Michelle on the stages of cultural shock

For the past few blog entries, I have been incredibly up-beat, excited, and generally all-around chipper. After re-reading my last blog entry, I have decided that chipper is not exactly the feeling I have had over the past few weeks. A more realistic representation of my moods would probably include the words, angry, irritable, and frustrated. We had our first bout of house drama, which was to be expected. I have faced some trouble in feeling accepted at my internship, and have been feeling my first real stabs of homesickness. Up until a few weeks ago, I was in a honeymoon period. I couldn’t get enough of everything in Cape Town, and everyone in the house. I was constantly amazed by the city’s beauty, and continually engrossed with my new friends. As I constantly saw the injustices that still exist, and as I slowly realized that it can be exhausting to be around the same 12 people (although I love them dearly) all day every day, the city began to lose its luster. At the same time, I was having spotty internet and skype issues, so I hadn’t spoken with my family or boyfriend in almost three weeks. Even as the city started to fade as a magical place, I also started to realize that I am almost 2/3 of the way through my time here. All of these things combined contributed to a feeling of unrest in these past few days.

Even more frustrating is that the study abroad fair said that this would happen. We actually went to a seminar in which other people told me how I would feel and when. And then it happened. The study abroad fair predicted that I would first feel a stage of honeymoon, which for me lasted approximately six weeks, followed by conflict and frustration, which has lasted for about three weeks, and now I can feel myself moving into a more realistic love for this beautiful, yet challenging, place. The thing I worry about most now is adjusting back to my life in the States. How will I go back to living in the most racially and economically segregated state in the country? How will I continue to see amazing prejudices and examples of white privilege and not blow a casket?

Since my last blog entry, we have participated in Cape Town Pride, visited Bo-Kaap, the Muslim quarter of the city, been to Johannesburg, and visited Kruger National Park. It was great to see another South African city, but I just didn’t feel the same connection that I do in Cape Town. As we flew back into the Mother City and I saw the outline of Table Mountain, I knew I was home.