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Guest Blogger: JD Mechelke, Southern Africa October 2015

This is a guest post written by Augsburg College student, JD Mechelke, after two months on CGEE Southern Africa program. 

My eyes began to open, being disturbed by the slight shaft of light poking past the peaks of the mountains around our two story double decker sleeper bus. We were on the road all night traveling from Bloemfontein to Cape Town. I dug through my backpack and found my phone. It was a little past 5am. As the light behind the mountains grew I began to more accurately assess the highway we were traveling down. Though our bus was massive and the thruway vast, we were at the mercy of the mountains. But moments earlier, my conscience was somewhere else… Continue reading “Guest Blogger: JD Mechelke, Southern Africa October 2015”

Guest Blogger: JD Mechelke, Southern Africa September 2015

This is a guest post written by Augsburg College student, JD Mechelke, after one month on CGEE Southern Africa program. 

The view was hard to take in. It was decaying. An endless view of tin, tarp, and cardboard roofs. It was not possible to distinguish between each jury-rigged shack. It wasn’t overtly overwhelming to me. I had encountered the sounds and smells of deep poverty before. The merciless sea that is Alexandria halted drastically as we stopped on a bridge passing over a freeway. When we got to the other side, I realized we weren’t in Alexandria anymore. My eyes bulged as I watched a Lamborghini drive into a mansion. We had entered Sandton, the richest municipality in South Africa. There was an endless contrast between the super rich of Sandton and the extreme poverty of Alexandria, separated by 8 lanes of freeway: now that was overwhelming. Continue reading “Guest Blogger: JD Mechelke, Southern Africa September 2015”

Top Ten Reasons to Study in Namibia

List brought to you by Spring 2015 students!

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1. Escape from your comfort zone and step outside of your norm.

2. Meet fellow American students who share similar passions and a spirit of adventure.

3. Intern at a local NGO (non-government organization) that not only immerses you in the community, but places you in the heart of current issues Namibia is facing today (something that will allow you to learn and grow everyday).

4. An opportunity to create lasting connections and experience unique personal growth.

5. Make cross-cultural connections between race dynamics in Southern Africa and the United States.

6. The opportunity to open your eyes up to the sides of the world which you haven’t seen and don’t know about in order to become a true global citizen.

7. Live in a small, intentional community where you can bond with other students on a deep level.

8. Interact with people from Namibia and across Southern Africa. By meeting so many people from around the region and taking time to learn about their various life experiences, it is impossible to come away from this trip believing in stereotype about “Africans”. You also get the chance to break down some assumptions about “Americans”.

9. An opportunity to live, grow, and learn in an enriching community (and let’s face it—the nightlife is awesome as well!)

10. Live in a beautiful country with stunning landscapes, mountains, coast lines, sand dunes. What more could you ask for?!

More Student Photos of Southern Africa

More photos from student Andrea Sutliff, Siena College student studying abroad in Namibia. 

You can also view more CGEE photos on our new Instagram account, and by searching #CGEE. Happy photo viewing!

Rural Homestay in Namibia

Students in Namibia spent a week in the Outapi community in the northern region of the country and participated in a rural home stay. The purpose of this home stay is to allow students the opportunity to learn what life in a rural area is like and to learn more about the northern part of the country, which is where a majority of the population in Namibia lives. Students were asked to share one word or phrase that they felt summarized their experience and here were their answers:

“Special” Molly, Clark University

“Welcoming” Miranda, Valparaiso University

“Parallel” Greta, Texas Lutheran University

“Eye-Opening” Haley, Clark University

“Educational” Winnie, Augsburg College

“Fun” Matt, Vassar University

“Humbling” Abbie, Clark University

“Invaluable” Andrea, Siena College

“Cooperative” Louise, Oberlin College

”Thought-provoking” Jordan, Siena College

“Peaceful” Katie, Valparaiso University

“Connect” Maddie, Oberlin College

“Informative” Lulu, Clark University