Mary has learned much as she prepares for departure

The pre-departure class was very helpful and has prepared me a lot more for our trip. We talked about race, class, gender, current events, and more, and I loved hearing different points of view on them. The TED talks and the discussion posts helped me think more critically about social issues and how they apply in both the US and South Africa. Another part of the pre-departure class that really helped me were the 3 units we had to complete. Although they were long and a good amount of work, I know I learned a lot from them. The unit about the US made me take a closer look at how our society works and what my opinion was about it. This will be good to know if people ask my opinion in South Africa. The last unit about South Africa in general helped me learn so much more about the country! I did a lot of research for it, and I feel like I am a lot more knowledgeable about South Africa than before. Overall the pre-departure class was great for helping us learn more about the country we will be living in, along with making us more aware of the social issues that are still alive today.

While in South Africa two of our classes will be held at the University of Cape Town.