Elon and I’s
presentation was entitled “A Souvenir Story: Our Keepsakes from Cape Town.” We tailored
the focus of our service-learning presentation through the metaphorical lens of
a souvenir. I thought of this metaphor after reflecting on all of the things, both
tangible and abstract, that I now felt able to carry with me after leaving Cape
Town. According to a simple definition, a souvenir is “a thing that is kept as
a reminder of a person, place, or event.” Keeping this prior knowledge about
souvenirs in mind, we were compelled to work through the following reflective
questions. “What souvenirs did we bring with us to Cape Town from the United
States?” “What lessons did we learn while living in Cape Town and through our
service-learning experiences at the Centre of Science and Technology (COSAT)?”
Lastly, “what souvenirs can we each take home to our respective communities as
we return to America?”
In terms of
the souvenirs that I brought from America, I carried with me a diverse mixture
of feelings and experiences. These included doubts that I could not be an
effective teacher, leader or community member at COSAT, a new environment.
Moreover, many of my perspectives were shortsighted and oversimplified. These
oversimplifications included my thought about race and identity, the history of
South Africa, notions about connectivity, etc. Some of my more positive
souvenirs entailed a passion for education (resulting from my life in Detroit),
somewhat of a knowledge base about South Africa’s history (Stanford course),
and a love for building relationships through expressing vulnerability and
stories.
It was important for me to
realize that I came to South Africa with a plethora of experiences and my own
unique story just like everyone else in the world. I had the opportunity to
cross paths and share aspects of my life’s narrative with so many individuals
here in Cape Town. With my learners at COSAT, for instance, telling my story
and being open about myself have been some of the greatest ways to forge
beautiful relationships. In our presentation, Elon and I also emphasized the
knowledge that was passed on to us in South Africa, especially by our students.
For me, my students provided me with a more nuanced perspective about identity.
I learned that everyone perceives various parts of their identity to be salient
in different ways. For many of COSAT’s students, speaking isiXhosa, being Black
in South Africa, and standing out from their peers with regard to academic
performance were paramount experiences.
In essence, it was a fulfilling
moment to share our service-learning journey with our whole class and the various
partner organizations that were present. Being able to track my growth and
development by employing the ‘souvenir’ metaphor was a way for me to critically
and creatively reflect. It’s true that souvenirs are often times symbolic of
one’s travel experiences and hold special meanings to their respective owners.
However, it is important to remember that all souvenirs are not free. They
sometimes cost us challenges that we must overcome, time, and literal money.
Nevertheless, the souvenirs that we carry with us along our journeys are always
worth the cost.
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