The final few days of the UA in South Africa trip are coming to a close. I feel like it was just yesterday that I was arriving in Stellenbosch, South Africa. I blinked and now we are coming to the end of the trip. One of the most unique experiences about this trip has been the classes. Our first class was with a professor from Stellenbosch University on South Africa’s Political History and our second class was with UA faculty members Dr. Young and Dr. Latopolski. The class with UA faculty focused on leadership and management differences across different cultures and how that would play out in businesses. What made our class with Dr. Young and Dr. Latopolski so unique was the fact that we were not just getting lectures all day. We would typically have a lecture in the morning and then have a site visit to a local business where we would get hands-on experience with local businesses. Essentially, we would learn something in class in the morning and then see it play out later that day at a site visit. This type of learning experience has been one of the most beneficial for me. Taking in information with lecture after lecture is difficult, but when you get out there and see the information playing out through real-world applications – it is pretty unique. Not only do we get to see the information play out through local businesses, but also by just being immersed in the culture. The picture is from Boulders Beach – home to the African penguins!
