Latest / Wander the World with Pippa Hudson / Wander the World: Students travel with AFS programme

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Wander the World: Students travel with AFS programme · Wander the World with Pippa Hudson

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: You're with Cave Talk Elsides Papahasen on lunch.
• 0:06
  Speaker 2: Trevor writing and on the WhatsApp line to say he
• 0:08
  Speaker 2: is still in contact with students he met on exchange
• 0:10
  Speaker 2: more than twenty five years ago, particularly close with the
• 0:14
  Speaker 2: Thai students. Terresa from Germany returned many times and likewise
• 0:18
  Speaker 2: we went to visit her in Stuttgart. She wished me
• 0:21
  Speaker 2: happy birthday from Peru just last week, he tells us Trevor,
• 0:24
  Speaker 2: emphasizing the friendship aspect of a cultural exchange program and
• 0:30
  Speaker 2: in Wonder the World today we are chatting to two
• 0:32
  Speaker 2: South African youngsters who are busy taking part in an
• 0:35
  Speaker 2: international cultural exchange with AFS INTERculture. If you missed our
• 0:40
  Speaker 2: earlier conversation with him at the start of the show.
• 0:42
  Speaker 2: The main thing to know is that this is an
• 0:44
  Speaker 2: international NGO that has a big presence in South Africa
• 0:47
  Speaker 2: and offers local scholars and students the chance to go
• 0:51
  Speaker 2: and study or volunteer overseas and to immerse themselves in
• 0:55
  Speaker 2: another culture. Now joining us via Zoom are two of
• 0:58
  Speaker 2: their current cohort. Mahoni is currently on exchange in Central
• 1:02
  Speaker 2: America in beautiful Panama, while Nintando Seremane is exploring life
• 1:06
  Speaker 2: in South Korea. It's wonderful to have both of you
• 1:09
  Speaker 2: with us, spanning the time zones we are this afternoon.
• 1:11
  Speaker 2: Thank you so much for joining us, and welcome to
• 1:13
  Speaker 2: Cape Talk.
• 1:15
  Speaker 3: Hi. Thank you for having us.
• 1:17
  Speaker 1: Good, thank you for having us.
• 1:19
  Speaker 2: It's a great pleasure. I'm going to ask start by
• 1:21
  Speaker 2: asking each of you just to briefly introduce yourselves. Tell
• 1:24
  Speaker 2: us how old you are and how you came to
• 1:26
  Speaker 2: be involved in the AFAS program in the first place. Kiok,
• 1:29
  Speaker 2: can we start with you.
• 1:31
  Speaker 4: Well, my name's Kiara, I'm nineteen years old. My father
• 1:36
  Speaker 4: actually did the Airface program when he finished with high school. Yeah,
• 1:40
  Speaker 4: and just based on what he told me about his experience,
• 1:43
  Speaker 4: it sounded like something I was really interested in doing.
• 1:46
  Speaker 4: I really love traveling and having the opportunity to meet
• 1:49
  Speaker 4: new people. So the whole idea of AFS really gave
• 1:53
  Speaker 4: me this opportunity. So after finishing high school, it was
• 1:56
  Speaker 4: something that I looked into and it just seemed like
• 2:00
  Speaker 4: an amazing opportunity that I really could not miss out on.
• 2:03
  Speaker 4: And obviously right now I have no regrets. It was
• 2:06
  Speaker 4: completely worth.
• 2:07
  Speaker 2: It, fantastic to hear that, Kira, what made you choose
• 2:09
  Speaker 2: Panama in particular?
• 2:12
  Speaker 4: I have always thought that South America in general is
• 2:16
  Speaker 4: absolutely beautiful, and of course, while Panama is in North America,
• 2:20
  Speaker 4: it's always been such an interesting country to me. I've
• 2:23
  Speaker 4: always wanted to learn Spanish. The nature is beautiful and
• 2:26
  Speaker 4: the people always seem so friendly, so I definitely think
• 2:30
  Speaker 4: it was the right choice for me just being in
• 2:32
  Speaker 4: this environment in general.
