A Shift in Perspective (Chaele)

Chaele atop Table Mountain in Cape Town

Venturing to South Africa for a couple months has certainly provided me with a new lens through which to view the world. Coming in, I don’t think I knew exactly what to expect. This probably helped me roll with the punches as we flitted from monument to museum in Jo’burg, and then got settled into our work and World Cup routines in Cape Town. I was ready for adventure, and I was not too worried about the unexpected.

Halfway through, I’m still not too worried about the unexpected, or what experiences and adventures I’ll have over the next four weeks. So far, Duke Engage has been amazing; I’m excited to see what comes next. That said, however, I’ve also realized how much my time here has affected my perspective. As we’ve encountered people and events that have heightened juxtapositions between poverty and wealth, race and identity, and corruption and success, I’ve found myself devoting a lot of time to reflection, in order to try and wrap my mind around all the complexities of the situation.

Through our group endeavors and my work, I’ve researched and thought often about apartheid and its continuing influence on the people here. As we drove back to the B&B yesterday, after spending the day experiencing the success story of a black, family owned vineyard in Stellenbosch, I saw countless rows of crammed ramshackle huts that served as people’s homes in the informal settlements. As we drove for miles and miles through this, the idea was reiterated that in some ways South Africa has come so far since its recent history of struggle, but that in others, it has such an inconceivably difficult and long road ahead. This is a harsh reality that has become much more real to me the more time we spend here.

Some of the conditions we have seen here have been shocking in their severity, and I fight my disbelief to try and see and understand the circumstances accurately and clearly. I’ve also realized how often those difficult problems go unseen or unmentioned in everyday society simply due to the demands of reality. For people who live here, much of their time is spent worrying about daily concerns like making dinner, going to work, cleaning the kitchen, and walking the dog – as is the case for nearly any society. On the other hand, I come through Duke Engage, with a somewhat unique position. I have two months to observe, absorb, and see Cape Town, but I come knowing that sooner rather than later, I will leave.

This circumstance has helped me understand more objectively the difference between how I think and see here, versus how I think and see in the States. I realize that I am more impervious to societal problems when I am at Duke, or at home. I have other responsibilities, and concerns, and distractions. Before I came, I didn’t see my world through the same intensely focused lens that I have used to view South Africa. It may not be possible for me to constantly use the reflective, academic, change-oriented lens that I have used here back home, but I do think it is possible to use it more consistently than I have before. Why not study and confront problems in the States in the same interested and undaunted manner as I have studied and confronted them here? One of the striking things about being here has been the immense number of similarities and connections that we have become aware of between the histories of South Africa and the United States. I will certainly have plenty of material to consider when I return home if I choose to utilize this new way of interpreting my surroundings.

I think this new perspective adds another dimension to how I can view my world, no matter where exactly I am geographically. I look forward to utilizing this new lens for the next four weeks, as well as continuing to take advantage of it thereafter.

-Chaele