Only 5 More Days!

It's hard to believe that in just 5 days I'll be on a plane to South Africa! It doesn't really seem real; lately I've been realizing just how lucky I am and what a one-of-a-kind experience this is going to be. I'm a little nervous, but I think it's just the stress of packing, traveling and not knowing exactly what to expect. Once we get to the airport I'm sure I'll just be excited :)

I know some people are wondering what we're going to be doing in Cape Town/Guguletu, so here's a little bit of an overview:

• The course has been created for leadership minor students to see how leadership functions in a cultural context. We are going to South Africa to see how leadership (specifically public leadership and social change) plays a role in the AIDS pandemic. We will be working/interacting with community leaders and citizens who are affected by this disease to learn just how important leadership is across cultures.
• We are living in houses near the University of Cape Town campus for most of our stay, but we will also be doing a 2 night homestay with families in the township of Guguletu. U of Cape Town will also be our classroom home base.
  
• We're doing a variety of "touristy" things on our trip, including Table Mountain, Robben Island, the District Six Museum, and Cape Point.
• We'll be spending time in the township working with the community center, including an after-school program and an HIV support group. We'll be visiting child-run households in addition to an AIDS hospice. We will also work with current organizations like Monkey Biz and the Treatment Action Campaign.
• We'll be doing lots of fun things as well! A day-long safari, great white shark cage diving and sandboarding (like snowboarding on sand dunes) are all on the agenda.
  

Hope that helps to answer a lot of questions I've been getting about my time in South Africa. Feel free to book mark this blog, leave comments, ask questions, make requests and share with anyone who might be interested!

Look for updates from Cape Town starting early next week!