Rina getting far more than you give

While a significant portion of the population here in Cape Town faces extreme poverty, a small percentage are extremely wealthy.  Of the richest 10%, almost 40% are black.  (Wikipedia.org, 2011)  We live in Rondebosch, a very affluent suburban area where the majority of cars you see people driving are Volkswagens, BMWs, Audis, and Alfa Ramaos.  I notice that in this area, reside whites, blacks and even Indians.  I know that Indian people have struggled in South African history, as slaves, and knowing that the Indian currency, the rupee, has such little worth compared to the South African rand, I was surprised to see Indians making a wealthy living.  Of course I know that not all Indians are poor, and many are successful, but in my experience, I have been surrounded by mainly middle-class Indian families, including my own.  In South Africa, however, I am rich.  This idea puts me in an uncomfortable situation... because while I am trying to give back as much as I can, everything in this world has a price.  I have been accustomed to looking for ways to save money in every situation.  

Being in South Africa though, is like being on vacation; we're allowed to splurge.  I feel guilty coming here because it is costly, however the experiences I'm going through, and the impact I'm making here is priceless.  

Something Theresa said gave me this idea of feeling guilty for taking the opportunity to come here.  We're volunteering as interns in a place where someone could potentially be working, and making a living off the money we are not making.  Yes, we are saving the organizations money by offering cheap labor, but at the same time, the money we spent to come here could have paid a year's salary.  

Everyone thinks that we're all doing something so great and wonderful, volunteering here and "giving back" to the community, but how much are we really helping?  We are only here for such a short period of time, it's hard to believe that we can really make a significant impact in anyone's life.  Marita pointed out that by volunteering, the persons we are helping the most are ourselves, because of the way this experience impacts, influences and changes our lives, (and personalities and ideals/beliefs/morals).  We get more out of it than we give.  So I guess we should feel guilty, but rightfully so, and rather, that we should really appreciate it.  My favorite part about being on this particular study abroad program is just that, and the opportunities it opens up for us to have interesting conversations with such a diverse group of people, inside and outside the program.