Can We Go Back Before The End Of The Summer?

 

Choosing to go to South Africa a few weeks ago was truly one of the best experiences of my life.  I know any English professor would be ashamed of a topic sentence like this, but there is honestly no simpler way to put it.  I think it still blows my mind that just a few weeks ago I was halfway across the world, in a completely different culture, yet some parts of me felt completely at home.  I could not have been luckier throughout the whole experience and I hope that I can have more opportunities even remotely as influential as this one later in life.

Way back at the beginning of the semester I remember talking to Will Varner as he told me he was going on a Maymester to South Africa and I remember thinking that will definitely be a fun trip with a Varner along.  Then I heard from a few other of my close friends that they were thinking about going.  That’s when I knew this was a once in a lifetime experience that I needed to partake in.  Little did I know I greatly underestimated it at the time.

As the days grew closer I was able to tie together all of the loose ends, frantically at times.  Reading Toxic Charity and A Long Walk to Freedom started to put things into perspective.  They may have taken most of my time out of a few needed days of rest, but I really enjoyed them, and I have already recommended Toxic Charity to multiple people for a quick summer read.  Thinking back to a few weeks ago I can just remember my excitement as I read and when I finally arrived at the airport I just could not sit still.There was one thing though that I hated about the trip. Yes, HATED! I could not stand the plane ride.  I may have slept the majority of the way there, but just sitting in a plane for that long, with the excitement and expectations in my head, was much worse than trying to go to sleep on Christmas Eve.  As we traveled the suspense grew, and by the time we got to the hotel I was relieved, tired, but still ready to go.

Throughout the jam packed journey there are multiple experiences that I will never forget.

First, I think that we all were able to learn a lot from the speakers that we got the privilege to listen to.  One man I know I will never forget is Stuart Hendry.  Stuart is one of the founders of SASDI, a specialist in entrepreneurial leadership training, and teaches classes at UCT.  He was probably one of the most influential people that we met the entire trip.  Of the time we got to spend in the classroom, listening and interacting with Stuart was a great way to spend it.  He covered a broad range of topics anywhere from the history of South Africa, to a variety of leadership skills I had never thought about.  There were a few other speakers that also really stood out to me.  Ali Meadows came to talk to us one morning about sustainable tourism.  She was one of the more passionate people that we got to hear from and it was really neat to see how interested she was in this subject.  She explained how beneficial tourism can be for all of Africa, and if we keep it sustainable it will last without depleting resources.  Finally the last speaker that really stood out to me was Luvuyo Rani.  He had grown up in a township, and with the help of his brother, started one of the most successful internet cafe’s in South Africa.  Like I said in my earlier blog, listening to this man was like listening to a young Steve Jobs, and he was standing 5 feet away from me.  He was the epitome of a success story and I think I will probably be looking him up every so often to see what else he has accomplished.

 

Second, I think the tours and activities we did were things that you really can not do in other parts of the world.  I did not get to experience the hike up to the top of Table Mountain, but I was able to experience the wind chills and practically see my own house from the top.  One of my favorite days was getting on the bus and going to the Cape of Good Hope.  I got to see penguins in their natural habitat, sit on the edge of a cliff, and feed a seal a fish from my mouth.  I would say a day probably can’t get much more successful than that.  Also I think going to Stellenbosch was one of the coolest history lessons I have ever had.  Then again, I guess I’ve never had wine during a history lesson before.  I was so interested in that historic city, and it made me feel like I was at home because it seemed so similar to going down to Charleston.

 

Overall I am certain that this trip has genuinely changed the rest of my life.  When I stepped foot on South African soil for the first time I had never been out of the United States.  To experience a culture like this one was an eye opening experience to say the least.  At one half of the spectrum there is poverty.  And when I say poverty I mean disgusting, dirty, like the infomercials you see on TV.  That was something that blew my mind.  In the US we have poverty, but anyone without a job still receives welfare and food stamps and free healthcare.  Its a completely different life than the rest of the world.  On the other half of the spectrum there are some extremely smart, wealthy people.  We had the opportunity to meet a few of them and some of their stories and lessons I know impacted me greatly.  As we drove around we got to see that most houses, even in neighborhoods, had big stone fences, with electrical fencing at the top.  I think this is something that really made me realize the division between the two spectrums.  Right down the road from each other one man is starving, while the other is boarded up in his house trying to protect his family from being robbed.

One thing that I realized about the culture though, was that the people were incredibly similar to us.  We were able to meet people and instantly get along with them and have common interests.

