My Trip To South Africa

How did a student from Cornell High School (Coraopolis, PA) get to spend her 2016 summer in Cape Town, South Africa approximately 9,037 miles from home? Ms. Treniya Bronaugh shares her life changing experience. How did this trip come about?

A couple of years ago my teacher, Mrs. Kerr, asked if I was interested in going to South Africa. She knew I was interested in Peace, Politics and Human Rights, which is the core mission of the national organization, The Experiment in International Living program to South Africa; she believed in me. But she said take a year to think about it. I told my Mom and she was not too keen on me going so far. After a year I completed the application. There would only be 15 students picked from across the nation

We had been in constant prayer. I reminded her that this is your destiny; put your trust in the Lord. I constantly prayed Jesus be a fence around my child,” said Jamaica Ramsey (her mother). Before your trip what did you think you were going to see in South Africa?

I thought there would be drums, singing and tribes, like we see in the movies. I did not think it would be as developed. I thought South Africa would be more ‘whiter,’ everyone equates South Africa with white people. When we arrive, it was nothing but Black people, business owners, and managers. It was funny one of our tour guides was white and when he had to contact his supervisor, I thought it would be a white person, but out comes this young Black man. Also, I thought the flight would be shorter, it was nonstop 16 hours, I slept most of the way.

How did you get along with the other students in the group?

“She called me the first night, saying Mommy I have nothing in common with kids, then the next thing you know she is calling me saying they are all her best friends,” her mom

Food: no carbs, they eat a lot of vegetables, fruit, goat meat, steam bread, curry, I even ate cow’s head. With the interaction with the students in my group I watched how I spoke and my mannerisms, I did not want to project the stereotypical Black youth. At our stays in the rural Townships, no heat or electricity; we woke up cold; the shower was cold, it was winter in South Africa. We walked on dirt paths, used outhouses. I used a lot of baby wipes, as showers were once a week. I suppose the organization wanted us to have the real experience on how many Africans live. Also, it was necessary to be aware of our surroundings. One guy in our group was pickpocketed three times; another female was about to be robbed and stabbed, but of our chaperon overheard the would-be robbers. I did not have any bad incidents as I looked like the Africans more so than my friends. But still I had to be