• 2:33
  Speaker 2: I don't know if our listeners can hear what I'm hearing,
• 2:35
  Speaker 2: which is the sort of birds chirping in the background,
• 2:38
  Speaker 2: really emphasizing the wonderful natural environment to you in Kiara,
• 2:41
  Speaker 2: thanks for that introduction, and Tondo, what about you tell
• 2:44
  Speaker 2: us a bit about yourself.
• 2:46
  Speaker 1: Hello, my name is Nintundo.
• 2:49
  Speaker 5: I'm twenty years old and I actually heard of Afs
• 2:54
  Speaker 5: from the internet. Actually, yeah, I saw how wonderful the
• 2:58
  Speaker 5: experience might be to experience different cultures, different foods, and
• 3:03
  Speaker 5: just to explore the world further, because the world.
• 3:06
  Speaker 1: Is quite a bit bigger thing in South Africa.
• 3:10
  Speaker 2: And the choice of South Korea, what was it a
• 3:12
  Speaker 2: place you'd always wanted to go or was it the
• 3:14
  Speaker 2: place you chose because it seemed the furthest away and
• 3:17
  Speaker 2: most different from your own culture.
• 3:21
  Speaker 5: Well, I chose Asia in particular because just how different
• 3:27
  Speaker 5: it is from let's say a South Africa, and just
• 3:31
  Speaker 5: to experience really as being really the only one of
• 3:37
  Speaker 5: the few people that are just I guess non Asian,
• 3:40
  Speaker 5: I guess, And just to experience a different culture, and
• 3:44
  Speaker 5: really to learn the language that the unique language where
• 3:48
  Speaker 5: you cannot get anywhere.
• 3:49
  Speaker 1: Else in the world. Really, that's really why I chose.
• 3:52
  Speaker 2: Okay, Now, I wanted to ask both of you about
• 3:54
  Speaker 2: how you tackle the language Barrier and Tundle, so you
• 3:57
  Speaker 2: very deliberately went they're keen to learn a completely different
• 4:00
  Speaker 2: and new language. Did you do any sort of study
• 4:03
  Speaker 2: before you got to Korea to try and prepare yourself
• 4:06
  Speaker 2: or did you literally dive into the deep end arriving
• 4:08
  Speaker 2: there not speaking any of the language at all.
• 4:12
  Speaker 1: I actually came in here without knowing anything, to be honest,
• 4:16
  Speaker 1: was okay? At first? I was a bit it was.
• 4:18
  Speaker 5: It was a bit confusing, as as obvious as that
• 4:22
  Speaker 5: may sound.
• 4:22
  Speaker 1: But honestly, people here are very friendly and pretty.
• 4:27
  Speaker 5: Understanding, so they'll be patient with you as we try
• 4:31
  Speaker 5: to navigate your way in time to communicate with them.
• 4:34
  Speaker 1: And more than anything, I feel as if it's and
• 4:39
  Speaker 1: you challenge.
• 4:41
  Speaker 5: You know, I don't really see it as some sort
• 4:43
  Speaker 5: of barrier, so to speak. I more see it as
• 4:49
  Speaker 5: a bridge that I just have to build on my
• 4:52
  Speaker 5: own to further educate myself with cultures and being able
• 4:56
  Speaker 5: to speak to new and different people to get the experiences.
• 4:59
  Speaker 2: Okay, do you want to say something for us in Koreaan?
• 5:02
  Speaker 2: Perhaps good morning and how are you or something like that.
• 5:16
  Speaker 1: K Yeah, that's that's that's that's a word for now.
• 5:21
  Speaker 2: Okay, you've done better than I could, so well done.
• 5:23
  Speaker 2: Thank you for that explanation. Kiara, what about you? You
• 5:26
  Speaker 2: said that learning Spanish was one of the real motivators
• 5:29
  Speaker 2: for you to go to Central America. How are you
• 5:31
  Speaker 2: getting on in that goal?
