Rebecca: Growing is hard but worth the emotional strain

I can’t believe that I have only been in Cape Town for a little over a month.  On one hand it feels as if I have been here forever, and on the other it feels like I was stepping exhausted off a plane just yesterday.  In one of our first classes one of our RA’s said, “Growing is hard.” When he talked about growing, he meant as a person (not height wise: I gave up on that one many years ago).  When I originally decided to come to Cape Town I knew that one of the reasons I chose this program was that I thought I would become a better and well-rounded person; I never thought that this would be the result of a lot of hard work.  It includes crying, raging, and just in general dealing with not only the problems of South Africa but also the problems present in the United States.  Every day here I learn and experience something new, and it is definitely worth the emotional strain. 

 On a more positive note, one of the aspects of this program that I love the most is my internship at Christel House, South Africa.  It is a school from Grade R (kindergarten) to Matric (Grade 12).  At first I was not quite sure if I would fit-in and be able to enjoy my internship.  Last week my fears were assuaged, and I began to have the most amazing time at this school.  It is not just the fact that I am an intern in a classroom, it is being able to talk to the learners (another word for students in South Africa) about their lives, and having conversations with them about the differences between my home and theirs.  They all are so different from one another, and in so many ways remind me of my peers when I was in high school.  It is so refreshing to know that no matter where you are, and how different people’s lives are, kids will be kids.  On Valentine’s Day, the high schoolers had a talent show, and wow, what talent these students have.  The singers were amazing, musicians, poets, and everyone else just had massive amounts of talent.  Their peers were cheering them on, and having a picnic on the quad.  I felt so happy being a part of everything that was going on, and it filled me with joy seeing how happy the students were.  Some of them lead really tough lives at home, and yet at school they get the opportunity to learn and be in a healthy, and hopefully supportive environment. 

For my internship I observe a classroom, and participate by adding in my perspective and knowledge to the lessons being taught.  Some people would complain if they were in my situation, because at the moment I am not doing too much teaching.  I on the other hand, appreciate the opportunity to learn from the teacher I observe, because he is so passionate about the students and what he is teaching.  He also presents topics in a way that I have never considered, so each day I learn something new.   I am also becoming close to the students I interact with, and I feel so bad when I explain that I only go to Christel House Monday through Wednesday.   I often find myself wishing that I could spend every day of the week with them, because the students and teachers are just so amazing.  Don’t get me wrong, there are moments when I feel uncomfortable or out of place, but every day there are less and less of these moments.  Oh and as an update for all who know me, I am no longer painfully homesick!