Brenna looks forward to a unique & well-rounded opportunity

As I looked into and talked to past students about studying abroad in Cape Town, I began to invest in being admitted into the program. I tried to remain as rational as possible and did a fair job up until I found out that I was accepted – since then, I have not been able to contain my sincere excitement. There are many elements contributing to why I am looking forward to this experience, most of which are difficult to articulate. I have never spent a significant amount of time outside the U.S., and the collaborative internship and classroom experience of this program allows a unique and well-rounded opportunity to make the most out of our time on a different continent. As I learn and forge relationships with new people in a cultural context I have never been in before, I anticipate the transformative personal growth I yearn for. The people I am taking this adventure with are just as beautiful as the setting we’ll be in; that said, I can’t wait for a life-changing Cape Town experience! 

Katherine: hardest part waiting to leave

Getting accepted to go to Cape Town was certainly the highlight of my semester. I’ve heard so many great things about this program, and was told that it will be a life changing experience. I’m certainly a bit nervous to be going so far away from home for so long, but I’m more excited than anything else. I’m looking forward to getting to know everyone and making some great memories. The more things come together, the more realistic this whole process becomes. Getting our flight itineraries and housing assignments definitely makes it seem more official, yet I know that it won’t really hit me that I’m in Africa until I’m there.  I can’t wait to experience a way of life so different from ours. I look forward to doing my internship and engaging myself in the culture. I think the hardest part about getting accepted is having to wait until I can leave.

Marie's trusting she'll be inspired in many ways

After a decade of dreaming, I finally mustered up the courage (not to mention the time) to learn the basics of the acoustic guitar over the summer. There is just something about the sound of a guitar that I absolutely love and, since I tend to move around quite a bit, it should provide me with a portable way to channel my musical talents. For the past few months, I have been looking at various New York venues in search of a guitar performance to educate my fingers and entertain my ears. You can imagine the sheer delight that I felt when I discovered that the sensational Kareyce Fotso (from Cameroon) and Bholoja (from Swaziland) would be in New York in November to perform a concert dedicated to the South African legend Miriam Makeba.

I’ve been a fan of “Mama Africa” since the 5th grade when my class did a dance performance of “Pata Pata” for our annual spirit day. Sufficed to say, I enjoyed the concert immensely and absolutely loved how both performers used the guitar as well as their incorporation of traditional African instruments. My excitement to experience and discover new music has grown exponentially and I can hardly wait to discover all of the wonderful new sounds that Cape Town has to offer. From small local bands to the Cape Town Opera Company, I have no doubt that my time in South Africa will inspire me in many ways.

Anna's anticipation has overcome her concerns

I've definitely been having some difficulty writing this first blog entry, because I'm still trying to wrap my head around the idea that in nine weeks I'm leaving to spend four months in South Africa.  Finally, after a few weeks of obsessing over details, looking at pictures from last year, and thinking about all of the awesome fun activities and experiences I'm going to have, I'm beyond excited.  I know it won't feel real until we step off the plane, or maybe even after, but anticipation has finally overcome my nerves and I can't wait to experience it all.  I'm still nervous about leaving my boyfriend, friends and family so far behind, and a little bit about the eighteen hour flight.. but I can't wait to bungee jump again, climb the mountains, get to know the people I'll be spending my time with, and have an amazing internship all on a completely different continent.  I know this trip will completely change my perspective on the world, I can't wait until we're actually there and this all becomes a reality.

Kate's reaction: WAHHOOOOOOOO

My reaction upon finding out that I got into this program can be summed up in one single word: WAHHOOOOOOOO!! After my initial freak out stage the reality began to sink in. In less than 3 months I will be halfway around the world in a place that I have basically no real idea what to expect from. Many might associate this thought will feelings of nervousness and anxiety but that is simply not the case. To say that I'm excited to go to South Africa is nothing but an understatement. I have been looking forward to having this opportunity for over a year now and knowing that is draws

closer and closer as each day passes is the most comforting feeling in the world. I have to say that I am most excited for the internship aspect and can't wait to hear where my placement will actually be. I know that I will be faced with some many new adventures and life lessons and waiting for it all to begin is a very hard thing. I just wish I could pack up and hit the road right now!!

Julian: preparing for an unforgettable experience

Knowing that I got into this program was INCREDIBLE! I still had to tell my dad and make sure that I would be able to graduate somewhat on time but I knew that I'd find a way to make it work. I've always been a believer in willpower. I don't know what to expect exactly but I do know that I'm in for an unforgettable experience. 

I felt a little bad for my room mate who has been my best friend since eighth grade. This is my first semester at UCONN with him and this trip was a last minute decision for me. He's definitely excited for me but it kind of stinks that he's not coming too. Either way I'm excited for all the new experiences that are coming my way.

