I think it is best to start my reflection by observing the expectations I had for South Africa and its people (culture), prior to traveling-to and experiencing South Africa.
When I was asked the question, why I would like to participate in spring tour (South Africa) and what I expect, back in October of 2015, I wrote a simple answer: I hope to be perplexed by south African culture and I expect my trip to South Africa to be filled with discomfort and moments of confusion. I thought South African culture, ambitions, and aspirations would be distinctly (mind-numbingly) different from that of the US. I imagined South Africa would be a trip down the heart of darkness and my experience would be outlined by a perplexity of South African things. In …show more content…
Most people appeared to be active stakeholders in the development and future of South Africa.
We spoke with wageworkers, salaried employees, and students. They all tended to demonstrate a fairly solid understanding, or at least a mimicked understanding, of what is generally recognized as South Africa’s largest political and institutional problem.
Within my interactions, there are two distinct conversations that helped shape my views that most South Africans have a general understanding, and dislike, of South Africa’s current government and political landscape. The first distinct conversation I remember having is with a student I spoke with at a local Johannesburg nightclub. The student told me there were ‘the usual problems’ any growing nation has and that there needs to be tremendous institutional change within the country. He seemed to really think normatively and philosophically about south Africa and its future.
The second conversation I distinctly remember having was at the airport in Johannesburg with an older white male that was traveling on a commuter plane. He informed me that he was making his regular commute for work. His ideas were strait forward. He told me outright, ‘ we have a terrible …show more content…
If people are unaware of problems, they cannot solve, or even begin to solve them. You cant fix what you don’t know is broken. The fact that South Africa has a dialogue about its issues suggest it can actively supply resources and talent to solve those issues.
To many scholars, the success of the American democratic experience can be reduced to our open dialogue about what is both right and wrong about our country. We find problems. We publish problems. We discuss problems, and if democracy is correct, the smarted man (woman) has the chance to solve those problems. This is something that impresses me about South Africa. They are openly solving their problems. They are letting suffering speak.
Another observation made about South Africa that, I believe, resembles the United States is that many people travel from afar to participate in SA’s economy and society. The US in known to be a land of milk and honey. There is a common belief the US has some general form of equal opportunity, and no matter who you are, or where you are from, there is an opportunity for you to
When I was asked the question, why I would like to participate in spring tour (South Africa) and what I expect, back in October of 2015, I wrote a simple answer: I hope to be perplexed by south African culture and I expect my trip to South Africa to be filled with discomfort and moments of confusion. I thought South African culture, ambitions, and aspirations would be distinctly (mind-numbingly) different from that of the US. I imagined South Africa would be a trip down the heart of darkness and my experience would be outlined by a perplexity of South African things. In …show more content…
Most people appeared to be active stakeholders in the development and future of South Africa.
We spoke with wageworkers, salaried employees, and students. They all tended to demonstrate a fairly solid understanding, or at least a mimicked understanding, of what is generally recognized as South Africa’s largest political and institutional problem.
Within my interactions, there are two distinct conversations that helped shape my views that most South Africans have a general understanding, and dislike, of South Africa’s current government and political landscape. The first distinct conversation I remember having is with a student I spoke with at a local Johannesburg nightclub. The student told me there were ‘the usual problems’ any growing nation has and that there needs to be tremendous institutional change within the country. He seemed to really think normatively and philosophically about south Africa and its future.
The second conversation I distinctly remember having was at the airport in Johannesburg with an older white male that was traveling on a commuter plane. He informed me that he was making his regular commute for work. His ideas were strait forward. He told me outright, ‘ we have a terrible …show more content…
If people are unaware of problems, they cannot solve, or even begin to solve them. You cant fix what you don’t know is broken. The fact that South Africa has a dialogue about its issues suggest it can actively supply resources and talent to solve those issues.
To many scholars, the success of the American democratic experience can be reduced to our open dialogue about what is both right and wrong about our country. We find problems. We publish problems. We discuss problems, and if democracy is correct, the smarted man (woman) has the chance to solve those problems. This is something that impresses me about South Africa. They are openly solving their problems. They are letting suffering speak.
Another observation made about South Africa that, I believe, resembles the United States is that many people travel from afar to participate in SA’s economy and society. The US in known to be a land of milk and honey. There is a common belief the US has some general form of equal opportunity, and no matter who you are, or where you are from, there is an opportunity for you to