Week 4: Classes and Rugby

It's crazy to think that I've been here in South Africa for almost a month now, and in a few days that will be the case.  I've experienced so much already and I'm finally starting to feel like I live here, as opposed to just passing through.  There are definitely times when I miss the comfort of home, but Stellenbosch and this country are both teaching me a lot about myself and the world and it's only been a month!

Classes at Stellenbosch University started on February 1st and I just finished my second full week today.  I'm taking 4 classes here which is the same that I usually take back home at SMC.  I'm taking Conservation Ecology, Photography, Jewelry Design, and a Political Science class about gender and equality specifically in South Africa. My ecology class is a regular university "mainstream" class, so there are many South Africans also in it.  Since the class focuses on the ecology of Africa, I'm learning a lot about species on the continent that are very different from what we find in the States. The rest of my classes are specifically for international students so a few of my AIFS American friends are also in them, but also some German, French, and other international students that I've met in my residence complex.  

My favorite class so far is my political science gender class.  Our professor is SO great and we're learning about so many issues currently facing South Africa such as poverty, racism, sexism, education, violence, and so much more.  We're learning how these issues are hitting this country particularly hard, but are also so similar to what we're experiencing in the U.S and globally.  It's such an interesting time to be in South Africa with Apartheid ending only one year before I was born in 1994 and so much change hitting the country with protests and political unrest in recent years.  I'm excited for the new perspective I'm gaining in the class and can't wait to bring it back to the States and be more informed overall. 

My jewelry design class is also one of my favorites.  We meet for 3 hours every Wednesday night and spend the entire session working towards a jewelry project.  Our first project a pair of copper earrings, which I'm almost done making from scratch.  We started with two small sheets of copper and the paper stencil shown below.  We had to use a small saw to cut out the negative spaces, file away the rough edges, and then use a hammer to create the dome shape of the earrings.  Pictures of the final product to come soon!

          

Starting pieces

Doming the metal into a curved shape

   

Hammering the pieces to curve them.

This Monday night was the first game of Stellenbosch University's mens' rugby season.  I absolutely love how big the sport is here, compared to it's relative unpopularity back home.  I'm missing my SMCFRC family quite a bit (but not 6am morning practices!) and it's great to see so much rugby support around campus. None of my American friends here knew what was happening at the game but I was happy to help. 

Stellenbosch's rugby stadium. The beautiful views don't get old. 

Go Maties!