In the final blog from the Winchester-Nelson Mandela Museum Exchange 2018, second-year Primary Education student Samuel Polden looks back over the experiences of the past two weeks.
The unexpected has become the expected. Just one of the many legacies this trip will hold.
The past two weeks have been a journey from thinking: "Oh my goodness what have I got myself into?" to: "This has been the best experience of my life, I don't want to leave".
From the accommodation with intermittent water and electricity, to the daunting prospect of teaching a class full of 28 non-English speaking children, to smelling a hole in the ground for its healing properties; this experience will live long in the memory of all 11 of us who undertook the opportunity to build links between the University of Winchester and the Nelson Mandela Museum in Mthatha.
Despite the initial 'surprises' posed by the accommodation it quickly became home, and three days into teaching we were running the school, and the hole in the ground...well that was just a bad smelling hole in the ground.
The relationships that have been formed on this trip, those that will be left in South Africa and those that will be taken back home, will continue for a lifetime. The development all participants of the trip have made - both personally and professionally - have far exceeded all prior expectations. We went as 11 researchers on this trip, with a common goal, and we've left as 11 friends who have achieved their goal.
South Africa it's been a blast, we'll be back.
Read other posts from students taking part in the University of Winchester- Nelson Mandela Museum Exchange 2018:
Ever Felt Like an A List Celebrity? We have
Teaching in a Class Where There is Little English Has Had its Challenges
More information about the University of Winchester-Nelson Mandela Museum partnership here
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