Soweto

The day after we landed in Johannesburg, we went on an all-day tour of Soweto, the most well-known township in the country.

Our tour guide was a hilarious lady named Alina who lives in Soweto herself. She told us a lot of great information from a personal perspective.

We made several stops along the tour, including Maponya Mall that was recently built by the first millionare in Soweto...

...Kliptown, where the new post-apartheid government is now memorialized...


...the famous squatter shacks that people build illegally because they have nowhere else to live...

...Regina Mundi Church, which played an important role in the Soweto Uprising of 1976...


...we drove by Desmond Tutu's house and Nelson Mandela's house...

...we ate lunch at Alina's restaurant (which is part of her house), and some local kids danced for us...


...we saw a memorial for the Soweto Uprising of 1976, where hundreds of protesting youth were killed by the police...

...and finally, we visited the Apartheid Museum.

We saw so much in one day that I am still processing it all. It was definitely an eye-opening experience for me. I had no idea that Soweto was that big and had such a variety of people and houses. I didn't expect that people would be proud to live there, but they are. They have been through so many struggles and are still going strong, and that really spoke volumes to me.

Seeing those shacks was definitely moving as well. I realized that I have been given so, so much, and that I need to use those blessings in some way to help people who don't have the privilege that I have. I'm now struggling with trying to figure out how exactly God wants to use me and the things He's given me.

Also, after seeing all the atrocities of apartheid in the museum, I can't believe that South Africa is as peaceful as it is today. I'm amazed that those who were oppressed were able to forgive, at least somewhat, and move on with life rather than demand justice. South Africa is definitely a great example to the rest of the world.

Word of the day: "yebo" (yay-bow) which means "yes"

Journey to Africa

53 APU students met on East Campus at 2:30 in the morning, Wednesday January 21, 2010. Most of us didn't sleep the night before because there wasn't really time. I had started packing at about 12:15am, and with the help of my wonderful mother, managed to finish just in time to leave for school. It was cold and drizzling as we waited to load the buses and say goodbye to friends and family.

Several of the nursing students who had just returned from being in South Africa last semester came to see us off. They had cards of encouragement for each one of us new nursing students. I was so appreciative of their support and encouragement to us. It really meant a lot to me that they came!

We flew that morning from LAX to Dulles in DC. For the first time in my life, I slept during the entire flight!

After a couple hours in Dulles, we boarded South African Airlines and began a 15 hour flight to Johannesburg! They gave us 3 meals during the flight, and we each had our own individual TV screens to choose from several movies. Unfortunately, the movies didn't work during the first 8 hours of the flight, so I slept pretty much the entire time.

We stopped for an hour in Dakar, Senegal to refuel, but we weren't allowed to get off the plane. It was nice to have that short break in the middle of the flight. I watched a movie during the second half and slept some more. By the time we landed in Johannesburg at about 6pm, I felt like I could keep on flying for several more hours! It hadn't felt long to me at all!


It was so exciting to land in South Africa. We met Reg, the director of APU's South African campus. We sent our big luggage with Philip, one of the drivers for the semester. He drove it 5 hours south to Pietermaritzburg while we stayed at a hotel in Johannesburg for the next 2 nights.

Word of the day: "Ngiyapila" (ghee-a-pee-la) means "I'm fine"

P.S. Many of the pictures I'm posting on the blog were taken by other people in the group, not by me.

Where to Begin?

I'm sorry that I haven't posted anything exciting yet. There's been a lot happening to tell you about, but I just didn't know where to begin! I've been trying to decide what the purpose of this blog should be. To share all the adventures of my time here in the jungles of Africa? Or to talk about my nursing experiences in a new country and new culture? Or to tell how God is working in my life? Or a mixture of all three?

I think I've decided on the mixture idea. I don't tend to be a very deep person, so I apologize ahead of time if you're expecting me to talk about things deeper than what I see on the surface. I like to experience things like a child- wide-eyed and excited, then think about the deeper aspects later on.

I have a lot to catch you up on from the past two weeks since I left the US. I'll do a separate post on each experience so that you have short segments to read when you have time rather than having to sit down and read one long post all at once. Enjoy!

P.S. My goal is to teach you a new Zulu word or phrase in each post so that you can learn something new, and I can remember what I've been taught!

The last post's was "sawubona" (saw-bone-a) which means hello, or literally "I see you/I acknowledge you."

Today's word is: "Unjani?" (oon-john-ee) which means "How are you?"

My view as I type this!

Sawubona!

Hello from Pietermaritzburg, South Africa!

APU's study abroad Spring 2010 group arrived safely in Pietermaritzburg exactly one week ago. It feels like we've been here a lot longer than that though! We've already done so much and seen so many things that I could go home today and be happy with the trip!

But there are so many more places to go and adentures to have, not to mention many classes and clinicals ahead. I have already learned so much from the people here, from the nurses, and from the cultural sites we've been to. I can't even imagine how much more I have to learn and to grow in the months ahead!

I can't wait to share everything that I experience with you as God moves in and through this wonderful group of students that He has blessed with the privilege of a lifetime. Check back frequently to see what's going on here in South Africa!