Just like when I visited other parts of the world, I had ideas about what Cape Town and South Africa were going to be like. I thought it would be a very poor and poverty-stricken area with various community troubles. However, when getting here I did not realize how westernized South Africa was and saw there were many social, physical, and political similarities of that back home. On our first day, we drove around Cape Town and checked out all the scenery. The city itself looks a lot like Chicago. The ocean we have been stationed next to is similar to that in California. Finally, the mountains roll like the ones deep in Colorado. The current political structure of South Africa is similar to that of the US. We learned that this government has only emerged recently and took place in 1994. Before then, segregation was seen throughout the land and divided the nation. Because it has been so recent we can still see some of what remains of these times when driving around South Africa. Even though we have seen a lot of the nice parts of Cape Town and the surrounding areas, we also went to a township called Khayelitsha and got to see some of the poorer parts of the country. When I first walked up to this place I was honestly scared and in shock at how these people lived. Once I walked around for a few minutes and kids approached us waving and asking how we were doing I grew comfortable with my environment. This trip to Khayelitsha has opened my eyes to some of the hardships others face in countries abroad and helped me to appreciate what I have back home in the US. The people, places, and experiences I have met while on this trip have been unforgettable thus far and I look forward to learning more and expanding my horizons in a global context.
