This weekend, we went on the human
rights weekend with Africa Unite. I really enjoyed the weekend, and it got me
thinking a lot about what I should be doing back in America to help those in my
community who need it. Between this weekend, as well as my internship which is
very action-oriented, I began to realize that while there are organizations on
the UConn campus that advocate for issues, there is little public action that
takes place outside of an obscene event that violates rights. No one really has
sustained campaigns against injustices that are on our campus, or in our
immediate areas such as Hartford or Willimantic. For example, when the school raised
tuition by upwards of 30%, a couple of students from politically active
organizations went to the capital to lobby the legislators once, and some
students showed up to ask questions at a town hall meeting. However, no one led
a sustained campaign to gain numbers and therefor voting power so as to have
leverage against the school and the state to get them to not cut funds from our
higher education. I think an organization that brought together many of the
existing organizations, with the specific purpose for holding forums and
sustained public action that effects multiple groups on campus would aid with
this an immense amount. Another thing that made me realize this was something I
would like to do was that I realized how much I really like organizing people
and being part of a group. This weekend I didn’t get to take as much part in
group activity because I was the Chairperson Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma. The
position was also interesting, however not getting to take a leadership role
within the group made me realize how much I like hands-on work with a group of
my peers.
Also, being away from the bustle of
Cape Town and getting a little time to relax with my co-educators and other
students from across Africa helped me to center my mindset again and regain a
positive view of this trip. This past week, I began to doubt myself when it
came to my experience in Cape Town. I was struggling with feeling
uncomfortable. When I didn’t understand something, or when I felt like I was
doing something wrong and giving myself away as someone who wasn’t from here, I
felt stupid and like I wasn’t supposed to be here or that I was doing a bad job
of adapting. Back home, I am known as being someone who is really adaptable to
different groups of people and situations, and the fact that this was harder
for me is something that I’m not used to. However, I realized that coming to
Cape Town for a whole semester is a lot different than going away to college or
going to a different country for vacation. I just have to be comfortable with
making some mistakes while I am here, and learn from them. I hope I can learn
so much more from now until the end of April.
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