• 5:34
  Speaker 4: I mean, learning the language has definitely been one of
• 5:37
  Speaker 4: the biggest challenges, I would say, just because being thrown
• 5:41
  Speaker 4: into an environment where you don't really know any of
• 5:44
  Speaker 4: the language and you're surrounded by people that don't necessarily
• 5:48
  Speaker 4: speak English either, it can be a bit of a challenge,
• 5:50
  Speaker 4: and the language barrier, of course, can be a problem. However,
• 5:54
  Speaker 4: it has also been extremely useful and being able to
• 5:56
  Speaker 4: pick up the language quicker by being forced to speak
• 6:00
  Speaker 4: it and being forced to be in that environment. And
• 6:03
  Speaker 4: for me, I've actually really enjoyed having the struggle of
• 6:07
  Speaker 4: maybe ordering at a restaurant or saying something incorrectly. I've
• 6:10
  Speaker 4: really enjoyed being able to learn through that, and being
• 6:14
  Speaker 4: able to be corrected by friends and family members, and
• 6:18
  Speaker 4: just really being able to put yourself out there in
• 6:20
  Speaker 4: speaking a language that normally you wouldn't even attempt to speak.
• 6:24
  Speaker 2: Well, I can't do it in Tondo and not do
• 6:26
  Speaker 2: it to you, Kiara, Do you want to give us
• 6:27
  Speaker 2: a sample of your Spanish and how it's got on
• 6:29
  Speaker 2: so far?
• 6:32
  Speaker 3: I'll just say hello, how are you.
• 6:36
  Speaker 5: All?
• 6:36
  Speaker 2: Commers?
• 6:37
  Speaker 3: Dos?
• 6:37
  Speaker 4: Okay?
• 6:37
  Speaker 3: Well done?
• 6:38
  Speaker 2: So you're getting there? And have you like in Tondo?
• 6:40
  Speaker 2: Find that people found that people are very friendly and
• 6:43
  Speaker 2: willing to help. You know, you've shown the interest of
• 6:46
  Speaker 2: going to their country with you know, an approach of
• 6:49
  Speaker 2: wanting to learn. Are you finding that they're receiving you
• 6:52
  Speaker 2: with much the same sort of sense of welcome?
• 6:57
  Speaker 3: Yes?
• 6:57
  Speaker 4: Absolutely, the people here are very welcoming, very friendly. Specifically,
• 7:03
  Speaker 4: if I approach someone and initially they think that I'm
• 7:05
  Speaker 4: maybe Panamanian and they hear my Spanish, and they know
• 7:08
  Speaker 4: I'm definitely foreign. They are so willing to help. They're
• 7:12
  Speaker 4: so willing to even try and speak English. They're willing
• 7:15
  Speaker 4: to help me with my Spanish. It has really been
• 7:17
  Speaker 4: an overall great experience with that.
• 7:19
  Speaker 2: I'm so glad to hear it. Kira, tell us a
• 7:21
  Speaker 2: little bit more about what you've seen of Panama so
• 7:23
  Speaker 2: far and some of the highlights of what you've experienced there.
• 7:27
  Speaker 4: Well, for me, I'm saying in Panama City, which is
• 7:30
  Speaker 4: the area with a lot of people, a lot of activities,
• 7:34
  Speaker 4: that kind of thing, and I've really been able to
• 7:37
  Speaker 4: experience meeting new people and just seeing how people live
• 7:41
  Speaker 4: on day to day and experiencing not being a tourist,
• 7:44
  Speaker 4: but actually being a local in Panama. But I've also
• 7:48
  Speaker 4: had the privilege of going to other provinces and other
• 7:51
  Speaker 4: areas to see Panama's beautiful nature, the beautiful beaches, and
• 7:56
  Speaker 4: really being able to immerse in the country and everything
• 8:00
  Speaker 4: that it has to offer.
• 8:01
  Speaker 2: Okay, and inn Sando, what about you? Have you had
• 8:04
  Speaker 2: the chance to explore much of South Korea. Tell us
• 8:06
  Speaker 2: a little bit more about where you are and what
• 8:08
  Speaker 2: you've seen so far.
