Erica facing challenges

Erica Teaching

As I sit here and reflect about my past month in Cape Town, I think about how blessed I am to be here.  In just a month I know what I want to do with my future. In just a month I have had encounters that many people may never be able to experience as a foreigner in Cape Town. In just a month I have met some of the most amazing and passionate people in my whole life. In just a month I’ve been able to grow and better understand myself.

As I find myself growing here I have come across many challenges, just like many of my co-educators. From time to time I get home sick and I just miss my family! I miss being able to just call my mom, sister, or best friend when I feel down or want to share a story.  There are times I find it hard living in a house with 16 other students, because sometimes I like to be alone and collect my thoughts (don't get me wrong I love being around my co-educators). At times I struggle with my identity here in Cape Town.  

Among different groups I am considered someone else.  I am black, coloured, a Rastafarian, or American.  Back in the states I am just black or Haitian-American or should I say a “minority”. Being here has definitely made me more aware of the social construction of race, and the damage it does to a country and the world. Everyday I go to my internship there is a challenge, whether a student is hungry and does not know where his/her next meal is coming from or students who have low literacy rates or students who are in gangs not by choice but for safety. I have not been here for a long time, but as the days go by I constantly see the similarities between South Africa and the United States regarding education, housing, the police system and much more.

Yes I may be facing some challenges, but who doesn’t? I want them to keep coming, because it helps me realize and come to understand the environment I am currently living in, but most of all as I mentioned in the beginning it paves the way for growth as an individual. I hope one day my family and friends will have the opportunity to come to South Africa and experience at least half of what I have and will.