Out of the entire trip I think I learned one lesson that will continue to stay with me the rest of my life.  What I learned was that a strong sense of community involvement will change nations.  We were able to see that through our readings, through Stuarts teaching, and through some of the other speakers and activities.  SASDI really puts it into perspective because when they start working on a project they get the entire community involved.  We have to have leaders like Kissmea, but once you start building people will come and get involved.  This sense of community was something that stood out all over Cape Town, through the rich and poor.  Everyone was so laid back and relaxed, but hard working and disciplined at the same time.  They all worked together and worked to each others strengths to start projects and empower the community.  I think I even noticed it in our group.  The sense of community grew as the trip went on.  The first few nights I remember staying only with my close friends.  As time went on we all started to spend more time together and by the end of the trip when we sat down and talked in the game lodge I felt incredible close to the people around me.  Leaving South Africa I will know that strong community involvement will get things done a lot faster than trying to single handedly do them myself.

This trip changed my life and gave me an incredible opportunity that I hope I will get to have again.  I could not have picked a better group of people to go with if I tried, and I think Dr. Turner definitely outdid himself on some of the activities we got to do.  There truly was never a dull moment, and although we may have stayed up late and woken up early, there was plenty of time to sleep once I got back to America.  I know I had a lasting experience and some great memories that I am glad to be able to share with a great group of friends.

 

@WMILLS3 #PCBLUEPRIDE

The Trip of a Lifetime

As I am now sitting at home I realize that just a day ago I  was sitting on a plane returning from a country halfway around the world.  The feeling now that I am home is a bit surreal.  I am still in a little bit of shock that I was actually able to have an amazing journey to South Africa with some old friends, and many new ones. It was possibly the best experience of my life and I am already beginning to miss every minute of it.  

There are a lot of things from this trip that I will never forget.  Standing on top of Table Mountain and looking over the entire cape was something that words can only take so far.  It feels almost as if you are standing on top of the world.  Stellenbosch was such a cool historic town to learn about, and I won’t ever forget the wine tasting.  Being able to work at Philippi was unlike any experience I have ever had on a mission trip, and yet it was still one of the most humbling things I have ever had the opportunity to do.  I was able to see live penguins in action for the first time, as well as hold my breath for a boat ride to seal island, probably the most foul smelling part of the trip.  But then again, being able to hug a seal and feed it a fish from my own mouth was something that doesn’t really happen every day.  I loved the movie Invictus, but going to my first rugby match was a much more realistic approach to understanding the game.  Going to the Cape of Good Hope, being attacked by the birds there, and climbing up to the light house also yielded an incredible view.  However, it wasn’t until you hop over the precautionary barrier and step foot on the edge of the ledge do you really understand how marvelous the view was.  Finally, it will be hard to forget the safari we went on at the Aquila Game Lodge.  I have been to plenty of zoos in my life, but being able to be almost touching distance from an elephant is pretty cool.

I will also be able to relive all of these experiences with an entire new group of friends.  Some may be old and many are new, coming from all types of backgrounds at school, but at the end of the day we all experienced this journey together and it will hold us apart from many groups back at school.  From run ins with the British Royal Navy, getting phones stolen, and going out with graduate students from Cape Town, I can say that we all had a lot of fun even outside the classroom and scenery. 

Finally I just wanted to take the time to thank all of the people that are responsible for making this trip happen.  I think it far exceeded all of our expectations and there was certainly never a dull moment the entire trip.  So thank you Dr. Turner, Mrs. Turner, Mike (Dad), Stuart Hendry, and all of the speakers that were willing to take time out of their busy schedule to come and speak to us.  I think all of us students had a great time, and I think if we had gone with different professors/chaperones it would not have been nearly as fun.  So, thank you to everyone that came on this trip and made it possible for me to have such a great time.  I really am going to miss it.

 

Wyatt Mills

Sustainable Tourism and Silulo

 

We woke up to have our first session at 8 o’clock.  After our busy schedule it is still hard to wake up, but after a cup of coffee I was completely bought in. Our first speaker was from University of Cape Town and introduced us to sustainable tourism.  She might have been my favorite speaker yet. (sorry Stuart) For one of the first times in my life I was really interested in the tourism, nature side of the business world.  One thing that really caught my attention was a satellite.  The entire eastern half of the world was covered with lights and all of Africa was completely dark.  It made me understand how Africa has incredible resources that haven’t been tapped into yet.  If Africa was to buy into sustainable tourism more then their economy could sky rocket.  I understand that South Africa has one of the fastest growing economies in the world, but tourism could bring an even greater impact to their growth.

