(video produced by Edward YUEN, EF, Year 4)
The colonial architectures in town feel like Europe. What surprised me a lot is that on the one hand, Cape Town and Stellenbosch are modern with well urban planning and wide use of new technology such as e-wallet; on the other hand, the colonial architectures in town feel like Europe. Before this programme, I was not used to sharing about myself with whom I had met just once. However, my encounter with friendly South Africans changed me. Compared to Chinese, South Africans’ way of communication is more interactive. They are
warm, energetic and love to share their personal feelings with the others. They would take the initiative to chat with you and share everything with you, making you not to feel lonely. Teaching and learning at Stellenbosch University (SU) presented another big difference. Instead of teaching with textbook and PowerPoint, which is a bit boring to students, SU lecturers arranged many activities, including field trips, to strengthen our knowledge and understanding. This interactive way of teaching effectively aroused our interest in learning. For instance, the course “Doing business in Southern Africa” took us to a company and a vineyard to learn about business operation. We even have an opportunity to do a wine tasting. Before travelling overseas, what shall conduct research, not only by relying on the internet but also by talking with people who have been there. An international student from South Africa was invited to do a sharing during CB pre-departure training. I appreciate the arrangement because it’s helpful to know about the country from a local’s perspective and build some essential awareness before our arrival. Remark: Jennifer demonstrated good improvement
in her intercultural competency upon return. She scored 18 points higher in her post-programme IDI test, moving from a Minimisation orientation towards an Acceptance orientation within 5-week time.
Sadly, until now, racial discrimination and conflicts are still severe. Before the programme, I expected South Africa today would be a relatively developed country, similar to China 10-year-ago, where a fair number of residents are living reasonably well, start-up businesses are being encouraged, and
infrastructure constructions have excellent potentials. I thought influences brought about by apartheid have minimised and discrimination has been significantly eased, after the era of Mandela. Surprisingly, after exploring around the country and experiencing what a South African’s life was like in-person, I discovered that only half of my expectations
are correct, and many things are far beyond my naive imagination. My primary shock is about the extreme wealth gap between different classes. It is through a visit to a township called Kayamandi, where I witnessed how awful the residents’ living situation is and how hard they struggle to maintain a livelihood. I failed to imagine how 8 people can live in a 10-square meters area with barely iron sheets to resist wind and rain. Meanwhile, I was wowed by my white classmates’ luxuriousvillas that are hundreds of square meters large and full of expensive decorations. The reality is: millions of South Africans are suffering while millions of them are squandering. This is one of the severe consequences of its colonisation and apartheid history, during which the western colonisers enslaved the black and coloured people, depriving them of opportunities and leaving them to the bottom of society.
