Highlights of South Africa

March 27th, 2016 by Rachel | Tags: Peace Corps, South Africa, Travel | No Comments »

Last January, I took a break from living in Cameroon to explore another part of Africa and see my family. I met my family who traveled from the US in South Africa. I traveled to Kruger National Park and Cape Town and took a road trip on Garden Route to Knysna.

It was a trip that made me realize how different Cameroon is from any other places in the world and how challenging my life has been in Cameroon. When I first got off the plane in Johannesburg, I immediately marveled at the modernization that exists in the country. I saw an escalator for the first time in nine months and also a parking garage. When I mentioned my seeing an escalator for the first time in so long to my brother, he showed me an episode of Trevor Noah talking about hundreds Zambians repeatedly riding the escalator that was built for the first time in Zambia recently. I was also in awe of the well-paved and smooth roads and highways found in the country and also well-built and clean buildings. I was astonished to learn that I could drink water from tap int he major cities without worrying about getting sick. I was ecstatic to find blueberry muffins in the hotel as blueberries are not found anywhere in Cameroon. In fact, not any kind of berries can be found in Cameroon including strawberries although jams imported from abroad could be found in Cameroon. I sure did enjoy some bites of strawberries too. I marveled at the mall I went to in Cape Town and the number of shopping options in a small space. I sighted McDonald’s for the first time since I was last in the US.

Everywhere I went in South Africa, I was reminded of the little things that I have taken for granted growing up outside of Cameroon. Even though South Africa is still a unique country with its own cultures and beautiful landscapes, it reminded me of home. It also made me realize how much work I have to do in Cameroon to help improve the development of the country. I do want to note that I only saw a small part of the country, and South Africa does have areas that are still developing and its own set of problems, which is why there is Peace Corps presence in the country too.