Hey everyone!
Welcome to my blog of my semester studying in South Africa. Right now I'm still at home in
Claremont enjoying Christmas Break, but two weeks from now I'll be surrounded by the Cape Dutch architecture of Stellenbosch. I have roughly four days left at home, then I'll be heading to Williamstown for the week of Jan 13-19. From there, my journey to South Africa will commence as I'll make my way back to New York where I'll be taking a non-stop flight from JFK to Johannesburg. One more short flight will get me to Cape Town, and from there it's just a short ride outside the city to Stellenbosch.
As you can probably guess, I am SO excited to go! I simply can't fathom the experiences I will soon be having and how profoundly they will affect me. I expect that in going to South Africa, I will be confronted with an array of challenging issues that will be hard to stomach at times. But in a way, that is the reason I am going. While South African society has many problems, it is also experiencing great changes. It is at a crossroads, and how it proceeds from here will have a drastic impact on its future. It will require the commitment and dedication of everyone in its multi-ethnic and multi-faceted society to move forward.
Over the last few weeks, I have been reading on the life of Desmond Tutu and his work on the Truth and Reconciliation Commission following the dismantlement of apartheid in 1994. For me, it has been difficult reading about the atrocities and gross human rights violations of the oppressive white Afrikaner regime. It makes me wonder how such ghastly acts could be committed by humans against one another. And what is more, that they would profess to be Christians and attempt to construct theological frameworks to uphold their injustices is sickening. In a way, it is into that environment that I will soon be going.
I go with tremendous hope, though. I have hope that through the reconciliation and amnesty process that has been ongoing for over a decade, South Africa will be able to move itself forward into a new era of peace, equality and prosperity. Living and learning in Stellenbosch will be a strange experience, I imagine, as the various forces of change and resistance to change will clash head on in this town that sits in the middle of "Afrikanerdom." The many contradictions and disparities will be unsettling, but one must realize that real change takes time and perseverance. Seeing the work done by men such as Tutu, Nelson Mandela, Steven Biko, and Bayers Naude (a white minister who graduated from Stellenbosch, famous for his anti-apartheid activism), has shown that South Africa's future will be brighter than its past.
As I said before, I am definitely excited for what my semester will bring. I know that I will probably become very busy with the various things I will be doing, but I will try my best to keep this blog updated with my latest thoughts and experiences. I am aiming for (roughly) weekly updates. I'll also try to add pictures and videos of whatever I can to give a glimpse of the beauty and richness that is South Africa. Thanks for reading my blog!
Until next time!
Much love,
Carl
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