This past summer I participated in a study abroad program called the Experiment in International Living (The Experiment for short). I was sent with 12 other students from across the United States and 3 from South Africa to study the multiculturalism—the way different races interact in the wake of apartheid— in urban and rural areas of South Africa. Other than that fact, the itinerary, and a list of suggested items to bring, information was sparse which allowed the imagination to fill in the gaps. These lapses of information left me wondering what would the people be like there? How much Afrikaans will I need to know? How much will I need to know about South Africa in general? What will the housing situations be like? And, of course, there were the questions regarding the group and how well we would get along. In the end the only time I truly knew what to expect was when it was over.

After a 14 hour flight from JFK airport to Johannesburg, we flew to Cape Town where we had our first week of orientation. There we learned about the Experiment itself, the country’s history, the numerous cultures present, and generally what to expect on our travels through out the country. During the second week we moved on to the more fun-based travel and culture components in Oudtshoorn, and Grahamstown respectively. The activities in Oudtshoorn were more hands on such as exploring caves and visiting an ostrich farm. We went to Grahamstown, a college town, for the last three days of their of their arts festival. We then moved on to the home-stay component in Kranshoek, a tight knit rural community, where each student lived with a different host family within the area for 11 days. Each day there we would spend the morning through afternoon volunteering; we split into two groups and would either make a garden at the primary school (grade school) or paint decorations on the walls of a local soup kitchen called the House of Hope. We then moved on to Drakensberg and Kruger which had more of an exploration style vacation feel to it. In Drakensberg we stayed at a resort for a couple of days before moving on to Kruger National Park where we went on safari. Finally, we stayed in Johannesburg for a few days readying ourselves for the departure back to the United States.

Upon my travels in South Africa I noticed a few differences it had with the United States or at least Pittsburgh. Some differences were blatant such as the topography of the country: South Africa is stunningly beautiful. At almost every turn there were sights worthy of a post card. When looking to the horizon, even in the city, the ocean or the mountains were always in view. And of course there’s the fact that when we went in our summer it was their “winter” where the temperature never dipped far below 50°F and it only rained a couple of times over the course of the month. There were cultural differences as well such as with language. There are 11 official languages in South Africa plus unofficial ones. Being bilingual or multilingual is nothing special there, it is a necessity. And in some cases it was more relaxed than the United States such as with safety precautions. A lot of the highways we traveled there had no guard rails; inattentive drivers will find themselves either off the road or in a head on collision. And at Table Mountain the only things that would possibly save you in the event of a fall were bushes or rock formations. However in some cases security was much more robust than in the United States. It was common for houses to have fences with spiked tops or at least barred windows. But probably the most recurring and unfortunate difference was the lack of free refills at restaurants.

Meanwhile the similarities between the countries are a bit more deep seated; they go far beyond having English as a primary language. Both of our countries began as European colonies which is evident through historical landmarks, and other cultural phenomena. Both of our countries were known for their diversity caused by ethically lackluster methods and still being disputed over decades if not centuries later. And looking at popular styles of clothing and music it is clear that American culture has blended with theirs. Additionally, given certain societal trends such as where money accumulates and what demographics tend to have money, it’s clear that the United States and South Africa are much closer than they appear. The countries also share anything but desirable situations in government. We are all aware of how satirical artists have abundant ammunition when lampooning Trump and Clinton; South African President Jacob Zuma does not disappoint to say the least.

If you are interested in participating in a program such as this, the Experiment has programs with different topics all over the world for humanities and sciences, I must warn you that there is quite a process to undergo. In my case I made my way into a program called the the World Affairs Council of Pittsburgh where I earned the Global Travel Scholarship which offset the costs of the Experiment. Information on the World Affairs Council and the Global Travel Scholarship can be found on their website at https://www.worldpittsburgh.org/global- education-initiative/high- school-students/global- leadership-certificate/. Information on the Experiment and offered programs can be found at www.experiment.org. Between these programs there were plenty of essays, and meetings, and other commitments to help seal up an already tight schedule. But while it may initially cause some stress, the end product is more than worth it.

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