• 8:09
  Speaker 5: Well, I'm currently in province I guess called Dejon, which
• 8:15
  Speaker 5: I think is very nature driven. I really like how
• 8:19
  Speaker 5: a lot of the things are. It's really peaceful here.
• 8:23
  Speaker 5: But I've had the chance to actually go to Seoul,
• 8:26
  Speaker 5: the capital of South Korea, and I've been to a
• 8:28
  Speaker 5: lot devil, which is a lot of people's dreams, to
• 8:31
  Speaker 5: be honest.
• 8:31
  Speaker 1: Central there was an amusement park.
• 8:34
  Speaker 5: But a really really big and really amazing amusement park
• 8:39
  Speaker 5: I went to. I had the chance to go a
• 8:41
  Speaker 5: lot of rides and really just experience how amazing really
• 8:47
  Speaker 5: and like how large scale it is compared to like
• 8:50
  Speaker 5: a lot of South Africas, for example, like the Goldish City.
• 8:53
  Speaker 1: Yes, in South Africa, it's quite miniscule compared to lovel
• 8:58
  Speaker 1: to be honest. So it was a a great experience. Yeah,
• 9:02
  Speaker 1: that's how I've been so far.
• 9:04
  Speaker 2: Okay, besides the scale of things being so much bigger,
• 9:08
  Speaker 2: has anything shocked or surprised you have? You found yourself
• 9:11
  Speaker 2: sort of suffering from culture shock in any way, whether
• 9:14
  Speaker 2: it was adapting to new food or that they do
• 9:17
  Speaker 2: something very differently in South Korea from the way you're
• 9:20
  Speaker 2: used to doing it in South Africa.
• 9:22
  Speaker 5: Well, the culture shock for me maybe has been well
• 9:25
  Speaker 5: to start off with the obvious son and being able
• 9:28
  Speaker 5: to use chop sticks. Mainly just used to eating with
• 9:33
  Speaker 5: a four kate knife, but now like my hands, I'm
• 9:37
  Speaker 5: not quite used to.
• 9:39
  Speaker 1: The chop sticks, and also mainly also like.
• 9:43
  Speaker 5: The terrain really of South Korea is there's a lot
• 9:48
  Speaker 5: of hills really here, so it's quite challenging on the feet,
• 9:54
  Speaker 5: I guess to you old to like walk from you
• 9:56
  Speaker 5: have to walk around everywhere and whilst they as hells.
• 10:01
  Speaker 5: But other than that really not much. As I said before,
• 10:05
  Speaker 5: it's quite people are quite accepting, quite also willing to
• 10:09
  Speaker 5: teach you some of the cultural norms, like, for example,
• 10:15
  Speaker 5: not to yell in a in like a bus or
• 10:18
  Speaker 5: a train. It is quite important to be to be
• 10:21
  Speaker 5: mindful of your surroundings in terms of not yelling in
• 10:26
  Speaker 5: a train, always giving the elders or like the pregnant
• 10:31
  Speaker 5: women a rite or passage always.
• 10:35
  Speaker 1: Otherwise. Yeah, it's been, it's been quite fantastic here.
• 10:38
  Speaker 2: Okay, Kiara. Have you had any moments of real culture
• 10:41
  Speaker 2: shock or things that have completely surprised you about your
• 10:44
  Speaker 2: experience in Panama so far?
• 10:47
  Speaker 4: Well, I mean, honestly from my experience, I feel like
• 10:50
  Speaker 4: Panama definitely has a couple of similarities with South Africa,
• 10:54
  Speaker 4: just in regards to some of the way things work
• 10:56
  Speaker 4: and the friendliness of the people. I feel like that's
• 10:59
  Speaker 4: very South African.
• 11:01
  Speaker 3: But one thing I.
• 11:02
  Speaker 4: Will say, I am vegetarian, so it has been a
• 11:05
  Speaker 4: bit of a struggle with finding vegetarian meals to eat.
• 11:09
  Speaker 4: But like I said, people are so open and willing
• 11:12
  Speaker 4: to help. My family has been lovely and obviously prepares
• 11:16
  Speaker 4: me really amazing Panamanian vegetarian meals. And yeah, overall, I've
• 11:23
  Speaker 4: just been able to, of course figure my way around that.
