Lucy's Experience

September 8-9 

Hallo from Johannesburg, South Africa! I can’t even put into words how much this trip has changed my perspective on culture. I came into this trip not knowing very much about the country, but from what I have seen it has made me take a step back and examine everything a bit more. I find some things in their country a little odd to me. One thing that I find confusing is how they drive on the other side of the road. It is sort of cool to look around at the roads and highways to see the ways that they travel. When I was around them, I noticed that they were speaking in German which is very unusual in South Africa. A lot of words and phrases are different here. For example, chips are called crisps, cookies are called biscuits, traffic lights are called robots, elevators are called lifts, bathrooms are called toilets, and a trunk of a car is called a boot. My host family also loves to use the words ‘shame’ and quite. They tend to just say the word ‘shame’ after they hear something horrible or sometimes they might use the phrase, “Oh what a shame!”. In almost every sentence, my host sister would say the word ‘quite’ and we both laugh and bond over that. I am adapting to their culture because I have even found myself saying ‘shame’ and ‘quite’ on my own!

This weekend I have done a lot of exploring! On Saturday my host family took me to the Lion and Safari Park. There, I got to see countless animals from hyenas to giraffes that were 100 feet away! After we went through all of the animal enclosures, we got the chance to pet baby lions. That was by far one of my favorite things that I have ever done! Just being able to be that close to them was really a chance of a lifetime. On Sunday we went to the Farmer’s market for brunch. It was very interesting to see all of the different kinds of food that they have. I wasn’t expecting South Africa to have as many ethnic food choices, but boy I was wrong! After a quick stop at the Farmer’s market, we headed over to the Crocodile Park. We got to see many crocodiles there, but I was very surprised that there weren’t that many in the water. I also got to witness the feeding of the crocodiles. The last time they fed them was the second week of May! My host sister and I also took on the challenge of going zip lining over the crocodile exhibit. I have to say that I was very scared at first, but looking back it wasn’t that big of a deal. We went to a show there and I got to hold a baby alligator, a small corn snake, and a huge anaconda snake!

I definitely went out of my comfort zone this weekend because snakes are something that i have always been very terrified of. St. Angela has a quote that states, “ You need not be anxious if you do your best” I think this quotes speaks great volumes for me on this trip. Although I may be anxious at times, St. Angela always brings me back.

 

Katie's Experience

I had such an incredible experience meeting and bonding with my French student Mia. She has influenced me in an uncountable number of ways, and taught me so much about her culture and her daily life. We shared our childhood stories and discovered a deeper connection with each other, and from this day on I will forever call her ma soeur (my sister). Mia was such a joy to be around and
brought a positive attitude and influence on me and on my family. We did everything from scarfing down food from America's best fast food joints, to shopping almost all day, and just staying up late talking and watching the best American films. I will never forget my life changing experience with my french student. I hope to go to France my senior year, and reunite with her and her family. I am truly grateful for this opportunity and this wonderful experience. My favorite part was when I would try and speak French and every single time Mia would correct me, but, every time Mia would speak English I would correct her and we both ended up learning so much! Lastly, it was such a blessing to have met the coolest 12 French students from France ever! They were all so filled with kindness and joy, and I feel now after knowing them, I am truly a happier better person!

-Katie Antonacci, '18

Experiences in Brazil

This trip has been very interesting so far. It's hard to explain. Everything is so different from St. Louis and it is really hard to adjust, but it has been really fun. Yesterday we went river rafting which was really fun. I have done something like that before but I was still really nervous. We went zip-lining again but this time we went into the water which was really cool. I really enjoy doing group activities because I feel like I am getting to know the other St. Louis people as well as the Brazilian students. I am really excited to see what the next few days have in store because there is so much that I want to do before we leave.

One thing that I have been very willing to try is the food. I am always scared to try new foods but I have tried a lot. And some of it was very good. Their pizza is different from America but really good and they have a lot of different things to try. I tried coconut water and fresh coconut even though I have never liked coconut and this was no different, but I am glad I tried it.
I have never been this far away from home and have never done anything even similar to this experience, especially without my family, so this is very difficult for me but I have enjoyed it so far. The language barrier makes things more complicated but the students and teachers actually speak English pretty well. I can't wait to go home and see my friends and family but I know that I will be sad to leave because this is such a beautiful country and I have already had so many great experiences.


-Claudia Peth