Dearest friends and family,
Thank you all for your continued interest in our travels to South Africa. I write to you as we sit in the airport waiting to board our flight from Atlanta to LA. Mr. Carragher asked me and Willow to sum up the trip in this last blog post and while I was tempted to write detailed reviews and ratings about our chaperones, I've instead decided to take a kinder route, maybe some would say South Africa has changed me :)
On the note of chaperones I would like to share with all readers that this trip would not have been as impactful, fun, and safe without Ms. Lena, Mr. Martin, and Mr. Carragher. If you think one teenager is a lot to deal with, imagine 12 of them constantly asking you what we were going to to eat next or how much longer we had in our bus ride. All three of them were extremely crucial to the success of this trip, Ms. Lena being the kind, quiet one we could always talk to, Mr. Martin being our resident South African who knew how to navigate everywhere (even though he once told us we had a mile to go and that walk ended up being 55 minutes), and Mr. Carragher our fearless leader, who even though had none of his own children present on the trip, never failed to crack a dad joke and make us laugh.
I can't do justice with just words and pictures what a lifechanging trip this was for our group. I watched as students whom I had never even spoken to, break out of their shells and form meaningful and lasting friendships with the South African students. It was truly incredible to be a part of a group that was so willing to jump into each day with a postivie and excited attitude. Cape Town is a one of a kind place. The juxtaposition of poverty and wealth was stark, but not all too unfamiliar to us "LAians". Walking through the township of Langa is something I will never forget, not because I was greeted by a hoard of children who asked if I was Barbie (truly flattering and I now will be telling everyone my celebrity doppelganger is Margot Robbie) but because of the welcoming nature of every single person in the town. They welcomed us into their homes, their daily life, and their conversations, consequently making us feel a part of their community. Before this trip I had always thought of generosity as one person giving another person a tangible object with monetary value, but it has become incredibly evident to me that generosity can manifest in the way you treat another person. The people of Langa did not have to welcome us with such open arms, but they did, and the impact of that gesture was priceless.
As I enter my last few weeks at Poly I am so grateful that this is one of the last memories I will have of the school. We as students are so lucky to be given the opportunity to go on Poly's GIP trips and I can wholeheartedly say this will be one of the most meaningful experiences of my time at poly. Nelson Mandela once said, "What counts in life is not the mere fact that we have lived. It is what difference we have made to the lives of others." While this was a service trip, I think the quote more manifests in the way that the South African students have impacted my own life. They have caused me to think about the state of the world in a different light and taught me the importance of loving each other regardless of where we come from. I think for all Poly students, it's easy to get wrapped up in the world of grades and college decisions, but I can say I've left this trip realizing that there are bigger things than just me and my own path. We all can't wait to see you soon and are just now getting ready to board our flight!
-written by Annie and edited by Willow
