Cultural Connections and Compassionate Contributions

Participating in ACE in South Africa has taught me numerous things about myself, my peers, communities abroad, other cultures, diverse traditions, and new ways of communicating. When reflecting on these experiences over the three weeks we spent in Cape Town, I can’t help but smile. Trying to unpack all of the emotions and things I have to say into just a few paragraphs is an arduous task, primarily because there will never be enough said about this genuinely amazing and impactful experience.

Before going to South Africa, we were tasked with answering many questions about what we thought the experience would be like. Some of these questions were as follows: What do you think the biggest challenge will be and how do you foresee yourself dealing with this challenge? What do you expect to learn from this experience? What do you think you will bring to the ACE team, whether it be a personality trait, past experience, etc.? Before going to Cape Town, answering these questions seemed fairly straightforward. I guessed that one of the biggest challenges would be the language barrier, and to overcome this obstacle, I would do my best to learn easy phrases in the local language, which was Xhosa. I expected that I would gain an understanding of others’ perspectives in diverse communities and that it would teach me more about both myself and how others see the world. Lastly, I thought that I would bring a lot of empathy to the ACE team, being able to put myself in others’ shoes and understand how they may be feeling.

However, what I didn’t know is that the local language is not easy to pick up, the depth of others’ perspectives was astounding, and only so much empathy can be felt at a time. After going to several language lessons, I acknowledged that picking up the Xhosa language needs a lot of time. This made me wonder how hard it is for others to learn a new language from scratch that seems so complex from the start. For many of the young children we worked with at the preschools, this is what they are doing. Being able to speak English is ubiquitous in our daily lives, and we often take for granted the knowledge we have. But for others in these communities, learning English is cherished and celebrated. Not only did I gain new perspectives in terms of language, but also in how others saw the world.

The main organization we worked with was called VUSA, and the two men we worked with daily were named Massey and Mac. These two men have done so much for the program, it’s truly astonishing. VUSA’s work has helped younger children learn English and given these children an opportunity to expand their knowledge. For the children who are a little older, VUSA provides them with an after-school program to learn and play rugby. In hearing about both Massey and Mac’s experiences and work with these children, I was inspired.

They explained to us that many of the children we saw daily might have been struggling with school and providing them with an opportunity to learn how to play rugby provides them with an outlet and another path for their future in sports. Giving all of these children knowledge in school and sports provides them with a better sense of themselves, helps them to become better people, and shows them the concept of teamwork. Seeing this program [VUSA] in action has inspired me to do what I can locally to also help younger children find their passion in life, whatever it may be.

Lastly, working with all of these children daily brought up a lot of emotions. Before this experience, I thought I had a great sense of empathy, and I could attempt to put myself in anyone’s shoes. However, that was a challenge in Cape Town. I am extremely fortunate and grateful to have had so many opportunities in school and sports growing up with a supportive family and a nice neighborhood. But for many of these children, we didn’t know their background or their home life. All we knew were their names, that we could make them smile, and that a lot of them loved to give high fives. While I may not have been able to put myself in the shoes of some of these children, I was able to do everything I could to leave a lasting impression on them. While they may not remember my name in a few years, I hope that I helped to build on their school experience positively, whether it was reading a book to a group, drawing with them, picking them up, and spinning them around while they laughed and smiled, or just getting a shy one to come out of their shell.

I expected the ACE experience to transform some of my attributes, and potentially change my personal values for the better. Overall, the three weeks in Cape Town truly changed me as an individual. ACE helped shape my perspectives about other cultures and communities, allowed me to cherish the things I am fortunate enough to call my own, showed me how rewarding it is to help others and build connections, and strengthened my ability to adapt in certain situations.

Sometimes building connections with others may be through a smile or a high five, sometimes it’s through speech, and other times it’s indirect like reading a book or playing a game. Learning to adapt to different children’s needs additionally helped me to acknowledge the uniqueness of each individual and have gratitude for these differences. I hope to continue serving the community locally and potentially setting up fundraisers for the VUSA program. I also hope to continue understanding the perspectives of people around me and hearing their stories, because everyone is special, and you can learn so much from a person.

I am so grateful for the opportunity I had to go to South Africa with eleven of the best people. I truly wish I could talk about it forever. But for now, the only wish I have is to continue leaving everything I touch just a little better than how I found it.