Elizabeth's great two weekends

I have been trying to think about why exactly we went on the human rights weekend, other than the obvious, to learn about human rights. My group was super dysfunctional and I was often times frustrated by the lack of cooperation and teamwork we were able to exhibit. Through this dysfunction, I really learned about the people in my group and their pride and love for their respective countries. In spite of the human rights violations that may have been committed, they loved and appreciated their nation. The love for the humanity and culture, irrespective of western conceptions of human rights, allowed for me to see why it is exactly people believe what they do.

The man from Somalia who spoke so passionately about why he does not believe in LGBTQ+ and the other man from South Africa who expressed his disappointment with revisions to the dowry culture, both ideologies I do not personally support, pushed me out of my comfort zone. This push was, however, very useful because I do not often meet people with views that vary from my own on these issues. I increased my awareness for respect of other cultures in the way I enjoy my views to be respected as well.  I noticed myself becoming more patient as the weekend progressed, more accepting and more willing to stop and listen in a way I had previously not been able. While I did not learn about human rights in the way I had thought initially, I learned a lot  about humanity and the power of culture.

This past weekend, while everyone was heading out for the Garden Route, I had a very peaceful and enjoyable weekend with great WiFi. We started out on Thursday with a paint and pizza night at this super cute place in Hout Bay, where you pick your own pottery and then paint it. The views were absolutely incredible and the food was also super delicious. The next day we hit up the spa, which was super relaxing and nice to be pampered for a morning. The spa was in a really cool neighborhood, with amazing shops and restaurants. On Sunday, we headed to Kierstenbosch to see the Boomslang canopy walkway and walk around the park to see all of the beautiful flowers and trees. We ended with lunch at Moyo, a restaurant set in the gardens and included face painting at the table. All in all, a great few weekends!