 I know I'll feel homesick at times but at the end I'll feel as though I didn't have enough time there. Funny how it works like that.

Nicole: happy to have companions on this journey

Realizing that I’m actually going to South Africa for a semester took a while to sink in, but now that this opportunity has finally become a reality I cannot be more excited! This is something that I’ve been hoping to do for a while, and I couldn’t have lucked out more than to set out on this adventure with people that are just as thrilled as I am about the experience that awaits us. I really cannot pinpoint what it is that I’m looking forward to the most because there is just SO much that I want to do/see once I’m in Cape Town. It’s a bit stressful right now trying to get everything together in preparation of our departure: passports, visas, banking etc., but it’s comforting to know that I’m not alone and there are other people that are going through that exact same process. Now that we’ve gotten to know each other a little better, we’ll be able to help each other along the way. January can’t come soon enough!!

Joe: impatiently waiting for January

I am so excited to be a part of this amazing experience and so glad to be granted this unbelievable opportunity. I'm really excited to be spending 3 months with a brand new group of people and getting to know them more all while being immersed into a brand new culture. After the dinner that we all shared together, I know that we have a great group going to Cape Town.

I'm not only excited about spending time with new people, I am looking forward to learning more about a new culture and gaining a new perspective on our country and on the world. I think that my internship will really help me gain this insight into a new culture.  I hope to work in a human rights related field and gain hands-on experience helping others. The hardest part now is to just patiently wait for the plane ride to Cape Town.

                                                                     

Dana seeking joy in the simple things

If only it could be January! I absolutely cannot wait to go to Cape Town next semester! When I first found out that I was going to South Africa, it didn't really seem real, and it still hasn't 100% set in, but I am constantly getting more and more excited to go. I can't even say what I'm looking forward to the most because it's basically everything. However, if I had to pick one thing, I would have to say the internship. Although it will be one of the more serious parts of the trip, I'm looking forward to meeting the youth of South Africa. When my sister came back from Cape Town with pictures, every picture of the children was cuter than the one before. Although it sounds odd, I can't wait for my heart to break every time I see a little South African child. Seeing those pictures made me want to meet them and really be there to share in the joy they have. Despite the conditions they live in every single day, (which we saw a bit in Testing Hope on Sunday) such a simple thing as getting their picture taken is the highlight of their day. I hope some of this "joy in the simple things" will rub off on me for times when I take for granted everything I have. So I guess what I am most looking forward to is hopefully to be the source of joy in at least one South African child's day.

I believe part of the reason people live the way they do has to do with luck; if they are lucky to be brought into the world in a good environment, they are a step ahead. I was lucky enough to be brought into a strong and loving family but also a family that had the means to not only buy enough food, clothing, and material things, but to pay for an education that will provide me with amazing opportunities. I realize that in most cases, I take all of this for granted, and obviously never really know what it would be like to have to work tremendously hard to achieve something as simple to me as eating three meals a day. Therefore, my hope is that in living in South Africa for a semester will help me to really understand and appreciate the privilege that I have been given, mostly by pure luck, as well as the lack of privilege many people of the world must fight through every minute of every day. I think for most of us going to South Africa, the culture shock we experience won't only be shocking because it is so dramatically different, but also because we have never REALLY known how lucky we truly are.

Although, I could go on much longer talking about my excitement on being accepted to study abroad in South Africa, I'll save it for when I'm actually there experiencing it!!

Meaghan's amazed by the incredible opportunities

I am so incredibly excited to be going to Cape Town! Ever since attending the symposium I have been amazed by all of the incredible opportunities the UConn in Cape Town program offers. After being accepted and receiving the date of our departure, I have been slowly coming to the realization that our trip is actually happening!  The possibility seemed almost unreal throughout the application process, but it seems to be hitting me more each day that I am lucky enough to be going. It’s hard to even list all of the things I look forward to in South Africa, but the culture, beauty, history, people, and activities are just a few. Beginning to meet everyone going on the trip has been a really great experience, and it’s a great feeling to know that everyone is equally as excited.

I am so excited to have an internship related to something I really care about! Being able to see social work in action can really give me ideas about future careers, and I’m confident I will be inspired by whatever opportunity I am given! I am so excited for the experience that is awaiting us, and can’t wait to see what the future brings!

