"Study" Abroad

After another beautiful weekend at the beach (Port Alfred this time), it was finally time to kick it into gear with classes. Classes in South Africa are set up much differently than what I am use to in the states. University in SA is only three years, with an optional fourth called "honors" (it's above a bachelors but below a masters). Third year classes are extremely demanding, and of course I am taking two of them. After looking at all of my options I have decided to take history 3 and psychology 3. 

History 3 is split up into two classes. My first class, which I am currently in is called Africa in Crisis. Basically we look at the causes of various crises that are plaguing the continent and examining who is at fault. Unfortunately this week I had a huge presentation and an even bigger paper (which has led to many nights in the library). My presentation and paper were on the Democratic Republic of the Congo and looking at the social, economic, and political problems since independence in 1960. Since I have spent all week working on this paper, I have decided to add a few facts that I have learned. 

Congo: 

-Was colonized by Belgium, and received their independence in 1960

-Congo is full of natural resources such as copper, diamonds, oil, and vast lands that should make them one of the richest countries in the world, however this is not the case

-Congo's economic and political history has been determined by the exploitation of their natural resources

-In 1965, in fear of Congo falling into Soviet hands, the CIA along with other Western powers got Mobutu into power. With support from capitalist countries, Mobutu was suppose to keep an eye on the region and help support Western interests in the Great Lakes region. Unfortunately Mobutu was an aggressive dictator who oppressed his people through practice of kleptocracy for his 32 year rule. The US withdrew support in the early 1990s because their support had become an embarrassment for the country.

-There are still over 7000 child soldiers in DRC

The second class is called Zimbabwean History and will start after my spring break.

Psych 3 consists of three different classes running simultaneously. I have personality, research methods, and community psychology. Community psych is by far my favorite because it focuses on this new kind of psychology that focuses on interactions within a community and works more on the marco level rather than on the micro level. Personality is alright, I have already covered everything at BC the past three years however I am hoping to get this approved for my Human Development major so keep your fingers crossed for me! And finally research methods. I honestly have nothing good to say about this class. It's boring, at 7:45AM, and I have to write a paper every class in addition to a huge group project. Ew.

What is interesting about third year classes is that they are worth 8 credits apiece  A class at BC is worth 3, so they are each almost worth three classes. 

Finally I am taking isiXhosa. It is the clicking language that is one of the eleven official languages of South Africa. isiXhosa is the language spoken around Grahamstown so I figured it may be practical to take. Needless to say I give the class a good laugh every session due to my lovely American accent trying to pronounce anything, or worse yet, trying to click. Hopefully I will improve by the time I have to come home. What I absolutely love about this language is that you can tell ubuntu is very embedded. Ubuntu means "I am because we are" and it speaks to the belief of living in community and helping out your brothers and sisters. In isiXhosa, any older man or woman you call Tata or Mama, and any male of female your age or younger you call bhuti (brother) or sisi (sister). I think it is absolutely beautiful that everyone is apart of the same family in this langage. 

So in total I am taking 20 credits. Normally at BC 15 credits is all you would take in a semester. I am sure I will come to regret this decision but for now here's to hoping that I can survive these next few months!

Cheers!