into the wild

by

04.02.2014















I look Asian. Therefore, I am obviously Chinese and know kung fu. 





Memorable moment: I got too close to the monkey, it spotted me, didn't realize it was starting to run toward me, ran for my life. I can say that I've been chased by a monkey. Success











A Luta Continua - The Struggle Continues







This man is one of the best speakers I've ever heard in my life. He teaches kids not only how to cope with their tragic situations, but to thrive in them. "Pity is your worst enemy."













My hurr is everywhurr












You can spend a few hours with orphans and you have the potential to change even one child's life. It is the most rewarding feeling knowing you made a difference. What you do matters. However, the most heartbreaking part of this experience was leaving because although you journey into a world with unlimited possibilities, these orphans are left behind gates. 
















Let me just start off by saying South Africa was one of the most amazing experiences of my life. Throughout this past year and after I got back, people always asked me, "Why did you choose to go to the South Africa immersion trip?" See, at our school, students have the option to apply to several different co-curricular immersion trips: Native America (Arizona), California, China, India, El Salvador, and South Africa. It was pretty easy to narrow down my options because even though any trip would've been great, I wanted to go out of the country, I have already been to China, and I plan on going to India sometime in my life anyway. That left El Salvador and South Africa and while I would've been thrilled to actually put my AP Spanish to use in El Salvador, South Africa, in my own personal opinion, not only has an obvious social gap between the rich and poor, but also has a complex political history as well. 

Our 3 week adventure began in Johannesburg, which mainly consisted of service work. Johannesburg was where the social gap, to which I was referring to earlier, was most prevalent. Everyday we would drive past these huge estates. If I wasn't aware that I was in South Africa, I would've thought it was Beverly Hills or something. Then, just down the road, there would be townships where houses, poorly constructed of metal scraps and wood, would house multiple families. We witnessed the tragic divide between wealth vs. poverty when we visited an actual township, went inside "houses," helped with the laundry, washed dishes, and spoke with the people. It was unbelievable that people who lived in the circumstances that they did, had such wonderful spirits, welcoming us--American privileged high school students-- with open arms. Other remarkable places we volunteered at included Home of Hope, SKY organization, and SOS Orphanage. It was at SOS, where we first encountered orphans. It was the second day of our trip, when we were all still tired from the travel and expecting some light tourist activities. We had no idea that on just the second day of our adventure, we would have a life-changing experience already. The funniest and most memorable part of my trip was when kids started coming up to me, pointing and shouting, "China! China! China!" By the second child, I pretty much gave up trying to tell them my name or that I was actually Vietnamese because by that point my name was "China" and any other Asian race besides Chinese was a foreign concept. 

After Johannesburg, we drove north to Kruger for the safari. Our first encounter with the wild? Observations that monkey genitalia were Christmas colored. No joke. One part red, the other green. Safe to say, it was a good awkward laugh with the teachers. Our group went on both a night safari and a whole day safari. Animals we saw included a lot if impala, elephants, zebras, hippos, water bucks, steen bucks, various birds, kudu, giraffes, and far off in the distance lions and a leopard. The safari was awesome, but it wasn't the Lion King experience most of us had in the mind. I mean, we saw Pumba, Kazoo, and Simba, but it wasn't a Circle of Life, animals everywhere roaming or anything. 

The final stop on our Africa adventure was Capetown. Our first impression of the city was not impressive. In fact, it was down right scary. We stayed at a convent (my mother got her wish, I'm becoming a nun!) that was in a sketch part of town. We knew it was sketch because according to one of our teachers, the graffiti was quote, not good enough, unquote. It looked like an insane asylum inside. The freakiness died down eventually, but suffice to say, we were all a little unnerved our first night there. Luckily, we were proven instantly wrong of our impression of Capetown. It is positively one of my favorite places to go. The city is cosmopolitan, has beautiful geographical highlights, is full of tumblr-worthy architecture, and is downright photogenic. This was the most tourist-y places we went to and as such, did not do as much service work. However, by this time in our trip, we were pretty worn out so it was probably for the best anyway. The main places we went to included the natural wonder Table Mountain, the most southern point of Africa Cape of Good Hope, the place where Nelson Mandela was incarcerated Robben Island, and the Pier-39 lookalike The Waterfront. The place that was most memorable from Capetown had to be Mizoli's though. Anyone who goes to Capetown has to go to Mizoli's. It is a local young hangout that's in a sketch place of town. People legit try to sell you some stuff. When you go in, there's a DJ playing some sick beats, people are drinking beer, and a few dance circles are going on. The vibe is downright chill. Then, the real fun begins. They bring out tubs of different kinds of seasoned meat: beef, lamb, pork, chicken, sausage. Your task: eat as much as you can with your hands. I don't know if it was all the Top Ramen I ate on the trip talking or the fact that I purposely starved myself the day before, but it made my "Best Meals I've Ever Had" list. Mhm... I'm having food dreams just thinking about it. 

Overall, my trip to South Africa was unforgettable, and I am a better person for it. When you're in school and learn about topics such as segregation, poverty, or hunger, they can sometimes be abstract concepts. This is not to say we don't understand what they are, but we have never really experienced it. Segregation in America was and continues to be a major problem, but not the extent as it is in South Africa. Apartheid wasn't just a social institution but it was a system of government. It only recently ended in 1994, meaning the whole equality thing is pretty new. Also, even though the government and Constitution technically say everyone is equal, it definitely does not mean it is true, just like in America.  However, where we have been able to create a significant middle class, South Africa has not. We have learned about poverty--the state in which people live meagerly because they do not have the economic funds to provide for themselves properly. As students who go to a private school, we volunteer to help the needy or donate money to Operation Rice Bowl. However, one step into a South African township,  one truly knows the meaning of poverty. Finally, hunger is not being able to eat for a day--not even a week. One individual we encountered told a story of how he ate on nothing but pap (a really plain potato side dish that does not taste like much) for 6 months, during a time when he lived in a portapotty.  Meeting these brave people and hearing these heartbreaking stories have truly changed who I am. Thank you to all the people who suffer in South Africa. Your fortitude inspires me. God bless. 

xoxo, 
Ashley Do