With sweat already pouring down my brow and a lion staring me down from 20 feet away, I cautiously stepped out of the Land Rover.

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” the tour guide said. “Even though there is an electric fence there, I still won’t do that unless they are asleep.”

I have always dreaded returning to school, but not because of the obvious school work grind.

I never had a really exciting summer that would stick out in people’s minds. Hanging out with friends and working was the extent of my usual summers until this past one. This summer would be the one where I was looking forward to returning to school and waiting for that infamous question, “how was your summer?” or “what did you do with your break?”

I spent four weeks in Africa. this past summer and it was a life-changing experience. I, along with five other students and one teacher-student, were lead by assistant Eastern English professor Dagni Bredesen through Cape Town, South Africa. The program, sponsored by the English and history departments at Eastern, looked at nation-building in the new South Africa.

The group looked at how the citizens and government were surviving in post-Apartheid South Africa and we were able to soak up many of the sights and sounds of the city.

Cape Town and the other areas of South Africa are lands of extremes, to say the least. There is the extreme beauty of nature and the animals, but also extreme poverty as seen in the townships, where almost all of the poor black and “colored” people live. “Colored” people were considered Asian, Indian or mix and lived largely in impoverished regions in the city.

The trip was the best way to learn about history and literature, hands on and up close.

Everyday was always something new; traveling around, seeing this, or learning about that. When the group was not actually learning from books or lectures, we were learning in through experience. One day we were sightseeing, followed by a half a day of lectures, followed by an evening of fine dining on a variety of African cuisine.

A few afternoons were spent in the townships or ghettos of Cape Town learning about how many people were forced to move there under the Apartheid government.

The time spent in the townships for me was extremely difficult seeing the poverty that so many people lived in.

On one trip into the townships, we saw tradition Xhosa dancers. Their movements and chants sent chills down my spine that will most likely not be experienced any time soon.

The group did a home stay and lived with certain families in different townships. The family myself and another girl stayed with were wonderful with the hospitality and kindness they showed us. One negative aspect occurred while watching television with the children as they were eager to watch Jerry Springer. All I could do was repeatedly tell them that not all Americans are like people seen on Springer. It’s true, not all male Americans are leaving their girlfriends because they have been cheating on them with their younger brothers.

The following day was spent at a high school and elementary school in one of the townships.

The group split up to go to different classrooms for a Cape City educational experience. The class I was in had 51 students crammed into a room with no heat. The 50-degree Fahrenheit room was full of students with gloves, scarves and jackets. Cement floors did not help either.

When the group went to the elementary school, we saw much of the same; cold cement floors with children overflowing in classrooms with no heat.

A few days were spent farther within the country at the Garden Route Game Lodge. The group went on a safari and saw rhinos, zebras, cheetahs, spring buck, giraffes and lions so close you could touch them. The next day was spent seeing more of the beauty South Africa has to offer. I, along with one of the girls bungee-jumped off a bridge. We stopped in Moussel Bay, which is the oldest European (Dutch) settlement in South Africa.

The group saw beautiful scenery at many parks and preserves, including the most breathtaking place called the Heads in Knysna. The beauty included a 50-foot waterfall and wide range of colorful flowers and tress, even though it was winter.

Our tour guide, Andre, looked at me and asked, “I wonder how long it will be until they start charging for such wonderful views?”

The group was assigned four books to read from local authors dealing with issues in different areas such as rape in current South Africa, forced removals in Cape Town in the 70s, and Nelson Mandela’s autobiography “Long Walk to Freedom.”

The trip also included excursions to museums and various educational spots. We spent a night on Robben Island, the island where Mandela was in jail on for 18 years of his 27-year political imprisonment.

The group had a few lectures from guest speakers as well. One was from a history professor at one of the local colleges.

Another speaker was from a group called the National Association of Democratic Lawyers (NADEL). NADEL is a human rights research project t watching the government closely. They research any piece of legislation act and compare it in poor communities. She spoke to us about her role and NADEL’s role in looking at bills and laws and how it will affect people on the lower end of the economic spectrum. She told us South Africa is not a well-budgeted country.

Even with all the advantages and the government being the most democratic in the world, there is still a long way to go.

One thing was certain that where ever the group went, everyone, regardless of socioeconomic background, was very positive and looked to the future. They were positive about where the government was taking the people of South Africa. Many people were eager to talk to Americans and see what we thought about their country.

Many people were curious as to see what we have observed and our views on their country. Many more wanted to discuss the current events the American military was facing in Iraq. All were eager to state their disliking for President Bush. It was interesting to note how poor many people were, but were knowledgeable about the rest of the world, not just in their country.

While in Cape Town, a group of Congressmen from the US, came to look at AIDS facilities. Congress recently passed a bill giving Africa $15 billion for AIDS. The congressmen came over to see what areas needed more money than other places, who was desperate for the money and who didn’t need it as bad as others.

After the trip, the group, including Amo Houghton from New York, Marion Berry from Georgia and Ray LaHood of Illinois’ 18th District,discussed their findings in an unofficial conference open to select press, that I was fortunate to sit in on.

The trip was a reflective journey. Not only was I reflecting on my surroundings, I was reflecting about myself. Some of the questions I had concerning myself and my goals in life were answered.

I know that upon graduation I will be enlisting in the Peace Corps, potentially going back to Africa or possibly going somewhere in Asia. Still, many questions remain unanswered. I am still uncertain what I will do after that- go to grad school, get a job at a newspaper, live the rest of my life as a hermit- I am not sure.

The trip was definitely worth it to anyone looking to study abroad. If you get the chance to study out of the country take it, you will won’t regret it. Getting six semester hours of credit in history for seeing part of the world I really wanted to and learning all about the culture first hand, is definitely worth it.