Alex: great experiences in a new place with new people

Zoe, Alex, Jackie

 This weekend was our Human Rights training in conjunction with Africa Unite. We were given the opportunity to meet about twenty other young people from all over Africa to discuss human rights issues, and share opinions and views. It was incredible to be able to sit together and get to know so many new people who were passionate about equality and learning others cultures and points of view. Vincent and Zoe taught the workshop, having us participate in various activities ranging from reading parts of human rights documents, to forming four “countries.” These were interesting because most were conducted in a way, which showed us or taught us something completely different than what we were expecting. 

For example, we were given an “asylum” sheet to complete, however it was written in Creole, which none of us (with the exception of one) understood. We continued to work hard to decipher the questions asked, and were repeatedly turned away by both Vincent and Zoe when we tried to turn them in. At the end of the exercise they finally brought up the fact that we all continued to try, despite the fact we couldn’t understand… why didn’t we stop? Why did we continue to do what we were told, when it was obvious we weren’t capable of completing it? Through activities like this one, we were able to experience a whole new perspective, and could see that it’s so easy to continue to do what we are told even when it’s set up to make us fail. There were so many important things we learned from the various activities at the workshop, and being able to experience it with so many people coming from a variety of countries made it even more impactful. I loved being able to hear others discuss issues they face in their countries, learn about how their government is carried out, and learn about them as young people trying to make a difference. It was inspiring, and comforting to know, that I’m not the only idealist out there after all.

The experience I got from the workshop was great, however, my absolute favorite part was the location of it. We were about an hour or so outside of the city on Goedgedacht farm; a beautiful olive farm, home to some of the most breathtaking and serene views I’ve ever seen. They work on a variety of programs from working with rural children, helping break the cycle of poverty, to working towards climate control and awareness, and it was nice to be able to get a small glimpse into some of their work. Both mornings we were there I got up early and took walks around the farm. It was so peaceful being able to walk through the garden area, and look over hills of farmland and mountains. Saturday I stumbled upon three precious pigs in a pen and immediately fell in love, and watched them for quite some time. Yeah, I know it sounds strange, but there was something about watching them root around just enjoying the morning, that made my day start off even better. Leaving the farm was not something I was excited about doing, but hopefully I’ll be able to return soon.

Meika, Alex, Ryan

There’s nothing better than having great experiences in a new place with new people. Having the opportunity to meet so many different people who culturally might be completely different from me, but in other ways so much the same is one of the greatest things I can experience. The chance to interact with others, learning their points of view and opinions, and sharing mine is how knowledge and understanding spreads. I’m grateful to have had so many of these types of opportunities since I’ve been here, and I can’t wait to have more.