Why South Africa?

Let's begin with a bit of an introduction. My name is Will, and I am a political science student at Northwestern University. Being in need of a slight change of pace (having tired of the *ahem ahem* exiting and dynamic culture one finds in Evanston, IL), I decided to enroll in two separate Study Abroad programs, the first of which is taking me to Stellenbosch, South Africa.

Did that surprise you a little bit?

Let's face it, when you first heard I was going on "Study Abroad", you assumed it was somewhere kind of familiar. Maybe London, or France, or maybe even Germany. Somewhere relatively safe, peaceful and culturally close to home. But not South Africa. Surely not.

To be honest, when I first considered the program a year ago, the very name of the place brought about a wealth of unpleasant thoughts. Apartheid. AIDS. Dire poverty. Not to mention that my cultural knowledge of South Africa at the time extended to Nelson Mandela and the bad guys from Lethal Weapon 2.

Pictured: Contemporary South Africa.

Furthermore, I'm sure that bleak thoughts of racism, disease and violence were not just on my own mind. Mentioning that I was going to South Africa to some of my friends back home tended to create a brief, awkward lull in the conversation as my friends imagined me contracting some life-threatening illness or being beaten to death by disenfranchised xenophobes:

Friend: So what are your plans for spring quarter? Any fun classes? Will you still be living on-campus?
Will: Actually, I'll be studying abroad. 
Friend: Really?!?! My roommate just got back from Barcelona. She said it was so much fun! And, like, she's really tan and lost a lot of weight. Are you going somewhere cool?
Will: South Africa.
Friend: Oh. (long awkward pause) I hear the wine is really nice.

 So yeah, South Africa was never really something I was geared for. And yet there is a bit of a chip on my shoulder: despite being well-traveled, I've never visited a country that hadn't been visited my one of my parents. The breadth of my youthful wanderings has only ever extended to Western and Central Europe (and a particularly boozy weekend in Canada, but that doesn't count).

So even though I have sailed the world and seen its wonders (at least the ones between Innsbruck and Inverness), I really haven't delved into Africa at all. And since most political science majors like to talk about "Africa" at great length, it would be nice to come home with something to contribute to the conversation.

Plus, the country itself is fascinating. It has had democracy for less time than I've been alive, it recognizes 11 different languages, and it has the most comprehensive bill of rights of any written constitution. Furthermore, the blend of Asian, African and European culture is bound to be a head trip

Oh yeah, and they have rugby. I think I'm going to like it here.