Submitted by Madeline Zehr on the 2018 winter session program in South Africa sponsored by the Department of Behavioral Health & Nutrition…
This week, we have had amazing adventures and it has been a life-changing experience so far. When we first arrived in Pretoria, we were immediately busy starting with a bus tour. The bus tour took us through all of Pretoria and we were able to see the informal settlements and the landscape of the area. Our first stop on the tour was a beautiful view of Pretoria and our second stop was Union Circle with a magnificent statue of Nelson Mandela.
On Tuesday, we visited the De Wildt Wildlife Conservation Center where we were able to see cheetahs, honey badgers, serval and wild dogs up close. We learned about how they only breed animals when conservationists tell them that an eco-system needs them and only let the amount that is needed into the ecosystem. Additionally, they brought a cheetah into the room with us and we got to experience it up close.
Wednesday, we were fortunate enough to go caving where the first humanoid fossils were found. We were able to see current excavation sites and amazing lakes inside the cave. After that, we went to the Cradle of Humankind Museum and saw fossils and learned about the evolution of mankind.
Today, we went to two orphanages for children who are affected by HIV/AIDS. The children were overjoyed to see us and were so excited that we brought soccer balls and candy for them. We were able to impact their lives through friendships and connection. Many of them were under the age of 10 and did not know what America was, which was extremely interesting because when I was that age I probably didn’t know what South Africa was either.