You did good to call.
While I'm a bit more excited about Jozi then I was yesterday, I've come down with the worst cold in the history of mankind. Or at least as I hacked up my lungs last night, it sure felt that way. My dreams were horrible, I kept feeling like I was suffocating and the runny nose and perpetual light-headedness did not help. I'm on the loveseat in my living room now, feeling really sick but ok, emotionally. I've made some good headway for Jozi and I want to start sharing some things with you all, rather than the cryptic ambigous messages I'm so fond of.
On Jan. 22 I'll be leaving NYC and heading to Johannesburg, South Africa (a.k.a. Jo'burg, Jozi, City of Gold, the Big Apple of SA). I received a Rotary Ambassadorial Scholarship and I'm being sponsored by the Rancho Cucamonga Rotary Club of USA, and the Morningside Rotary Club of SA. While I'd like to imagine I acheived this accomplishment all by myself, the truth is that my good friend Nsekuye, put me on to this great scholarship. I remember my sophmore year watching her prepare for the scholarship and thinking: I want to do that. The Ambassadorial Scholarship is a little bit like the govermment funded "cultural exchanges" such as the Fulbright, Watson, Rhodes, etc., except its a little less well known and it's not government funded (obviously). I won't go into too much detail about the scholarship, so if you're really interesed, just read about it at the provided link.
Intially, I wanted to study in Kingston, Jamaica. I'd wanted to return to the Caribbean to continue studies I'd begun while living in the Dominican Republic, and I specifically wanted to link Caribbean studies between those abroad and those who migrate to NYC. However, upon further research of the programs at UWI (University of West Indies), I wasn't too impressed with their course selection. Add to the fact that since I was getting a scholarship, I should probably go as far away as possible, I transferred my location to Jozi.
Sonja did her program in Durban. One of the coastal cities, well known as a tourist hotspot (featured in Ludacris' Pimpin' All Over the World video), Durban is well known for it's beauty. Capetown, on the southern tip of the island, also near the water, is another pretty well known tourist destination. So naturally, I gravitated towards the inland, dry and oftentimes overlooked city of Jozi! (Overlooked in terms of tons of tourists and vacation spots) Don't get me wrong, Jozi gets visitors, especially since it's near gaming lands and safaris (gotta pick up those spears before you leave the Dark Continent). However, Jozi is also known as the biggest city, the Big Apple of SA, and is at the center of cultural development. It's home to Wits, near Soweto, carries the history of Sophiatown. Jozi is where I knew I'd go.
I want to attend law school when I come back, so I wanted to study something semi-relevant. While in college, I didn't study economics, globalization or international relations as indepth as I wish I had. I don't regret it, because I don't think Pomona was the place for me to learn about international relations, given the demographics of the professors and students. However after visiting the IR section at Wits, the courses looked amazing. So I'm enrolled in the MA program in IR. After speaking with JoAnne, a nice lady who did her Rotary in Jozi (Sonja again hooked this up), I decided to stay in the Uni until I can scope out my area and find an apartment off campus. Right now I have housing in the West Campus Village (not too shabby, eh?). I called today to find out if I'd be able to move in when I arrived and I spoke to a nice gentleman who took my information and said that he'd have a room waiting for me. "You did good to call", he told me. That was good to hear. My counselor in Jozi, Joanne, has been emailing me back and forth. I sent her a pic of me so she'd recognize me since she's picking me up from the airport.
Next up: securing the plane ticket and Visa.
FYi, I'll be deleting my posts as I get closer, so that I can start fresh. I'll archive them somewhere else for you all, maybe.
On Jan. 22 I'll be leaving NYC and heading to Johannesburg, South Africa (a.k.a. Jo'burg, Jozi, City of Gold, the Big Apple of SA). I received a Rotary Ambassadorial Scholarship and I'm being sponsored by the Rancho Cucamonga Rotary Club of USA, and the Morningside Rotary Club of SA. While I'd like to imagine I acheived this accomplishment all by myself, the truth is that my good friend Nsekuye, put me on to this great scholarship. I remember my sophmore year watching her prepare for the scholarship and thinking: I want to do that. The Ambassadorial Scholarship is a little bit like the govermment funded "cultural exchanges" such as the Fulbright, Watson, Rhodes, etc., except its a little less well known and it's not government funded (obviously). I won't go into too much detail about the scholarship, so if you're really interesed, just read about it at the provided link.
Intially, I wanted to study in Kingston, Jamaica. I'd wanted to return to the Caribbean to continue studies I'd begun while living in the Dominican Republic, and I specifically wanted to link Caribbean studies between those abroad and those who migrate to NYC. However, upon further research of the programs at UWI (University of West Indies), I wasn't too impressed with their course selection. Add to the fact that since I was getting a scholarship, I should probably go as far away as possible, I transferred my location to Jozi.
Sonja did her program in Durban. One of the coastal cities, well known as a tourist hotspot (featured in Ludacris' Pimpin' All Over the World video), Durban is well known for it's beauty. Capetown, on the southern tip of the island, also near the water, is another pretty well known tourist destination. So naturally, I gravitated towards the inland, dry and oftentimes overlooked city of Jozi! (Overlooked in terms of tons of tourists and vacation spots) Don't get me wrong, Jozi gets visitors, especially since it's near gaming lands and safaris (gotta pick up those spears before you leave the Dark Continent). However, Jozi is also known as the biggest city, the Big Apple of SA, and is at the center of cultural development. It's home to Wits, near Soweto, carries the history of Sophiatown. Jozi is where I knew I'd go.
I want to attend law school when I come back, so I wanted to study something semi-relevant. While in college, I didn't study economics, globalization or international relations as indepth as I wish I had. I don't regret it, because I don't think Pomona was the place for me to learn about international relations, given the demographics of the professors and students. However after visiting the IR section at Wits, the courses looked amazing. So I'm enrolled in the MA program in IR. After speaking with JoAnne, a nice lady who did her Rotary in Jozi (Sonja again hooked this up), I decided to stay in the Uni until I can scope out my area and find an apartment off campus. Right now I have housing in the West Campus Village (not too shabby, eh?). I called today to find out if I'd be able to move in when I arrived and I spoke to a nice gentleman who took my information and said that he'd have a room waiting for me. "You did good to call", he told me. That was good to hear. My counselor in Jozi, Joanne, has been emailing me back and forth. I sent her a pic of me so she'd recognize me since she's picking me up from the airport.
Next up: securing the plane ticket and Visa.
FYi, I'll be deleting my posts as I get closer, so that I can start fresh. I'll archive them somewhere else for you all, maybe.
Posted @ 6:32 PM
2 Comments :
hey friend - i have a lot to say but i literally just walked into my flat after the longest travelling day ever and i am still sorting through being back (even though i was only gone a week!) i'm off to take a shower, eat some food, relax and then you'll be hearing from me.
ps: thanx for all the shoutouts!
You deserved the shoutouts! Looks like you had a lot of Parisian (and Algerian?) fun for the New Year. Still haven't heard from you, though...
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