Eight students along with two professors from Western New England University made the journey to travel, live, and study in the region of southern Africa. This blog is designed to record the events of this group, for both the purpose of helping other's follow our doings and whereabouts as well as, perhaps, the students' own later reflection. It was on June 1st, 2012, that this group arrived in the expansive city of Johannesburg, South Africa.

The President's Office in Pretoria, South Africa,  Picture by Adam Cruz

We spent the first couple of days after our arrival on this continent touring Johannesburg and various cities close to it, such as Pretoria, Soweto, and Alexandra. Through these guided tours, we have seen parts of these cities that are drenched in the culture of the country. These aspects have ranged from the governmental significance of seeing the President's house in Pretoria, visiting historical monuments like the Voortrekker Monument and Freedom Park, experiencing the local cuisine in a small restaurant in Soweto, and witnessing the issue of poverty present in Alexandra. There is a seemingly large difference in the style of knowledge gained of a country when comparing the experiences of walking through the haunting halls of the Apartheid museum, learning the history of a national struggle, and standing among the herbs and hearing about the treatments offered by witch-doctors. Yet, both provide an  equally unfathomably enriched type of knowledge, the kind that comes from direct first hand experiences, the exact kind that we are here to take part in.

The Voortrekker Monument, Picture by Adam Cruz

Freedom Park, Picture by Adam Cruz

After spending these glorious two days leaning about this rich an unique cultural, the time came to pack up and head to our main destination, Botswana. We are now well set up in the University of Botswana. You'll hear from us again soon.

Alexandra, Picture by Tara Smades