After a quick break we got to listen to one more speaker before lunch.  This man, Luvuyo Rani, really is the epitome of a South African success story.  He started off trying to provide computers to local teachers and began to create internet cafes.  In township areas where internet access is scarce people can go to the cafes and pay a small fee to access the internet.  He also is offering classes to teach people how to use computers anywhere from just learning Windows operating system to advanced coding and computer repair.  I found his story to be one of the most inspiring ones yet.  It was like sitting in a room and listening to a young Steve Jobs early in his career.  This company, Silulo, has become one of the major internet access providers in the country and has partnered with Vodaphone, the major cell phone company, to provide technological access to a growing number of people.

 

Stellenbosch

Today was our first day leaving the Cape Town area. We went to Stellenbosch which is a really nice historical city about 45 minutes outside of Cape Town. Once we got there we had a day filled with tea time, wine tasting, and historical tours. The city looked reminded me a lot like Charleston or another historic city, but once we got deep into the tour there was a lot of African insight to learn.   Our tour was great and something that I was really interested in was the roofs on a lot of the buildings.  They were something I had never seen before. It was not your typical shingled roof, but rather a roof made from reeds. They were carefully placed in equal lengths on the roof, starting from the bottom and slowly getting smaller towards the top of the roof.  On the interior of the house the ceiling is similar, but it is made from thicker reeds that look like pieces of bamboo.  The average section takes around 8 days to build and it looks like a rather tedious process.

One other highlight of my day my going to visit a data analytics firm. It was a short visit, but I found it pretty interesting considering I took a class related to the subject of data mining last semester. As I walked around the office I saw a lot of familiar stuff on the computers as people worked. It is a lot of work in excel and the people that work at this firm take the data from excel and format it in their own programs. The final product comes out as specific business models to project companies sales for the future and even compare them to historical data. They had clients anywhere from major financial firms to oil companies and even Ivy League schools.  It may have only been a short pit stop for the day, but it was surprising how similar it was to the ideas that we dipped into in business intelligence class.

Overall I had a great and tiring day. I cannot wait to work in a township tomorrow and see an entirely different aspect of society around here.

First Few Days

First Few Days

Arrival

Arriving in Cape Town was a treat after being on a plane ride for more than a day.  I think we were all pretty tired, but eager to get going, see parts of the city, and figure out what South Africa was all about.  The night of arrival we stayed in the hotel and met an interesting British man in the lobby.  He had some great advice about the city, where to go, and people to meet.

Day 1

The first morning we were all up early and got to meet Stuart Hendry.  Stuart started our first learning session with a brief history of South Africa, and explained the incredible sense of pride that the people of the nation have.  We discussed the past and then moved on to discuss what the future may hold for South Africa.  One thing that really stood out for me is how South Africa can go in 3 directions in the future, “Walking Together”, “Walking Apart”, and “Walking Behind.” Only the “Walking Together” direction will be a good influence on South Africa’s culture in the future. It involves the public and private sectors working together with active participation among the communities to derive positive growth in the government and economy.  We got to go up to the top of Table Mountain and I got to see one of the most incredible views I could ever imagine.  That night we went to the Waterfront and ate some great food and enjoyed the atmosphere.

Day 2

On saturday we had class most of the day at the University of Cape Town.  We met Stuart there again and got to talk a lot about leadership and entrepreneurship.  We learned about the 9 fundamentals of humans development based on a model created by Max-Neef.  We also got to hear some of the pitches for local graduate students and their entrepreneurial projects. After class we went out to a local restaurant and continued to talk with the students about their culture and education process.

Day 3

Sunday morning we woke up early and got to attend church at St. James.  The service surprised me because it was very contemporary and reminded me a lot of some churches I have been to back home.  The speaker taught a great sermon out of the book of Ruth and I found him pretty relaxed and funny as he taught.  After church some of us decided to hike up Table Mountain, but a group of us went back to the hotel and just got some rest because we still have a jam packed week ahead of us.

My Perceptions So Far

The culture that I have seen in South Africa is in some ways completely the same as back home and some ways completely different.  In America I feel like we are always going at such a fast pace and never take the time to slow down.  Since we have been here I have noticed, apart from cab rides, that the people are a lot more relaxed and not as stressed as we are. They may do some things differently, but in general we have held a great sense of community with the local people that we have met.  We both take great pride in our countries and the things that we do, and I feel that we have been able to hold that in common since we have been here.  I know we have only been here a few days, but I wonder if my original perceptions will hold true throughout the trip.

