Dates to Remember
- Freshman Scholarship Deadline
February 1, 2010 - Application Deadline
April 1, 2010
Haley Mulford's South African Adventure
Class of 2010
International and Area Studies
and Political Science
Hometown: Tulsa, OK
The Winelands is an area north of the big city of Cape Town in the Western Cape Province. It’s comprised mostly of three towns: Franschhoek, Stellenbosch, and Paarl. I visited and stayed for a couple days in the first two and eventually made my way to Cape Town for “fall” break (since the seasons are opposite), last week. Everywhere you look there is a wine estate. The whole area is full of beautiful mountains, rolling hills, and grape vines as far as you can see. The first backpackers we checked into said that Stellenbosch was very safe and as three girls, we could walk around at night. It was nice to see that there were no electric fences or gates surrounding the houses, and that there were people walking everywhere around town instead of driving, (most people drive everywhere in Pretoria because it is more safe). It was a relaxed atmosphere and a nice place to get away. One thing you obviously have to do while in the Winelands is go on a wine tour. I’m not much of a wine drinker but it was still very fun.
April 5, 2009
As I've said before, South Africa is home to many tribes, or groups of people. Four other girls and I recently went to Lesedi Cultural Village, which is right outside of Pretoria. Lesedi showcases five groups: Zulu, Xhosa, Ndebele, Pedi, and Basotho. There are traditional homesteads set up representing each of the five tribes. People from the actual tribes live in these villages and there are extra huts for visitors to stay overnight and observe.
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March 20, 2009
It is interesting how some people can view a place completely different than someone else. My roommate, Laura from Belgium, had her parents come visit South Africa for three weeks. One of the first nights they were here all of my roommates and I were sitting around our “living room” table talking when Laura told us that her mother said South Africa reminds her so much of the United States. I think my mouth dropped to the floor. All I could think about was the differences that I point out daily. First and foremost is of course the crime. South Africa is a great country but nobody ever talks about the bad, yet very important, aspects.
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February 26, 2009
Studying abroad encompasses so many more things than just taking classes in another country or perhaps in another language. Travelling, getting to know the people and getting involved in local causes are major parts of the experience as a whole. All of these in conjunction with taking classes are what make studying abroad such an important aspect of a college education.
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February 6, 2009
This semester I was lucky enough to have been accepted into the study abroad exchange program for South Africa. I arrived at the airport in Johannesburg three weeks ago and am now living in the city of Pretoria, which is the capitol of the country. The university that OU has an exchange program with is the University of Pretoria, or UP, or TUKS. It is the largest residential university out of the 19 in South Africa. As an exchange student I live in a housing unit with other international and post-graduate students.
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