About every other weekend, we have been taking trips to some of the most beautiful places that I’ve ever seen.

Last weekend, we took a trip to a town on the coast called Kenton to a place called Diaz’s Crossing. En route to Kenton, we saw giraffes, zebras, wildebeasts, and more elephants! Only in South Africa would a giraffe on the side of the road be a common sight! After getting to the coast, we were in for a long walk.

Once we reached the top of our first hill, I saw one of the most beautiful views that I have ever seen: vast sand dunes and miles and miles (or should I say kilometers) of untouched beach. The beachfront was about a 2o minute walk away, so we hiked up and down these absolutely amazing sand dunes.

We spent the entire day at the beach playing soccer, picnicking, bracing the strong waves, and relaxing on the sand.

It really gave me a different perspective: despite the fact that South Africa is one of the most developed places in Africa, it can still have absolutely breathtaking untouched land.

I think the reality that I am in South Africa has finally set in when this weekend, my friends and I went on a trip to an elephant park. I mean, only in Africa would I see a giraffe on the side of the road! It was a wonderful trip that was arranged by a local backpacker’s lodge. We drove around the park all day then had a barbeque, or as South Africans would call it, a Braai. We were able to see all sorts of animals, mostly elephants, warthogs, Kudu, and ostriches. The park is home to close to 500 elephants, so we were able to see them very easily as they gathered around watering holes and wandered around in herds. I could have sat in one place and just watched the elephants all day! It was a great time and I look forward to other such opportunities during my stay here.

After about 2 weeks of classes, I have to say that the style of learning here is very different than at Wheaton, or even in America for that matter. I have to admit that I definitely appreciate the flexibility that is allowed by liberal arts colleges. Here at Rhodes, once you pick a discipline, you must stick with it until you graduate and to get an undergraduate degree it only takes 3 years. Being a science major with an interest in humanities, I found it very difficult to arrange my schedule as many humanities classes clash with science classes because they expect you to choose one or another. I am happy with the way my courses have worked out though, I am taking an array of subjects that I has really given me a great understanding of South Africa and is nuances. I think my favorite (but most difficult) course thus far is a 3rd year Zoology course on South African Vertebrates. We get to do stuff like dissect different vertebrates and learn about the biogeography of Africa. I am also taking an English class on South African literature which is also great because of all the wonderful books we get to read. Along with those 2 courses, I am also taking an Anatomy & Physiology course to fulfill a requirement, and Art History and Visual Culture.
The classes here are quite large compared to Wheaton. My English class for example is about 70 or 80 people. But the once way they make sure that you’re getting individual attention is by assigning us into small groups that meet once a week called tutorials, or as they say here “Tuts.” So far, I’ve had more lectures and tutorials each week than work to do because of how they divvy up percentages. It is typical for courses to have finals that are worth 80% of your grade!
Anyways, I am thrilled with the courses I am taking and I expect to learn a lot from them. I am very grateful for the opportunity to go abroad because I really feel like I am getting that extra angle to my education that I would never get elsewhere.

For the past 2 weeks or so, I have been studying at Rhodes University in Grahamstown, South Africa, for a Junior year abroad (also known as JYA). Studying abroad has always been something that I have wanted to do, and after a semester’s worth of effort, it is very satisfying living and seeing my work come to fruition!
I started the application process in October, and through the help of a relatively new department called Global Ed. I was able to apply to Rhodes University and come here. Although the department admittedly has a few kinks to work out, the number of different programs and places Wheaton students can go is really wonderful. Although making a decision as to where I wanted to go was rather daunting, I have to admit that it was a challenge that I throughly enjoyed.
So after writing an application essay, running around to get signatures for courses, and of course waiting, I finally got my acceptance letter from Rhodes in mid-November. It was hard saying goodbye to all my friends who I was leaving behind, knowing that I’d be missing out on graduation and Spring weekend, but now that I’m here I realize that I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else!
I have been meeting amazing people and have started to embrace the diverse culture, I don’t think I could have chosen a better place to study abroad! Many things are very different here, so I sometimes find myself taking a step back and thinking things through. South Africans have been extremely friendly and are always willing to answer my questions and explain things. Anyways, I am about to run off to a lecture, there will be more posts to come!

The end of the semester became rather frantic as I found myself suddenly rushed to finish papers and complete projects. This headache was spread across the time period of 2 weeks and I ended up staying up later and later throughout these two weeks. By the end of it, I managed to pull an all nighter which is why winter break came as such a relief!
I spent my Christmas and New Year’s with my friends and family here in New York. I managed to see all of my friends from high school and even hang out with Wheaton friends in New York City. On the first day of the year, I left with my mother to travel for what would be my 3rd trip to the Philippines. We hit the ground running and didn’t stop the entire time! My mom and I were able to spend a day or two at the beach in the midst of visiting family and helping out with two week-long free clinics, called Medical Missions, run by Filipino Americans with the first in Angono, Rizal and the second in Guimbal, Ilo Ilo two places where there are a large amount of people who cannot afford medical care. Everything was donated and services were free, we provided things like, consultations, surgeries (major and minor), drugs, and even eyeglasses. Patients were being treated for hypertension, getting teeth pulled, and even undergoing hysterectomies. The volunteers worked extremely hard and as a whole we probably gave medical care to close to 600 people each day for both medical missions. It was an amazing experience, and I learned a lot. I helped out where I was needed in the clinic: cleaning and sterilizing instruments, running prescriptions, and I was even lucky enough to be able to observe several surgeries. It was truly a group effort that was a year in the making. I hope that in the future I’ll be able to volunteer for more medical missions.

Every year, students are able to see art exhibits and go to museums for free because of an Arts in the City grant that gives professors enough money to pay for transportation and admissions to these shows. Last weekend, a bunch of my friends and I were able to go to the Museum of Science in Boston to see the BodyWorlds2 exhibit.

I have to say that it was definitely an interesting body of work (no pun intended). I think feelings ranged from extremely disgusted, to extremely interested. I found myself to be a mix of both- curiously grossed out!

It was impressive to see that so many people donated their bodies to the project and how the artist/scientist was able to sculpt the plasticised bodies while still showing its intricacies.
It was great to be able to see this widely publicized exhibit for free.

After we walked through the show, it was amazing that we even had appetites, but we were able to muster up enough hunger to enjoy some Dippin’ Dots!

I have defintely been able to enjoy the Arts in the City fund in the past. My freshman year, I was actually able to see “The Gates” in New York City. They acquired a coach bus and dropped us off and picked us up in Central Park. It is great how the school makes it easy for us to see these types of shows that I probably wouldn’t ever be able to see. Overall, I’d say that it was a day well spent and I look forward to the next opportunity!