First Weekend

A nice first weekend down here in Port Elizabeth. On Friday, my first lecture took place at NMMU. It was a three hour class that meets periodically throughout the semester to check in on our service learning and to see how volunteering is going. The first class went over the sites and some more characteristics of Port Elizabeth. If you have seen my pictures on Facebook you probably think that it's all sand and beaches. Yes, the weather is 100x better than Minnesota's and the beaches do mimic Florida's but what I haven't been able to capture yet is the full picture of South Africa. I have only been here for a week but it's amazing what you can take in in a short amount of time. Poverty here is a major concern with unemployment being around 55% and even worse in townships, close to 80%. People have inadequate educational and health facilities, poor shelter and water/sewage, and crime. I'm lucky enough to be placed in a nice area where we live near the beach and close to the University, which is obviously necessary. However, these characteristics of poverty plague the surrounding area and is why we have required service learning and volunteer opportunities. I state this because I want to make sure no one misunderstands how things are and that everyone grasps the entire picture. Now, I may sound like I'm putting a huge debby downer on study abroad but I'm not. Understanding how things are in another part of the world and getting to experience it first hand is what study abroad is all about. It helps open your mind to everything going on around us rather than just taking in what the media tells us.

After class on Friday we all went to a professional rugby match. It is a lot of fun to watch a sport that isn't common in the U.S. and to be a part of the atmosphere. I'm sure we will go to many more including one's at NMMU.

On Saturday we all went on a city tour. We rode in a double-decker bus and were able to get out and see major monuments and pieces of the city. Our guide was extremely knowledgeable and informed us of the history of Port Elizabeth and South Africa. We saw the city, township area, and then a bay where we got out and climbed down the hill to the rocks at the bottom. The view was great.

Today is our last day of winter/summer break. I can say that because it is summer here and the start of the school year is tomorrow rather than the start of spring/second semester. So today has been a relaxed day at the beach as we soak it all in before classes start. We haven't been in class since December 20th, 51 days ago. What is school again? ha. To be completely honest, though, we are all excited for it to begin again because as much as we love not having class it gives structure to our day. Also, the campus is incredible and the courses sound very interesting. It will be exciting to learn about South African music, politics, and human rights.