South Africa: Wrap-up in PMB & the Drakensberg mountains
On Monday, we had an “Easter egg hunt” similar to the one we had when we met together at the Suderman’s before this intercultural semester. The scavenger hunt includes six clues and we had to solve one to get to the next. The final clue that awaited us was to look for our Easter eggs....
South Africa: Jeffreys Bay to Pietermaritzburg
Week 9, 10, & 11 (J-Bay, Mdumbi, PMB) Spring break on the coasts of South Africa was a blast. We started off the week at Jeffreys Bay where we stayed at the Island Vibes backpacker just a stone’s throw away from the beach. The waves were wild but fun. We celebrated two birthdays there and....
South Africa: Week 8 – Hermanus/Zwelilhe
This past week we spent our time in Hermanus, with homestays in the neighboring township Zwelilhe. We were split up among 8 host families, where we spent our evenings and early mornings. We spent the majority of our weekdays at Volmoed – an intentional community and retreat center. During that time, we took part in....
South Africa: SADRA to Table Mountain
Week 7: Muizenberg Pt. II Oscar and SADRA We spent Monday and Tuesday with Oscar Siwali, the head of the Southern Africa Development and Reconstruction Agency (SADRA). Oscar welcomed us warmly and introduced us to SADRA’s mission: to intervene in conflict and to teach others to intervene in conflict. Despite having only three full-time staff....
South Africa: Colesberg to Cape Town
We departed from Jo’burg on the morning of Saturday the 18th. We woke up, said our goodbyes to our hosts at St. Benedict’s, and hit the road. That day was a nearly 9-hour day on the road with a stop for lunch. We occupied ourselves with some games, music, conversation and a lot of procrastination....
South Africa: Host Families
For the past few Sundays, we’ve been worshipping with different local churches in South Africa. On February 12th, we went to Orlando Baptist Church. On February 19th, we went to Grace Community Church, where we worshipped with congregants from both Colesburg and Cradock. At the different churches, we are regularly called upon to sing a....
South Africa – A closer look
Weekend Activities: We attended a soccer game between the Pirates and the Sundowns on Saturday. This is an important aspect of South African culture. We were on the jumbo tron/TV at least four times and took in the loud and enthusiastic atmosphere. We went to church at the Brethren in Christ Church in Hillbrow and....
South Africa
Jan 28 – Feb 3 Saturday was hot, but pretty relaxing. It was mostly a free day, so after breakfast we had time to hang out, journal, and catch up on some reading. A group of us even went over to the field at the school across the street and played ultimate frisbee and soccer.....
South Africa: Off to Johannesburg
On Friday night our group hosted Ariel, a previous student with the South Africa 2019 intercultural group. She was able to share some insight as well as tips for us, as we continued with our journey forward. The next day was a bit more of a relaxed rest day. However, after dinner, we reconvened, and....
South Africa: Start in Washington, D.C.
First Week On Friday, January 13th, sixteen EMU students and the Suderman family of five were sent off to begin our semester-long South Africa intercultural experience. Our first week was spent in Washington, D.C. We spent the week visiting museums, taking walking tours, and exploring the city. We began to get to know each other....