Written by Abby McGullam, 2022-23 Latitudes Student
My semester in South Africa has been a seedbed for personal, cultural, and experiential growth. My program with the nonprofit organization Dreamcatcher South Africa has been well-tailored to my interests, as well as my personal skills, ensuring that my impact in the township of Melkhoutfontein is a passionate and maximized one.
Before truly immersing myself, I learned about the heartbreaking apartheid history of South Africa, studying the walls of museums in Johannesburg and visiting South Africa’s ex-president and anti-apartheid leader, Nelson Mandela’s house. I explored the lasting effects as we drove through townships and the city alike. My favorite museum, however, was the Cradle of Humankind, a historical site hosting information, artifacts, and exhibits on the progression of humankind since its very beginning.
Upon arrival in Melkhoutfontein, my true placement where I would volunteer and live and learn, I was welcomed with an overwhelming amount of love and hospitality from my host family and work colleagues. I got to share my love for math with the children at the local school, helping break the poor education cycle resulting from apartheid, and advancing the students’ skills so that one day they may choose their own careers!
After school, I distribute nutritious lunches to the students, help them with homework, then walk them home and jump in a taxi to explore the coast-town of Stilbaai. My favorite things to do here are go to the gym, try different cafes, and hang out by the beach. When I don’t have my feet in the sand, my hands are in the dirt, working on a sustainable farming project for the community. Weekends are filled with time in Stilbaai, special family events like weddings and baptisms, and lots of travel to different towns where my host-brother referees rugby games (and I shop and take hundreds of pictures of the beautifully diverse landscapes)!
I often was faced with circumstances that required me to adapt. When traveling, it’s important to be able to quickly “improvise, adapt, and overcome”, as the unofficial slogan of the US Marine Corps suggests, with any challenge that may come your way. Although it’s important to me to develop my independence, sometimes it’s best to ask for help. It took some practice, but I learned to use my support system when I needed guidance navigating an obstacle or formulating a plan. Working with a team allowed me to gain new skills for facing challenges, and I am confident that if someone needed me I would know how to help or where to ask for it!
The people I’ve interacted with for the past 3 months are largely responsible for the highlights of my experience in South Africa. It was impossible not to fall in love with the children at school, and watching them learn and engage and get passionate about learning has been absolutely the most rewarding thing. I would teach all the children to love learning 100 times over before I taught y=mx+b, but this experience has led me to learn to do both simultaneously. I got to get creative with my lessons, incorporating games into practice, concepts and exercise into “brain breaks”, and empathy and compassion into every interaction.
One child in particular without parents quickly chose me to play the “mom” role, and I’m not sure she realizes I’ve learned as much from her as she has from me. I was also elated to hear that I have inspired talk of a math club forming at the school, where students can have fun with the topic; the principal asked me just today to send along any math games to get the ball rolling! My family here is truly just that: family. I love cooking with the grandmother, playing rugby with the grandson, making fires in the fireplace with the grandfather (whom I call “Neef”, meaning nephew), and playing Uno, Dominoes, and Old Maid with just about anyone who comes along. We like late-night walks to visit family and friends in the community, and I love that they have always made me feel bonded by blood. I couldn’t mention great people without mentioning the founder of Dreamcatcher South Africa NPC, Anthea Rossouw, who took such great care of me and made sure I got experiences like visiting a game reserve and driving through the mountains in a 1956 Cadillac…and trying carrot cakes, LOTS of different carrot cakes (word has it Ryan’s is still the best)!
I am very excited for my trip to Cape Town as I finish off my placement in South Africa. Cape Town is one of South Africa’s most famous vacation spots, rich with beaches and city life alike. On my way into Cape Town, I will stop by Montagu to donate a table I painted at which the children at risk there can do their homework. Having learned so much about the influence of Nelson Mandela, first through museums and then by experiencing the effects of his work, I am thrilled to be touring Robben Island, the prison where Mandela was held for 18 years for his political action. I took this opportunity to travel solo for the first time, and I hope to try some amazing restaurants, explore local shops, visit the famous Table Mountain, and witness the beautiful beaches that seem absolutely magnetic to tourists (even though it’s almost winter here in the southern hemisphere)! As I say “nag nag, Neef”, meaning night night Nephew, to my host-grandfather for one of the last times, I’m struck with nostalgia for the experiences I have had. Although this next chapter means leaving Melkhoutfontein, which has become home, I know it’s the things I learned and the memories I carry with me that will prepare me for every adventure to come.
Inspired by Abby’s gap year? Learn more about the Latitudes Year and carve out your own journey!