 

Wyatt Mills

Long Walk to Freedom

If I could describe Nelson Mandela in one word it would simply be, WOW! Mandela is to South Africa what Abraham Lincoln is to the United States, and we all know that Abraham Lincoln is a bit of a big deal in grade school history classes.  Mandela has received numerous awards, including the Nobel Peace Prize, Time’s Person of the Year,  the Congressional Gold Medal, and the Ghandi Peace Prize, just to name a few.  I don’t think even honest Abe can really compete with that.  He has completed tasks and gained awards that would take many people multiple lifetimes to achieve, all while coming from an impoverished African background.  Also in this time he has managed to tell the world about his life, influence, and accomplishments in his autobiography, Long Walk to Freedom.

Mandela is known as an incredible South African leader, known most famously for his great leadership abilities, as well as work ending the apartheid movement.  However, if you dive into his autobiography it is clear that he was indeed a mischievous child, and had his fair share of struggles throughout his life. His autobiography is written from a very mature standpoint, taking most matters quite seriously, with a few jokes here and there from his childhood.  Mandela makes it clear how driven of a person he was and how he could still succeed living off of minuscule food, and wearing a patched suit to work, “with more patches than suit.”

Prior to reading this autobiography, I probably only knew as much about Mandela as an average American teenage kid would.  He was big on apartheid, was a good leader, and could probably change places with Morgan Freeman and not many people would know the difference.  However, once I started reading his life story I realized how influential of a person he really was.  He was influenced anywhere from his father, to his caretaker, the regent, to his school companions and coworkers.  During this whole time he seemed to be a listener.  For most of his early life Nelson Mandela seemed to listen to everyones conflicting views. He listened to all sorts of rules, learned about the animosity towards white people, learned how much power they had, and learned about different democratic and communist viewpoints on government. Throughout his time at school and his early work career he listened and established his own viewpoints.

Overall, I think that his autobiography was a great thing to read prior to this trip.  I think it will help us as a class understand what life was/is like in a lot of parts of South Africa based on Mandela’s description of his childhood.  I also think that there is a lot to learn from his time spent on Robben Island.  For a man to go through that much struggle and still come out of it more compassionate and forgiven than ever says a lot about him.  Mandela has strong character and his book was a great read to really see firsthand what South African culture can be like.  Now that I have read it I cannot wait to finally get there and see for myself.

 

Toxic Charity- Wyatt Mills

 

Robert D. Lupton jumps right in to what he describes as “the scandal” of people giving money to poverty early in his book, Toxic Charity. Lupton is the founder and president of FCS Urban Ministries and has also written multiple christian based works on a broad variety of topics.  He is very aware, much more than most people, of the impact that poverty has on our nation, and around the world, as he has worked primarily in inner-city Atlanta for the past 40 years.  As a community developer, entrepreneur, and devout christian, he raises many moving points throughout his novel on tackling poverty.

From the beginning of chapter one Lupton gives readers an overview of his stance on poverty.  He believes that as Americans we have only the best of intentions giving our money to charity, but we also need to have a better awareness of where our money is actually going.  From the beginning of the book his thoughts began to grow on me and have slightly influenced an aspect of life that I do not give too much thought.  The statistics repeatedly show that America’s “helping hand” does not actually help as much as we think it does.  Lupton points out that decades prior to the devastating earthquake in Haiti more that 8 billion dollars of aid has been sent to the country.  Haiti has actually ended up 25 percent poorer than prior to the aid beginning.(p 36)  If people are able to actually help themselves, then it is essential that we teach them how to help themselves, not just throw money in their direction.  Lupton is able to back these statistics with a number of interesting stories throughout the book in an attempt to change the way that people battle poverty.

One story that I found very moving that backs up this key perspective he entitles, “Need Based Relationships.”  A woman, Ann, who works at a soup kitchen crosses paths with a poor, needy woman named Janice.  Ann is moved by Janice’s story and begins to help her a little extra outside of the soup kitchen to find her a place to live, and more food for Janice’s children.  This seems to be working out well for a short time, and Janice seemed to have a hopeful outlook on her future.  As time goes on Ann finds out a little more about Janice’s story and realizes that she is not the only one that is helping this woman.  Janice had been taking advantage of multiple churches and overly compassionate people such as Ann for her own selfish needs.  Lupton ends this story explaining, “relationships built on need do not reduce need.” (p 61)  Janice had grown dependent on Ann and others like her, and because these people were so giving, Janice had no need to work for herself.  I feel that it is very important for people like Ann to not just give too much extra effort due to the fact that these people will eventually become dependent and they will never be able to establish a name for themselves, ultimately destroying the system of help that has been established for them in the first place.  This story really sets the standard on how we should not just give and give, rather we should teach people the direction to go in, and eventually they will be able to sustain themselves without any more help.