Lianna--her mind is made up

I am a very indecisive person. Menus at restaurants overwhelm me, I applied to 12 colleges, and the cereal display in the dining halls leaves me stumped. I can never make up my mind. When I went to the study abroad fair for the first time, I walked out with a backpack full of pamphlets and papers from countries all over the globe, the thought of choosing where to go drained me. After catching the end of the symposium and hearing some of the people talk about their Cape Town experience last year, my mind was made up, I was going to Cape Town. The fact that I had a clear preference made the application process that much more important to me, I needed to go to Cape Town. The internship, the culture, and the people are what make this program so different. I feel like anyone could go somewhere in Europe and have a great time studying abroad, but it takes a particular kind of person to want to go to Cape Town. Now that we’ve all been accepted, I am so excited to go, I want to hike table mountain, I want to swim at the beach, I want to see the penguins waddling around on the sand. I can’t wait to spend nearly 4 months across the world with people who seem to care about change as much as I do, Cape Town, here we come.

Terri can't wait

I was very excited to be accepted into the program and cannot wait to get to South Africa.  The aspect of this program that excites me the most is the opportunity to learn the culture and societal differences between South Africa and America.  I am very interested in having a first hand experience of the life of South African citizens, the differences in government, and the culture.  I would be eager to meet South African natives and students to get a better understanding of the world around me. The things I would experience and learn while in Cape Town are things I will learn from and carry with me for the rest of my life.

I cannot wait to get to know all the Uconn students who will be going to South Africa along with me. Living with such a large group of people is a challenge that I am excited for and eager to overcome. I plan to work in a hospital while in Africa in order to prepare myself for a career as a Physicians Assistant. I am excited for every aspect of the trip and cannot wait to have the most amazing experience while there.

Kayla's year long anticipation

My first response when I found out that I was accepted into the South Africa study abroad program was pure excitement. I had been looking into the program since October of last year and could not wait to go ever since. I was worried they would not be able to take that many people due to housing reasons so I was anxious about not getting into the program.  But as soon as I heard that they had secured the other house, it started to become a little more real.

I am anticipating getting to know all of the people in the study abroad group and also to learn about Cape Town and South Africa as a whole. I would like to learn about where my internship will be and what it will involve as well as some direction as to where things are located in relation to our house that we live in. I just cannot wait to start packing my stuff and actually get there! But I think that the more I know going in to it, the easier it will be getting settled in.

Taylor's been waiting for this...

I was very excited when I found out I was accepted into the Cape Town program.  Ever since my brother had gone and brought back pictures from the same program I have wanted to go. I am anticipating an experience different from a typical European study abroad trip.  I am looking forward to living with so many people in one house and going to school halfway around the world. 

Sharielle: Looking for parallels and lessons

Before knowing about my acceptance I already had a strong bond to South Africa and its people; it just felt right. Ever since going to Rwanda December 2009, I have been dying to go back to Africa to work in collaboration with the people of different African countries. I can be indecisive, but something about this program just felt right. I was very excited to get accepted into the program; it was so surreal that I was going to be able to have this experience. I felt this way because I was going to be able to have the experience that I believe would contribute to my success in the future as a social worker and community activist. 

I anticipate to form solidarity with the people of South Africa. As an Afro-Caribbean-American, I have a sense of connection to my African roots. I have been more and more interested in being able to connect with the people in South Africa. I feel that especially since South Africa went through apartheid and so did America there is a lot parallels and lessons to learn. Working with alleviating the effects of institutionalized racism is my plan in the future and I believe that South Africa will equip me with the skills I need to do so. I know it will give me strategies to use to work with marginalized groups of people and claiming their rights. Besides that I am excited to see how I change as a person and how my perspectives change as well. Hopefully, this experience would make me a more critical thinker in how to solve different situations.

Leanne: It's starting to feel real

I think I’m in a state of shock.  The idea of studying abroad, for me, has always been something in the far off distance – almost as far away as graduating from college, or getting a job in the real world.  It’s been a light – a beacon of hope – a reason to stay up that extra hour studying or revise yet another paper when I really, really just wanted to go to bed.  It’s been something to work towards, dream about.  Being the first person in my immediate family to get my passport the summer after my senior year of college was the first step, my first little triumph.  The excitement wore off when I realized how long I would have to wait to actually use it!  But now the day is nearly here – I have been accepted into the program and met the other participants.  It’s just now starting to feel (a little bit more) real.  I’m excited to get to know everyone better and learn more about what to expect as we prepare to embark upon a most wonderful adventure!! 

Ashley: Thankful she took steps to get into the program

Every time I tell one of my friends or family members I’m going to South Africa I get the same reaction…. “WHATTTTTTTT!”.   At times I cannot believe it either, just the thought of being in a new continent for a whole semester is so exciting. I never actually thought it would happen this soon, and I figured that as a sophomore it would be too difficult or simply too early in my educational career to study abroad.  Thankfully I took the necessary steps and got into the program. 

