| 
| 
| 
|  |
|
||||||||||
|
|
|
South Africa: Student Comments
“What surprised me the most was how similar it was to the U.S. They have pretty much everything we have here: BMWs, Mercedeses, great freeways, Internet cafés, American movies, American music, KFC, McDonald's, Chinese food, Italian food, etc. It really was a shock and showed me just how little we know about South Africa and Africa in general. The people's attitude is definitely the thing that is most different. People tend to take life a lot easier than here and are generally a lot friendlier. There are subtle differences in every aspect of their society, ranging from government, to sexuality, AIDS, the roles of women and men, crime, work, and just about everything else you can think of.” —EAP Student “Cape Town is a beautiful city with a lot to offer. Like any major city, there is a higher crime rate than in the smaller towns, but there seems to be more police presence around the tourist areas. There is also a lot to do there-more than I have time to mention and a tourist guide book would actually be very helpful. There is a whole lot of history there. It was the first city to settle a huge part of the apartheid struggle. It seems to be more diverse than the rest of the country, but still harbors some of the problems caused by apartheid. The weather is very different from the East Coast. It is very similar to Santa Barbara weather (warm summers, cold wet winters). There is plenty of public transportation and lots to do.” —EAP Student, UC Santa Barbara “It is cliché to say it but studying abroad in South Africa was the most amazing experience of my life. The student-faculty interaction was nothing like it is in the U.S. Students and professors are on a first-name basis and the atmosphere is much less formal. I found this to be a wonderful change and great for my education. The things I did, the places I went, and the people I met will forever remain my favorite memories to date. In my life, I have never been as happy as I was during my time abroad. The experience fostered my independence and maturity. Even though I love being home, I know that I could have been happy in Cape Town had I stayed for longer than a semester. The whole experience proved to me that I will be fine wherever I end up in life, no matter how unfamiliar or intimidating the situation is. The "slow down in Cape Town" mentality seemed novel to me at first but I learned to love the laid-back attitudes of everyone and everything around me. The best part about studying abroad in South Africa is the opportunity to travel around and see a culture very different from anything you have ever experienced. South Africa is a relatively new country since democracy is only 11 years old and this provides for interesting opportunities to become involved in community outreach and development initiatives. ” —Rebecca Silberman, UC Los Angeles
|
| x | Copyright ©
the Regents of the University of California |
