This winter break, I had the opportunity to travel to South Africa. Though I spent just over a week abroad, I learned so much, saw so many new things and explored Cape Town.

During this brief period, I learned about the complexity of South Africa’s politics and the country’s long history from colonization to the present; currently, South Africa is a post-apartheid state. In the classroom, my classmates and I had the opportunity to discuss themes relating to government, human rights, international politics and freedom fighters. After class, we had the chance to meet with guest lecturers, some discussing ethical questions, others the relationship between economics and race, and we even got to speak with the former ambassador to Malawi.

Of course, we did more than discuss South African history in the classroom. The program consisted of various sightseeing opportunities, including the District Six Museum, a community torn apart by apartheid housing laws, and a visit to Robben Island, a former political prison. Because apartheid ended in 1994, many people who lived under the apartheid government have devoted their time to educating about their experiences under the apartheid state. In both cases, our tour guides were able to share their real experiences and opinions on what South African apartheid looked like for them. Not only were we able to learn about the systems and situations the government used to implement injustice, but we were also allowed to hear it firsthand from people who wanted to share their perspectives.

Though my class mainly focuses on race and politics, we had time to explore the cultural and natural landscape of Cape Town. One of my favorite parts of this program was the peninsula tour. This included a day of exploration with our lively and incredibly funny tour guides. We took a boat ride to see seals, visited Penguin Beach to get up close to some real-life African penguins, saw the Cape of Good Hope, and ended the day with a hike to see a truly stunning view! On other days, we also toured the beautiful campus of the University of Cape Town, visited the Kirstenbosch National Botanical Gardens and took a cooking class to make Cape Malay cuisine in the Bo-Kaap neighborhood.

One of my all-time favorite things about studying abroad is getting to explore the place I am visiting on my own, and Cape Town was no different. Luckily for me, my classmates were wonderful, so we did a lot of things together. We explored the Victoria Wharf, a waterfront area with lots of shopping, restaurants and live music. We also went to the beach, which was one of my favorite activities, even though this was some of the coldest water I have ever felt in my life. Finally, on our last day as a group, we went to see Cape Town’s DHL Stormers. I knew nothing about rugby, let alone had any business going to one of the games, but we all watched, gradually learned the basics of the game, and eventually, our team came out victorious! Cape Town was a warm retreat from Missouri’s winter weather, but it was also an unforgettable experience!

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Learn more about this blogger’s study abroad program: Race and Politics in South Africa