Reflections on South Africa bears recap their favorite & most impactful moments on tour
Kori Griswold
Mara Gutierrez
My favorite memory of the trip was in the Langa Township field hockey clinic. Although it was a short clinic, it was so fun to be able to give back to these young kids in such a short amount of time. All the young girls’ faces were lit up with joy as we allowed them to use our sticks.
Being able to grow the game of hockey internationally is something I never thought I'd be able to do in my life.
Peyton Mowery
My favorite memory was the safari. I loved seeing all the rhinos because they are so rare to see even in game reserves. To think that in a couple of decades they could be all gone due to poaching and loss of habitation is heartbreaking because they are truly magnificent and majestic creatures that everyone should see outside a zoo. My other favorite part of the safari was seeing Monica cry when we saw an elephant.
Michaela Swensen
While we were there to help the people of Langa Township, these little kids and their families managed to help me more than I could ever assist them. From walking through the homes of those people to teaching a hockey clinic to little girls after they got out of school, they reminded me of how simple life is, and how little you really need to have in it to be happy.
These places are things you see on television or hear about in advertisements and while it may touch you then, it could never touch you like standing in one of those homes touched me, or bring you joy like I felt after high-fiving each and every one of those little girls after they completed a new skill.
I’ll remember everything on this journey from touring Robben Island with a former prisoner to waking up at dawn and going on a safari in Sun City, to being given the opportunity to play high-level hockey with some of the most skilled and kind-hearted girls I have ever had the opportunity of meeting. All the places we saw and experienced were amazing but it was the people at each and every location that allowed me the opportunity to create memories and relationships that will last a lifetime. And all I can hope in returning to the states is that meeting my team on this tour and I will help and touch them as it did us in the same, if not a similar way, throughout their lives.
Emily Catan
I learned a lot about the history of South Africa and apartheid, and the violence that broke out because of discrimination.
I was moved at the fact that their constitution is the same age as I am.
Democracy in their country is still a new idea.
Janaye Sakkas
Zoe Randolph
My favorite memory from the trip was stopping the tour bus to look at exotic animals. Having the opportunity to see baboons and penguins for the first time -- not in a zoo or on TV -- was surreal.
Melina moore
Visiting Langa Township, I was amazed how happy and welcoming everyone was. It was an incredible experience.
Katrina Carter
My favorite memory was at the penguin reserve when we all joined the ensemble of African men and sang and danced to "The Lion Sleeps Tonight." It expresses the soul of our team. We are carefree, fun, passionate and inspiring. We strive for optimism and we create the most out of every situation.
Stepping away from that particular moment made me really experience the happiness radiating off of each of my teammates and helped me to realize how blessed I am to be a part of that.
Alie Zimmer
Although Langa was not as beautiful as all the beaches we visited on the coast of Cape Town, it truly blew my mind seeing the living conditions of these families. I loved interacting with the children and was truly impacted and humbled by their contagious happiness. After being fortunate enough to work with the young girls and boys of the Langa Township, I know that later on in life I really want to help and work with more children whose lives are similar to those in Langa, with the hopes to bring out the same smiles and joy.
Keats Iwanaga
Going to Constitutional Hill was one of the things that impacted me the most on the trip. The juxtaposition between the hopelessness of the prison and the optimism of the Constitutional Court was a good representative of the past and future of South African history. Learning about apartheid throughout the trip was eye-opening, scary and dismaying. It’s always horrible and dismaying to learn about the absolute hatred that people can have for one another, and the disrespect that one group of people can develop for another group based simply on race or identity. Seeing the conditions in Number Four reasserted these disheartening thoughts, and made me wonder if there will ever be a time when all people will treat each other with respect. Going straight from Number Four into the Constitutional Court reassured me, and showed me that the greatest strength can be found in resilience that is rooted in love and fraternity.
While in South Africa, our whole group experienced the utmost kindness from the South African people we met, who gladly welcomed us into their country. They asked us simply to spread their history and goals, so that other cultures could learn from their own country’s hardships.
Monica Marrazzo
Alexandra Grabow
Visiting Langa allowed me to get a better understanding of how much the people went through, and how the past is still affecting the state of the present. Ending with the clinic made me feel like I was giving back, especially after seeing how the people are living.
Anna smuda
Visiting Langa Township impacted me greatly. Seeing all the hardship and misfortune so many people endure yet remaining so optimistic and cheery really has changed my perspective on life and given me a greater appreciation for all that I have and the opportunities available to me. It was truly an eye opening experience. I'm so grateful for the chance to meet and see the individuals of Langa Township.
SAMARA SPENCE
My favorite experience on the South Africa trip was when we were in Sun city the night before the safari. We had free time to explore the park and there were almost too many things to pick from. Jamie, Alex and I decided to go to the maze. It turns out that it is the largest maze in the Southern Hemisphere. It was so cool. To even get to the maze, we had to cross a wooden bridge over the road. Inside the maze it looked like an Indiana Jones movie. The maze itself wasn't too hard to navigate but the real fun was running around the maze taking crazy pictures.
JAMIE STANKIEWIZ
SYDNEY EARLE
The moment we walked on site at Langa, everyone was so friendly and welcoming. The little kids would run up to our big group with big smiles on their face and jump into our arms. I was very humbled by this place. After touring the site, our team put together a field hockey clinic where we were able to teach and play with some of the little kids. My heart was so full leaving this special place. It opened my eyes to the living conditions and the way of life others live in this world. I am thankful we were able to visit this township.
CLARA GONI
One of the things that I'm never gonna forget is what we learned about at the Constitution Hill tour. Starting with the prison and what we saw at Number Four in the jail, I left with no words about the conditions black South Africans used to live in along with the continuous injustices and threats they had to experience. We moved from the jail to the constitutional court where we saw all the symbolic elements that were involved when building the new court. These two buildings nowadays reflect the past and the future of South Africa, and it is so impressive to see how everything has a meaning inside that court, and every single thing was built to illustrate the rights that South Africans were granted by the constitution for the first time 22 years ago. That day was definitely very inspiring for all of us and helped us appreciate the little things in life that we normally take for granted.
MADDIE ASHBROOK
One thing I learned and something that impacted me was the ability for the people who have less than us to be happier and even more grateful than us. Meeting all the children from Langa, they were always smiling and very amazed that we came all that way just to see them and help them with field hockey. It was an amazing moment and definitely will have a large impact on my life as I come back to the states. Seeing those kids makes me feel so incredibly grateful and blessed that we live in the country we do, and that we are treated so amazingly as athletes at Cal, and even in life.
Lexi Collins
Our past is transparent.
One of the most impactful aspects of the trip was learning about how South Africans have taken negativity from their past in order to build a better future. One of our tour guides said this and I thought it was a great summary of all we had learned about South African culture and displayed the outlook in regards to making the country unified after hardship. Within their Supreme Court on Constitution Hill, every aspect from their emblem to seating arrangements of justices had significance. Each aspect of their courtroom was carefully thought out to remind those of their history and ensure a better, equal society for future generations. Throughout the trip, it was inspiring for me to see how people have risen above and returned to places of pain and suffering to educate and work toward a society where everyone has rights and equality.