• 11:27
  Speaker 4: And while of course Panama has a very different culture
• 11:30
  Speaker 4: than South Africa, It's all been just such a great experience.
• 11:34
  Speaker 4: I've been able to be immersed in this culture, and
• 11:37
  Speaker 4: while there have been differences, I wouldn't say that I've
• 11:41
  Speaker 4: had any negative experiences or felt any any sadness or
• 11:47
  Speaker 4: unhappiness in the change of culture.
• 11:49
  Speaker 3: I've rarely enjoyed every moment.
• 11:50
  Speaker 2: Okay, just for anybody who's joining us midway for this interview.
• 11:54
  Speaker 2: Our guests are two South African young adults who are
• 11:57
  Speaker 2: both currently taking part in AFS cultural exchange programs. Kiara
• 12:02
  Speaker 2: Mahoney is nineteen years old currently based in Panama, and Nintando.
• 12:07
  Speaker 2: Ceremane is twenty years old and spending time in South Korea,
• 12:10
  Speaker 2: both of them obviously joining us by a zoom this
• 12:12
  Speaker 2: afternoon to chat to us. And let's talk a little
• 12:16
  Speaker 2: bit about the things you're missing from home. Kiara, You've
• 12:18
  Speaker 2: just said you've found it very welcoming and that your
• 12:21
  Speaker 2: hosts have made you feel so at home. Is there
• 12:23
  Speaker 2: any aspect of South African life that you felt sort
• 12:26
  Speaker 2: of tugging at you that you are really missing?
• 12:30
  Speaker 3: Well, of course I miss my friends and my family.
• 12:33
  Speaker 4: Of course, when you're going on in exchange, you're gonna
• 12:35
  Speaker 4: miss those main things and my pets of course.
• 12:38
  Speaker 3: But overall, I feel like, while there are things that.
• 12:41
  Speaker 4: I miss, just the experience of new things in a
• 12:45
  Speaker 4: different country has really made it worth it.
• 12:47
  Speaker 3: So they're say, can I miss something?
• 12:49
  Speaker 4: I think of something new that I've discovered, if someone
• 12:51
  Speaker 4: new that I've met, And it really just makes me
• 12:55
  Speaker 4: so grateful to be able to have something that I
• 12:58
  Speaker 4: can miss and something new that I'm experiencing at the
• 13:00
  Speaker 4: same time.
• 13:01
  Speaker 2: Yeah, has it been the same for you in Tando?
• 13:03
  Speaker 2: I mean, of course, you must be missing loved ones
• 13:05
  Speaker 2: back at home. But is there anything else that you
• 13:07
  Speaker 2: you really have you you can't wait to get back
• 13:09
  Speaker 2: to when your exchange is over.
• 13:12
  Speaker 5: Well, to be honest, only I can't wait to get
• 13:14
  Speaker 5: back to is a good, good old bride, Just a
• 13:17
  Speaker 5: good old tie and some built on. That's mainly what
• 13:22
  Speaker 5: I'm missing, really is just the way South Africans do it.
• 13:25
  Speaker 5: Just a bob, the bride, a good time. That's not
• 13:29
  Speaker 5: the main thing that I'm missing from home. But otherwise,
• 13:32
  Speaker 5: I mean, obviously I can just always call my family.
• 13:35
  Speaker 5: Technology is pee advanced these days, but and that, Yeah,
• 13:40
  Speaker 5: it's just a bride, some some good bob.
• 13:43
  Speaker 1: That's that's that's it.
• 13:44
  Speaker 2: Well, those the good news is those will definitely still
• 13:46
  Speaker 2: be waiting for you when you get home at the
• 13:48
  Speaker 2: end of this. Don't know what A more serious note,
• 13:51
  Speaker 2: what do you feel like you've learned about yourself in
• 13:53
  Speaker 2: the process of going on exchange?
• 13:55
  Speaker 1: Well, to be to be honest, I've felt more. I
• 14:01
  Speaker 1: felt more open to expressing myself.
