, everything she has gone through has really touched my heart. She got pregnant at a young age, dropped out of high school, was in an abusive relationship with her baby father, and for a short time she lived in a shelter home with her son until my mom took them in. Sadly now she is pregnant and can’t seem to find a job because she can’t afford a babysitter. 

It was hard for me to find something that could help woman with all their struggles but I believe I found a great project. Thanks to my time spent in Cape Town as well as the online readings, I learned a lot that I really wanted to bring to people awareness. My activist presentation that I gave at My Sister’s Place Shelter was about sexism and media. The reason why I chose media was because it plays such a big role in our everyday lives. For woman I feel like media puts women down and it is time to bring that out into the light. Along with my presentation I did a drive for the shelter. Originally I was going to do a clothing drive but it wasn’t what they really needed so I changed it into cleaning supplies drive. There weren’t many people that attended my presentation and it hurt at first and made me more nervous. I guess it made sense when the director explained the women aren’t interested unless they specifically get something out of it. It made me realize that we need to change our way of thinking when it comes to getting involved and participating. It took me a while to change my way of thinking too because the first two weeks in Cape Town when we found out about doing an activist project I was in no circumstance interested and now I am going to keep volunteering at My Sisters Place and getting involved.

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My Sisters' Place... committed to ending homelessness and empowering women, families, and others in Greater Hartford to achieve independence and stability in their community by providing housing and supportive services.

Alyssa: "Finding Me"

Finding Me

Alyssa at Moyo, Stellenbosch

For so long, I have been lost. I have waited for years to figure out who I was that at times I felt I became something I was not. I needed to see a new scene or have someone show me how to appreciate, love and remember. People are ashamed to admit their faults but without recognizing what is holding us back from being who we truly are; we will never change. Sometimes fitting in is what people are most comfortable with. I used to be like that. I never yearned to fit in but I do feel like from some of my past experiences I played a role that I was not good at acting. 

One of the most important things I learned from Cape Town is to be you.  Standing out is far more daring than fitting in. After visiting townships or caressing children with HIV, I realized how thankful I should be. I learned to love and look out for others. My eyes were finally open and I could see a new world I was once unaware of. I smiled, I cried, I laughed but most importantly, I lived. This was a new beginning and this time I wanted to make it right. 

You never realize how strong you really are until you test your abilities. Rebelling against all odds and stereotypes created specifically for categories relating to myself, was my way of being reborn. I found deep within myself that there was a soul. I was alive! From the moments in Cape Town, I wanted to make it my duty to make a difference. I knew this person inside me was there all along, I just needed a good push. Taking back memories to the states is wonderful but taking back a motive to be hero is even better. I am not my friends, nor my family or even my inspirations. I am me. I have been found and no longer do I have to play “Hide-and-Seek” with my heart.

Maeve opening eyes and asking questions

I was watching the movie In Time (Justin Timberlake and Amanda Seyfried) last week and I couldn’t help but pause the movie to think about a few quotes that I found to play perfectly into thoughts I’ve had since my time in South Africa. In the movie, time is the currency and based on which district you live in, you receive more or less time. JT’s character comes from a poor district where he often doesn’t have more than a day to live. Amanda Seyfried’s character comes from the central district where her father is a millionaire, he has millions of years to live and no real way that he loses them.

JT: How can you live with yourself watching people die right next to you?

AS: We don’t watch. We close our eyes.

I posed this question in class discussion, in essays and maybe a past blog post: how can people live in the Cape Town suburbs and the rich northern townships and never venture to the other side of the mountain? They are so close to such immense poverty and yet they continue to turn a blind eye, not even willing to drive through just to see what life is like in Khayelitsha or Mitchell’s Plain. And here is the global answer as to how society can be ignorant of the misfortunes of others: We close our eyes. We close our eyes to the suffering. We close our eyes to the homelessness. We close our eyes to the despair. And in doing so, we close the door towards their salvation and a chance for a better life. Because we have what we need, we have more than we need, but with closed eyes we’ll never see how our excess could change the lives of others. And this ties right into the second quote which made me think:

JT: No one should be immortal if even one person has to die.

Why do we allow some people to have such extravagance and luxury while others are dying on the street? Awareness is key here. Maybe in addition to the luxury tax, these people should have to do community service or awareness trips to show how there are ways which they can help, and not just by throwing money. Maybe if they were forced to see how people are struggling out there they would find a passion for something that could change lives in this country or around the world. There are plenty of celebrities and other wealthy people who have turned philanthropist but are they getting involved or are they throwing money. One example of a celebrity who has gotten involved with charity and has made it her work is Sophia Bush with Charity Water (slight One Tree Hill bias). Charity Water keeps it simple: raise money to install freshwater wells, rainwater catchments and sand filters. Once the money is raised to install these, the people from Charity Water travel the world to meet the people they are helping, in addition to improving their lives. Sophia Bush recently spent a week in Ethiopia meeting village people on a philanthropy trip with Charity Water. She threw a ball to raise money and also held a workshop to teach people about what she’s doing and what we can do to help. But it’s not only the fabulously wealthy who can make a difference (although I will say that anyone on The Real Housewives series should really consider doing something other than shopping and gossiping with their lives), it’s anyone with a heart and a willingness to see what’s out there and go do something about it. We are living in excess in ways we don’t even think about and often one of the biggest excesses in our lives is time. I know I’m guilty of this. I could be using my time to change a life and do something productive and instead I find myself watching tv. It’s something I need to work on and it’s something I hope we can all make a commitment to work on throughout our lives.

Leslie's adjustment to a cultural change

I barely talk to my whole entire family let alone my neighbors. When a complete stranger on the street says hi to me I get defensive immediately.

I probably couldn't name ten people in any of my classes. What I am trying to explain is that I have noticed how isolated we are. In America we don’t associate ourselves with everyone. We may talk to people out of envy, expectation, or simply out of liking. How many people can say they talk to random people on the street and sincerely ask how their day is going and carry on a conversation?

During my time spent in Cape Town, I noticed that many people came up to me to say hi or ask how I was doing. At first I was hesitant to answer because they were a complete stranger to me and I didn’t know what they wanted. Looking back at it now, I wish during my first few days that I wasn’t so shy and distant from the people. On the bright side I’m glad I got over it and adjusted to their friendly culture. I felt at home around the people. They were all so humble which isn’t something you see back at America.

During my homestay, my second house mom told us just how humble they were. If someone was poor they didn’t try to show off what they don’t have. That struck me the most because I know people back at home that fall into peer pressure and they try to spend what they don’t have in front of others. In America I feel like it’s harder to admit when one struggles. In my opinion I feel like we see it as failure and disappointment. What I like about the people in Cape Town is instead of looking down on the poor, they support each other mentally and emotionally. They are also there for each other. Community and unity for them is everything.