April 13-17

As we began to conclude our time in South Africa we spent three days in St. Lucia, to have a time of reflection. During this time we had the chance to sit as a group and engage with one another about our time in South Africa and what that means for our lives upon returning to the United States. This time was filled with many questions. Some were answered, but many were left for us to sit with and ponder. What are we bringing back with us? How has this country changed us? How does a South African context reflect that of the United States? What do we wish to share with others about this experience? This time allowed us to think imaginatively as we reflected through the creation of images, while speaking our own truths through them. As a group, we laughed and cried in the presence of each other as we thought back on the past few months. If one thing was clear through this process it is that this country has deeply impacted our lives in one way or another. 

-Molly Piwonka

April 15

On one of our nights in St Lucia, about 16 of us in the group trekked out into the night on the back of a truck through the iSimangaliso game reserve. We were taken through the park by an experienced tour guide from the area whose name escapes me now. We started off the tour guide with a bang as several hippos crossed the road in front of us in the town of St. Lucia as we were loading into the truck. Through the tour we saw a variety of different animals including chameleons, some bush buck, several kudu, and a rhino. We also finished the night with a bang as we had a close encounter with several elephants that approached our truck closely and seemed to give us a piece of their mind for being in their space. Overall it was an awesome experience with lots of great sightseeing and experiences that we will all remember well for some time to come.

-Ben Alderfer

April 18-19

We spent two days at Kruger National Park doing game drives Tuesday and Wednesday. The first day started at 4:00 in the morning, with breakfast on the bus as we drove to the game park. The highlights of what we saw during our first day were wild spotted dogs, hyenas, and a leopard. The second day was a later start as we only had to leave at 5:00 in the morning. This day was a little less exciting but we still saw elephants, hippos and crocodiles, as well as many other more common animals along the way. Some of these more common animals were impalas, giraffes and elephants. Spending two full days on the bus was exhausting but a great experience as we got to see so many wonderful animals we don’t normally get the chance to see. It was also a time of bonding as we took turns keeping watch in the front seats of the bus, yelling out whatever we saw so everyone could wake up in time to see it. These two days were a great experience and something we were all glad we got the opportunity to do.

-Grant Leichty

April 20-22

Our last days in South Africa were exactly where we started. St. Benedict’s in Johannesburg. Friday morning we had a last service with Anabaptist Network in South Africa, ANiSA, who shaped our very first three weeks. This service included communion with various types of breads, symbolizing different people of the world and several traditional South African drinks. We also were gifted beautiful graduation stoles with traditional African patterns. (Come to graduation and see them for yourselves on our senior classmates) This final service helped us reflect back on the trip and appreciate all we had done together. That evening we had the chance to go back to our original host families for one last meal. There were mixed emotions being able to see our families again while realizing the trip was finally coming to an end. The next day we packed, had one last shopping trip for souvenirs and said goodbye to the country we’d gotten to know the past three months.

-Nathan Oostland