• 14:04
  Speaker 5: I mean, obviously, as a black person in Asia, it's
• 14:10
  Speaker 5: a bit obviously there will uh the career, there'll be
• 14:14
  Speaker 5: a bit more curious and because my skin card is
• 14:17
  Speaker 5: a bit different from them, but I've learned rather than
• 14:20
  Speaker 5: to shy away from it, rather than I'd rather learned
• 14:23
  Speaker 5: to be more expressive about it.
• 14:25
  Speaker 1: More like dye my hair now get more here. I've
• 14:28
  Speaker 1: gone a lot more piercings, to be honest, since I
• 14:32
  Speaker 1: got here as well.
• 14:34
  Speaker 5: Yeah, I think that it all told me to just
• 14:36
  Speaker 5: have more confidence in myself rather than to be in
• 14:40
  Speaker 5: a shell, because I ultimately I came here to learn
• 14:44
  Speaker 5: and experience new experiences. So I've just learned to be
• 14:50
  Speaker 5: more comfortable in my own skin as well through this program.
• 14:53
  Speaker 2: That's fantastic to hear. Kiara, Do you feel the same way.
• 14:56
  Speaker 2: Is there anything else you'd add to that about what
• 14:58
  Speaker 2: you've discovered about yourself in the pro of leaving South Africa?
• 15:02
  Speaker 1: Yeah?
• 15:02
  Speaker 3: Absolutely.
• 15:03
  Speaker 4: I mean I would say just overall, traveling to a
• 15:06
  Speaker 4: country where you don't know the language, you're not living
• 15:09
  Speaker 4: as a tourist, you're living as a local. It definitely
• 15:13
  Speaker 4: forces you to grow your confidence and self awareness in
• 15:17
  Speaker 4: different ways that you wouldn't normally experience in the comfort
• 15:19
  Speaker 4: of your own country. And I really feel like just
• 15:24
  Speaker 4: being able to be here has been such a good
• 15:27
  Speaker 4: opportunity for growth, for meeting Panamanians and meeting locals, and
• 15:32
  Speaker 4: as well as meeting other people in exchange, other people
• 15:35
  Speaker 4: traveling and being able to hear their stories and being
• 15:38
  Speaker 4: able to understand kind of why they did this as well.
• 15:41
  Speaker 3: Yeah, Like there are moments where I'm hanging out with.
• 15:44
  Speaker 4: My friends, a friend from Canada, friends from Germany, and
• 15:47
  Speaker 4: a friend from Panama, and I'm just thinking all of
• 15:50
  Speaker 4: us in this one group, it's just such a different
• 15:53
  Speaker 4: experience that you won't have unless you're going on in
• 15:56
  Speaker 4: exchange or traveling somewhere with this kind of experience.
• 16:00
  Speaker 3: So I would say that.
• 16:01
  Speaker 4: It's definitely taught me to be just more confident, self
• 16:05
  Speaker 4: aware and open to other people.
• 16:07
  Speaker 2: It's been wonderful listening to both of you talk with
• 16:09
  Speaker 2: such excitement about how much you are learning not just
• 16:12
  Speaker 2: about other cultures but about yourselves as well. And I
• 16:15
  Speaker 2: want to thank you both for making time to speak
• 16:17
  Speaker 2: to us at what probably is not the most convenient
• 16:19
  Speaker 2: time of day for you in your time zones. To
• 16:22
  Speaker 2: Kiara Mahoney joining us from Panama and Nintando Ceremony joining
• 16:26
  Speaker 2: us from South Korea, thank you for your time this
• 16:28
  Speaker 2: afternoon and We wish you all the best and continued
• 16:31
  Speaker 2: enjoyment of the rest of your exchange experience with AFS.
• 16:34
  Speaker 2: Thank you for joining us on the show today.
• 16:37
  Speaker 1: Thank you.
• 16:39
  Speaker 2: And that's what it's like if you want to explore
• 16:42
  Speaker 2: the possibility once again. The website to visit for more
• 16:44
  Speaker 2: information on the AFS program is AFS dot org dot
• 16:48
  Speaker 2: c A