Introduction to an African Adventure

Last week felt about a month long, but it wasn't unpleasant. Just one week ago I started four new classes sure to teach me more than just facts to be memorized. I'm in reading, papers and projects up to my ears (with the addition of many hours simultaneously spent on sorority recruitment), but I am blissfully happy. I'm combating senioritis Furman-style by traveling to southern Africa for 9 weeks, but there is a lot of preparation to be done before we leave. God is so good.

I am taking:

1. Poverty and Child Development: a psychology course
2. Global Health Inequalities: a sociology course with one of my absolute favorite professors on a topic that I care deeply about
3. Travel Photography (with a documentary focus): where I will learn to apply the technical principles from my film photography class using my beloved new manual point-and-shoot (Canon Powershot SX260 HS) with 20x zoom
4. The Stage, Theory and Social Struggle: a drama-for-social-change class with an adorable Nigerian professor who did his dissertation on apartheid literature

The highlights so far:
-The people, both professors and fellow students, are wonderful. I am so thankful for the chance to form and develop close relationships with the 24 individuals involved in my study-abroad experience.
-The Danger of a Single Story: a great TEDtalk that hit me like a ton of bricks. Even though I've traveled extensively and even been to several parts of Africa before, I am still guilty of having an oversimplified view of the Africa--one that highlights the suffering over all else and evokes "patronizing pity." This is a particularly important message for those doing relief work to digest.
-The Babies documentary: man, I love babies. The world is a beautiful place, with so many different people raising their youngsters.
-A Closer Walk: AIDS documentary. If you haven't watched it, you need to. We need to care for our fellow humans.
-I spent a lot of time exploring REI with my sweet roommate in order to use a gift card that was a present from American Leprosy Missions, my internship for the summer and fall (miss them!)...REI has a lot of things I didn't even know existed: so useful! Watch out world, I now own a pocket knife ;)

I'll leave you with the verse that started it all: Acts 7:3.
"Leave your country and your people,' God said, 'and go to the land I will show you.'"

On January 28th, I will go.