At first I was extremely nervous when I found out the size of the group applying.  I thought this would affect my acceptance but when the good news came I was ecstatic.  I couldn’t believe I was actually going to be living a there for the spring semester of my sophomore year.  It’s an experience I cannot wait to have.  What worried me most in the beginning was the thought of being so far from my family and close friends but as more and more information on the activities and internship came those worries began to fade.  I cannot wait to be in a country completely new and unfamiliar to me.  Any time I traveled abroad the native language has been either my first or second language.  This is what excites me most about going to Africa; learning about a new culture and how they cope with the conditions they live in.  As Americans we tend to become so comfortable with our lives and forget about the rest of the world and in most cases forget about these people that only dream to have the luxuries we do. 

I know this experience is going to change my perspective on life in so many different ways and I cannot wait to come back and share this with everyone back home!       

Susie: Even worth missing football....

Hello Cape Town!

I am absolutely thrilled to be accepted into this study abroad program. Since last spring, studying abroad in South Africa was always in the back of my head, but I still had reservations about leaving UConn for a semester to do something completely different. Now looking back, I would have been kicking myself if I hadn’t taken this opportunity! Since the information symposium and learning about the internships available, along with extra exciting activities, I knew this was the perfect program for me.

             

After our first class together last week, I was even more enthused. Everyone going on the trip seems so nice and I think it is great that we will all get to know each other through this class before we are living in the houses together. The video we watched was also very interesting; I can see this class will definitely be worth it even though it is during football time…

See you soon!

Susie

Tom's counting down until departure

YESSSSSSSSSSS.  This was pretty much my reaction when hearing that I got into the Cape Town study abroad program.  This is something that I have been looking forward to for a long time and it was a good feeling to get into the program.  The past couple weeks have been stressful and exciting at the same time.  I’ve really enjoyed beginning to get to know the entire group.  However, it has made me realize that I’m even worse than I thought at remembering names, and I thought I was bad to begin with.  Everyone seems really nice and I couldn’t think of a group of people I would rather go on an excursion to South Africa with.  On the other side of the token it has been stressful getting all of my stuff together to make sure that when I touch down in Cape Town they will actually let me leave the airport, what a bummer it would be if they didn’t.  However, it’s not half as bad as I thought it would be and these are tasks that I would gladly take on; the pay off is definitely worth it.  I have already started counting down and departure day cannot come soon enough.  Right now I’m trying to think of what the first thing I’m going to do when I get to Cape Town is going to be.  Truthfully, I have no idea.  There are just too many things I want to do.

Until Next Time,

Tom

Logan can't wrap his head around it.

This all seems like it is happening fast and it still has not even really hit me that I am going to be spending a semester in Cape Town. I keep talking about it but I cannot even wrap my head around the fact, and every time I think about it I get excited.

I am a little stressed about all the things I still have to do to get prepared for next semester, but I am sure it’ll work itself out. I just need a free day to get it all done.

I was really happy to get to meet everyone last Sunday and I look forward to getting to know everyone. Seems like a real good group of students which makes me even more excited to go to South Africa. I love UConn but I can’t wait to get out for here for a semester. 

Siobhan shares her enthusiasm

My reaction to finding out I was going to South Africa:

Saying that I was ecstatic when I found out I was accepted into the program would be an extreme understatement. I had been uncontrollably excited about the trip since the minute I had decided to apply, and at that point I wanted to go so badly that the thought of being waitlisted, as cliché as it sounds, would have totally broken my heart. I am so happy to be going because I feel like I’m finally going to be pushed out of my comfort zone, do things and go places I never had before, and hopefully make some sort of difference, no matter how small.

One of the things that I am most excited about is starting an internship. I’ve never had an office job before; the only job experience I have is in the restaurant/bar business, and so I am very excited to be working in a job that will hopefully prepare me for my future career. I am so happy that I am taking part in something that I would never be able to do otherwise, and I can’t wait to see what the trip has in store for me!

Emily proclaims: "SOUTH AFRICA! HERE I COME!!!"

I think I'm still in shock that I am actually going to Africa, and not just for a quick visit but rather I will be living there with 23 other people I don't know. I'm incredibly excited, WOOOOOHOOOOO!!!


I'm ready to get off this campus and do something different, make a difference in my community and have a meaningful academic experience. I can't wait to meet he people, taste the food, see the mountains, CLIMB THEM and cry because I am so happy to be there. I can' wait to bond with my roommate, housemates and fellow UConn classmates and share an experience with them like no other. I know this will be one of the best experiences of my life and I cannot wait for it to begin!!!


Meeting the group today was great, it seems like a lot of great people coming from a lot of different perspectives. I'm so excited this is the biggest risk I've taken in my life to date and I can only imagine the benefits I will reap from it! 
YAY SOUTH AFRICA! HERE I COME!!!

The adventures begin

Congratulations to those selected to participate in the 

2011 UConn Study Abroad Program in Cape Town, South Africa.