The first week of studying abroad in Stellenbosch, South Africa is coming to a close. I have been here since Sunday, and we started class on Wednesday. When I first got here things were not what I was expecting. We landed in South Africa in the evening, and I got to the guest house when it was dark. Not only was it nighttime, but the power was out. South Africa has been experiencing load shedding for about 20 years now. South Africa’s power provider is not able to provide enough power for everyone at the same time, so they have to shut a portion of the power off for some areas during certain times of the day. So when I arrived at the guesthouse all the power was out and it was dark, which was a little stressful at first since I was in a place I had never been. At the very beginning of the week, I honestly was wanting to go home. I felt out of place, the rest of the group hadn’t arrived, and I was jetlagged. However, that feeling did not last very long. The jet lag and culture shock for me at first were very real. I honestly did not think it was going to happen which is why I was so thrown off when I first arrived. But after time I have begun to adapt. I’ve tried to take some steps to fit more into the culture like being patient. The lady that works at the front desk of the guest house we are staying told us that American and South African cultures do not mesh well because we are impatient. So, I’m trying to be more patient whether it be at restaurants or anything like waiting for a website to load on the wifi.
