Haley Mulford's South African Adventure

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. The goals of a University are to make you a more educated and worldly person, and I have come to learn that you can’t achieve those without a program like the one that we are so fortunate to have at OU. So this is the list that I am giving myself to achieve while I am here: take advantage of the classes that I normally wouldn’t be able to take at home; travel as much as I can; meet new people from all over the world and learn about their homes; and get involved in local causes. Since I have been in South Africa, which is almost six weeks now, my eyes have been open to new things and new people. I have been lucky enough to travel often and have had some really great experiences.

The first weekend I was here we went to Soweto, which is a township outside of Johannesburg. Here is a great example of the government housing in South Africa. There are thousands of shacks all over the township. In certain areas you can see where some of the shacks are being torn down and small one or two room homes are being built. We just drove through and went to a museum about Soweto. The tour guide told us that if we had been in a bus in Soweto even only a few years back they would be throwing stones at us. Most of the people in the townships don't see how tourism effects them positively and therefore don't want tourists driving around their homes. More recently people go to Soweto and eat in the restaraunts or stay at a backpackers and more money is being made from it.

The second week I was here 15 other exchange students and I had already planned a trip to Durban. It’s one of the largest cities in the country and is known for having great beaches. It’s also close to a game park called Umfalozi. We spent five days lying on the beach, going on a safari, and exploring the culture of the city. Like I said in my last post, South Africa is one of the most diverse countries and the cities and towns can differ greatly from one another. In Durban there is a lot of Indian culture present as well as African. The safari was an amazing experience. We saw three of the Big Five animals of Africa. These are the most dangerous animals in Africa and are comprised of buffalo, lion, elephant, cheetah, and rhino. Technically hippos are the most dangerous because they have killed more people on the continent than any other animal.

Another week some of us went to Johannesburg, or Jo’burg, for a short holiday. Jo’burg has a population of over nine million people and is a huge city. The main attraction that we wanted see was the Apartheid Museum. It’s the only museum in the country made to show the history of that period in South Africa. It was educational and inspirational at the same time. I have never learned as much in three hours as I did in this museum because it was so interesting. There were tons of videos, pictures, personal accounts, written history, and items from the time. The Apartheid was one of the lowest points in South African history. It lasted from the 1950’s until 1991, with the first democratic elections being held in 1994. Many people lost their lives or were imprisoned for fighting to have the right of freedom in their own country.

More recently I went to a mountainous region known for its hiking and breathtaking views. Drakensberg is an area in the Kwazulu-Natal province and is home to Africa’s tallest waterfall and many other geographical sites. We went hiking in the mountains and stayed in a backpackers over night. I have to say that I have never seen the stars as clearly as in Drakensberg. The sunset was amazingly beautiful as well. Very close by is a country called Lesotho (pronounce La-soo-too). Lesotho is located inside of South Africa toward the south east part of the country. The population is less than two million and they have their own language. It is roughly the size of Belgium and is the third poorest country in the world. There is no infrastructure and the locals pay each other by trade of goods or service instead of with money. There is a king but most of the power lies in the Prime Minister. We went to a small village that is not open to tourists other than through one place that had an agreement with them. It was 400 rand per person (which is roughly 40 dollars) and 300 rand went towards the schools in the village. When we arrived there were children running around and playing and women carrying water in buckets on their heads with babies on their backs being held there by blankets wrapped around the mother. It was one of the most beautiful countries I have ever seen. We hiked to a high point that overlooked some of the small village to eat lunch and learned a little about the culture and history of Lesotho. The little kids were thrilled that we were there and followed us everywhere. One boy who seemed to be about five years old wanted to hold my hand and walk with me the whole time. Another boy wanted to see the photos on my camera and had a blast when I taught him how to take a picture. They were incredibly happy people and it makes it hard to decide how you feel about their situation. They have food, water, shelter, and everything else that they need to survive. Poverty like this in Jo'burg or Durban leads to crime and people begging or living on the streets, but not here.It is incredible poverty to us, but to them it is their way of life. The only way that they know. Seeing something like this is a life changing experience.

On a side note, I have now completed my third week of classes in South Africa. The one that I am most enjoying is African Human Rights Law. I took Human Rights and International Law at OU, but taking it here is a whole different experience. There are 11 people in my class: one from Turkey, two from Kenya, one from South Africa, two from Uganda, one from Sudan, one from Nigeria, two from Zimbabwe, and me from the US. That is six different African countries being represented in a class that talks about human rights violations that are occurring there. I feel incredibly lucky to be a part of it and I know that I am going to learn so much from it. 

Haley