2014 Cape Town Co-educators

2014 Cape Town Co-educators

Chapman's Peak

At Chapman's Peak
Back row: Manuela, Johnny, Morgan, Jenna, Lauren, Drew, Allie, David, Ken, Sarah, Emily K, Ava
Middle row: Jen, Savannah, Val, Emily B, Cassie, Katrina, Emily W
Front row: Snigdha,Tina, Jessica, Melanie, Courtney, Ryan
Very front: Kiya

Welcome to our blog

WELCOME TO OUR BLOG

As anyone who has participated in UConn's Study Abroad in Cape Town Program can attest, there are no words to adequately explain the depth of the experiences, no illustrations to sufficiently describe the hospitality of the people, and no pictures to begin to capture the exquisiteness of the scenery. Therefore this blog is merely intended to provide an unfolding story of the twenty-six 2014 co-educators who are traveling together as companions on this amazing journey.

As Resident Director and Faculty Advisor of this program since 2008 it is once again my privilege and honor to accompany yet another group of exceptional students to this place I have come to know and love.

In peace, with hope,
Marita McComiskey, PhD
(marita4peace@gmail.com)



Wednesday, April 9, 2014

Emily B's excursion experiences


Going on a safari has been on my bucket list for as long as I can remember but I honestly never thought I would have the opportunity. Little did I know that I would be able to during my time in Cape Town. The whole adventure began as a part of our spring break excursion. We started in Johannesburg and toured many fascinating and contemplative museums. Johannesburg and many of its surrounding suburbs were hubs of activism during the apartheid years and there are many museums to commemorate the bravery of those who stood up against the injustice.
           
One of the most moving museums was the Hector Pieterson Museum. It chronicled the movement against teaching Afrikaans, the language of the white South Africans in all schools. Over 20,000 high school students protested in the streets of Soweto where police killed approximately 176 students. One of the defining images of the massacre was of the body of 13-year-old Hector Pieterson being carried by another student with the victim’s sister running by his side. The thing that struck me the most was a quote that was said by the boy carrying the body of Hector. She commented on those that called her son a hero saying, “he is not a hero. In my culture picking up Hector is not an act of heroism. It was his job as a brother.” I thought the sentiment of that statement perfectly embodies South Africa. Though it is marred by tragedy and sorrow the underlying value is of Ubuntu- I am because you are.
           
After going to the Apartheid Museum and the Sharpeville Memorial, we headed off to Kruger. After a rather long drive through the beautiful countryside of Mpumalanga we finally reached the park. As we were driving into the entrance there were two elephants grazing near by! I could not believe it! Never in my life had I been so close to a wild animal in its natural habitat, and little did I know of the sites to come. We quickly put our things in our rooms and ventured out for a sunset safari. After driving only a few more minutes we saw a wide range of animals from more elephants, to zebras, impalas, a lion with her cubs and my personal favorite was the illusive leopard. It was one of the coolest things I have ever seen!
           
We woke up very early the next morning for a sunrise drive starting at 4:30 am. Although we did not see as many animals this time I still saw buffalo and a very rare endangered vulture. After a quick midmorning nap I was back up to go on the walking safari. I did not know what to expect but out park rangers were very good explaining things as we past them and spotting animals many miles away. We reached a spot in the bush were we got out and began to walk. I hadn’t thought about thorns before this but they definitely became apparent as the stuck my feet while walking. After only a few minutes we saw a giraffe lazily munching on leaves. Though he stopped and stared at us as we approached he remained. I was surprised at how close we were able to get to him! We continued on our way and came across the animal I had been waiting the whole time to see, the rhino! The rhino is becoming seriously threatened as it is poached for its horns. Even in a national park like Kruger it is a huge issue. That is why I was so excited to see one. Though we were not that close I was astonished by the size of the animal. Though it was so big it definitely took notice of us and pretty quickly lumbered away.

The group continued to walk and we started to see large bones. Our guide stopped us and told us that they were elephant bones from a female who was around 50 years old; she apparently died of natural causes. We came across the site where the majority of the bones were and I noticed that the skull was missing. The ranger explained that when an elephant dies it omits vibrations across the plains for many miles that the other elephants pick up on. The other elephants then go to the site and wait for the scavengers to eat the body. After that the elephants take the skull to a secret location where they bury it in a funeral of sorts. That was the final stop before we made our way back to the lodging.

The entire experience of excursion was amazing but the safari was definitely something I will remember for the rest of my life.

No comments:

Post a Comment