Submitted by Khadia Baptiste on the 2017 winter session program in South Africa sponsored by Department of Sociology and Criminal Justice and the Alfred Lerner College of Business and Economics…
Only a fourteen-hour flight they said. Well, I have to admit it felt like a twenty-four hour flight. Despite the long flight, I made it safely to South Africa! Who would’ve thought they would have the opportunity to fulfill their dreams of going to Africa while in college? Well, I am fulfilling that dream at twenty-one years old by studying abroad and it has been too A-M-A-Z-I-N-G thus far.
During my week here, I have been to the Ann van Dyk Cheetah Centre, where I was able to pet a cheetah. Let me tell you it was the scariest, most exhilarating and breathtaking moment of my life. Coming from the little island of St. Thomas, I’ve never experienced such animals like I have seen in South Africa. The beautiful wildlife besides the cheetahs includes animals such as African wild dog, brown hyena and Cape vulture. It was a very altruistic of Ann van Dyk who volunteered her parents’ chicken farm when the National Zoological Gardens of South Africa ran out of space to continue their captive breeding programs. Now, the cheetahs are no longer on the endangered species list thanks to her heroism for wildlife preservation. I also hiked and visited the Union Building where the Nelson Mandela statue is located.
My experience in South Africa have been one like no other. From the beautiful view to meeting people with the warmest hearts. On the bad side, it has been rough adapting to the seven-hour time difference between the United States and South Africa. On the bright side, I got the opportunity to taste crocodile, lamb and ostrich meat. I have been overseas, but I never have been to a place that has such a variety of meat choices to eat. In addition, I realize that South Africans are very crafty with their hands. Their ability to use readily available resources and make them into valuable treasures is a skill that amazes me. South Africa, you are as beautiful as your people and I am thrilled to be here! The weather is definitely amazing, better than being in eighteen degrees right now.
