South Africa
SIT is not a traditional study abroad program. Instead of taking classes at a university with local and international students, I will be taking classes with the other 27 students in my program at SIT's classrooms in Rondebosch and "in the field" on our excursions. Here we will be taking classes on multiculturalism and human rights in South Africa, narratives of identity and social change, !Xhosa (one of SA's 11 national languages), and research methods and ethics. Following 9-10 weeks of classes, the remainder of my stay in SA will be focused on conducting research for my Independent Study Project (ISP), which I will present to my classmates, professors, and community members at the end of the program. I'm not sure what I will be conducting my research on as of yet, but I'll keep you posted as the semester progresses!
Here's a video on speaking !Xhosa
The component of this program that I am most excited for is the four homestays that we will complete during our 15 weeks in SA. When looking for a study abroad program I knew that I wanted a program that included a homestay because I thought that staying with a family would help me to best learn about the culture and integrate myself into the community. I also thought that staying with a family and having home-cooked meals and chores would help with the inevitable homesickness. While in SA I will be staying with a family for four weeks in Langa Township (Cape Town), and families in Bo Kaap (Cape Town), Tsabo (Eastern Cape Providence), and Stellenbosch (Western Cape Providence) for one week each. All four families will be from different cultural backgrounds so it will give us students a taste of the wide array of cultural diversity in South Africa. Fingers crossed that at least one of my families has pet(s)!
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