Later in the novel Lupton raises some solutions to the problems of poverty.  One solution, microlending, seems to have very positive affects on international poverty in entirely poor nations.  In some impoverished countries, Lupton uses Nicaragua as an example, there is a great need for entrepreneurship.  If we, as a much wealthier nation are able to establish “trust groups” between groups of people in this nation we can lend them money, as well as teach the people how to hone their skills to produce profit and raise standard of living.  Geralyn Sheehan took the initiative to seek out driven people in Nicaragua and help them fund community driven projects to enhance the standard of living.  These “trust groups of people were able to sit down with Geralyn and establish business models that overtime greatly benefitted the community.  These people were willing to accept outside “teachers” to point them in the right direction, as well as microloans, to jump start their business ventures.  Overtime their businesses succeeded and they were able to pay back these loans and enhance the standard of living in their community with a new flow of money into their villages economy.  From my point of view this is something that needs to be done all over the world.  It is proven to work and I think that microlending provides a great strategy to tackle poverty around the world.

Now by the time I finished the book I asked myself, “What have I really learned?”  Apart from a few statistics and new stories about poverty I feel that I have taken away one or two key points from this novel.  First, I think that the United States has taken the battle on poverty in an entirely wrong direction over the past few decades.  We have established the need to help those less privileged than us, but over time the system that we use seems to do more harm than good.  It is important to understand that money is not everything.  Yes, while it does help tremendously in times of crises, normal acts of giving do not tend to help as much.  Each scenario is different and we have to establish groups that are willing to tackle each scenario based on its needs.  We need to pay more attention to what poor people need and want, and then stay actively involved with them to make their dreams a reality.  This brings me to my second major point that I think I have learned.  Honestly, Lupton sums it up perfectly when he states, “ Feed a man a fish and he’ll eat for a day; teach a man to fish and he’ll eat for a lifetime.”(p108)  Just like the instance of Ann and Janice that I mentioned earlier, if we continue to throw money and take control of people like Janice then they will become dependent.  To teach people, and point them in the right direction, may be a hundred times more difficult, but it will have a lasting effect.  To take a group of successful minds and place them in a community in need, with the idea of teaching and mentoring, instead of just giving money, will have an incredible impact on both parties.

I think that Lupton’s novel has been a great precursor to the things that we will see in South Africa.  It is important to understand that the people down there have great opportunities for entrepreneurship and small business gains.  Giving them money will most likely leave them off poorer and dependent, but overtime as we show these people the opportunity that is in front of them they will take advantage of it and turn South Africa into an incredible nation.  They have the resources at their disposal and it is evident that some of Lupton’s tactics are being used, considering that South Africa has one of the fastest growing economies in the world.

Expectriptations

I can not wait to travel to South Africa in a few weeks.  The only time I have ever really been out of the country was a cruise to the Bahamas, and that doesn’t really count.  The only thing I am really worried about is the plane ride there.  I could not tell you the last time I have been on a plane, and if my pokemon game runs out of battery I might be out of luck.  I am really looking forward to getting off the plane and setting foot on dry land in on a new continent.  Once we finally arrive I am looking forward to a great deal of things.  Well, to be honest just about everything on the itinerary seems to pertain to some interest of mine.  I have recently found quite an interest in backpacking and hiking, so the hike up to Table Mountain seems like quite an adventure to me, as long as we don’t get trapped under a “table cloth.”  I have always had a love for technology so the trip to the Google headquarters will also be a huge thrill.  Also I cannot wait to go to the rugby match.  I have been a sports fan my whole life, but rugby has not been a sport that I have ever followed, so it will be interesting to see how well I can follow along.  Aside from attractions I am eager to learn about the economic state of Cape Town, as well as the rest of the nation.  I am sure that the guest speakers will be incredible to listen to and they will put a lot of thoughts into a new perspective for me.   I think that South Africa will be a unique experience and something that I can look back on for the rest of my life and I cannot wait to arrive.