Soon after touching down from spending the 2013 spring semester in London, Castleton senior and global studies major, Erika Bojarczuk had the burning desire to continue her adventure abroad.
To fill the void left at the end of her European explorations and to complete some of her remaining graduation requirements, Bojarczuk took the opportunity to spend the fall semester in Cape Town, South Africa attending the University of Western Cape.
“I found myself itching to go some place new,” she said.
Throughout her overseas semester Bojarczuk took classes that applied to her major, including two politics courses and a women’s and gender studies class. Additionally, she enrolled in a six-week language course where she learned to speak and understand isiXhosa, one of 11 national languages in South Africa.
“It’s a really unique language to learn because some words require the speaker to make different clicking sounds,” said Bojarczuk. “It was definitely a challenge.”
As the semester quickly draws to a close, Bojarczuk said her abroad experience allowed her to make many new friends and to partake in rewarding academic endeavors, including an opportunity to work with three of her UWC classmates to present their work at a women’s and gender studies colloquium.
“Scholars in the field from across South Africa and around the world attended,” she said of the event.
As she prepares to return to Castleton, Bojarczuk will be presenting her capstone project and photography on Thursday, December 11 at 12:30 p.m. in the Old Chapel, highlighting her semesters in both London and Cape Town, as well as her volunteer efforts in Kenya.
“I will talk about my personal journey through global studies and cultural immersion,” she said.
In her talk Bojarczuk will address the view that American college students have toward Africa and its culture. Through sharing her experiences with the Castleton community she also hopes to repress any stereotypes that may be held about the continent.
“Cape Town isn’t all poverty and illness, but rather it is a beautiful city filled with vibrant culture and friendly people.” Bojarczuk said. “I hope my semester in Cape Town will encourage more students to study in African countries.”