While most associate studying abroad with the Eiffel Tower in view or touring Renaissance galleries, sixteen Colgate University students have opted to visit the naturally beautiful, socially striking and thought-provoking city of Cape Town, South Africa.
Juniors Frances Munger and Phoenix Verite both knew right away that they wanted to study abroad in Cape Town, as it fit with their Peace and Conflict Studies (PCON) majors. Junior Gillian Lustenberger was more undecided when considering study abroad options, but eventually chose Cape Town due to her admiration for the study group leader Professor Susan Thompson, along with other factors.
“I had played around with the idea of going to somewhere like New Zealand and Australia, being somewhere really similar to home … but when I went to the interest meeting for Cape Town, first off, the other girls that were there, I clicked with immediately,” Lustenberger says. “Professor Thompson made such an impression on me that I decided then that I wanted to go to Cape Town.”
The program, whose members attend the University of Cape Town, is centered around human rights and answering the question of whether Cape Town is an apartheid city.
“The specific focus is working with human rights and their representations in the city and the different frameworks that influence whether they’re enacted or not. I think it’s really important that we went into this group with that focus, because it’s something that you feel in your daily life,” Lustenberger said.
“[The program combines] an academic view of apartheid and post-apartheid racial legacies and the continuing inequalities with what that experience actually is or looks like, as much as we can see that as American interlopers,” Munger said.
Living in Cape Town has been an eye-opening experience for participants, learning how important it is to learn about the world beyond Colgate’s small community, while simultaneously developing more appreciation for its tight-knit community.
“[Cape Town] really puts into perspective how small the Colgate bubble is, that there is so much learning to be done beyond it,” Verite said. “I am more challenged to question my existence in ways that Colgate doesn’t mandate, yes, but I also have a great appreciation for Colgate and what it has to offer.”
The group also had the opportunity to learn from other students with diverse social and political interests.
“In the specifically Capetonian context, there are a lot of people at University of Cape Town who are really interested in the project of decolonial education. There are people at Colgate who are doing that … but it’s at the forefront here, just with the recentness of apartheid, and with the very real racial separation and inequality in the city,” Munger said.
While living in Cape Town offers an interesting lens to study peace and conflict, Cape Town is also a lively hub culturally, offering much in terms of arts and music. Munger also describes a vibrant food culture, citing excellent Cape Malay, Senegalese, Ethiopian and local Cape cuisine, reflecting the diversity of the city at large.
The city’s natural beauty is also on full display, with some members of the group frequently taking trips to the beach to go surfing. As the weather has been warming up, many enjoy taking hikes, particularly up Table Mountain. Certain group members have also opted for some more extreme excursions.
“I jumped off the highest bungee jump in the world, Verite said. “People say it’s life-changing to do, and after doing it I have to say I don’t disagree that it has a significant impact.”
As many study groups before them, their newly forged friendships will carry on after returning home.
“One really great thing is that you don’t have to leave a lot of these people behind. You make friendships here, which are new and special, but then they don’t stay here, they’re coming back with you,” Munger said.
While students are used to living away from home, moving halfway across the world has fostered a new sense of independence. Though this may come with some struggles, it has paved the way for new learning and experiences.
“[Moving] was more difficult than I thought. I think I had this image in my head that at Colgate I already lived away from my family, so how different could it be to be living in another setting away from home? But the answer is really different, having to rework my support system, and my capacity to support myself. It’s been a really incredible and challenging experience for personal growth,” Verite said.
The unique academic and social experiences of studying abroad in Cape Town have lasting impacts, and have helped to fortify students’ love for PCON.
“[Cape Town has] solidified my passion for studying human rights and being immersed in a place where I can see how power structures make them play out,” Lustenberger said.
To stay updated on the Cape Town trip, follow @Colgateatuct Instagram page, where students on the trip post intermittently about their experiences.
