Like many other students, I came to South Africa with relatively lofty expectations of the people, landscape, adventures and culture that I would come to know during my semester abroad. I realized that in my time here I probably wouldn’t be able to change the world in a significant way, but I did believe that with my growing interest in global public health, this experience would help me better understand exactly what I wanted to do with my life. Until last fall, I knew with certainty that I was going to be a doctor, not because my parents pressured me or because I knew it is a career that would provide me with financial stability and independence. I really love medicine and its mysteries, and I love helping people. However, after paying my dues in organic chemistry and volunteering at the Connecticut Children’s Medical Center, I realized that it was possible that maybe I did not want to be a doctor and that I should probably spend time exploring other opportunities and interests.
I really hated not having a nice neat plan for after college, but I grew more interested in public health because it allowed me to examine medical issues with a more sociological and political lens. When I learned that I was coming to South Africa, I was ecstatic to have the opportunity to further understand health challenges such as HIV/AIDS in an area deeply affected by the epidemic. When I arrived in Cape Town, I learned that I would be interning at Olive Leaf Foundation, an organization that attempts to build human and social capital in areas greatly affected by the HIV/AIDS pandemic. Everything was perfect because I had this awesome internship in an area of my interest, and from this experience I would really know what career path to take once I complete college. I had a plan once again.
However, I was wrong. I enjoy my internship, but instead of reassuring me of my proposed career choice in public health, it has only opened many doors to more issues and challenges that people face on a daily basis and that I am intrigued by. Now I am learning a lot about human rights, gender inequality, development and even economics. Everyday my curiosity is peaked by a different issue at work or at the house or during class, and I am constantly considering very different paths to take after college, whether it will be working at an NGO, traveling around Africa or advocating for women’s rights.
Before I arrived in South Africa, I saw the study abroad experience as discovery of myself, and as a trip that would provide answers to so many questions about life that I have. However, I have only been asking more questions about the culture in which I live and work. I am finally realizing that becoming aware of issues and events around us and trying to learn as much as possible is really what I have come to Cape Town to do. I will go home with no idea what to do with my life after UConn, and have no idea what the solutions to poverty or inequality are. What I do know is that I will go home a more compassionate and informed human being, and am really excited (and scared) to tackle and work after college with some of the different issues I have observed while spending time in South Africa.
