"Don't Stop Believing" (that this plane will ever land), aka, the Journey

By Lacey Taylor (Nursing, '26)

And just like that, we have arrived in South Africa! Yet, our journey began 16 weeks ago, with the first day of class.  As ill-prepared as many of us may have felt during our 37 hours of travel, our coursework has provided us with much knowledge to support our success as we spend the next 16 days studying abroad.

We’ve spent time learning basic phrases in Zulu- one of South Africa’s 11 official languages. This has proven to be challenging for many of us, but the reassurance of our fellow classmates and the passive-aggressive notifications from Duo, the Duolingo owl, has solidified, hopefully, some ability to interact with locals.

Additionally, we worked to gain an understanding of some of the social justice movements relevant to South Africa. To do so, students worked in groups to research and piece together a presentation surrounding one of these movements. The presentations included the topics of maternal health disparities, multilingualism, poaching, food insecurity, HIV/AIDS, and disability rights. The presentations served as an opportunity for students to dig deep into some of the issues experienced in South Africa, and one element involved proposing a plan, or “a way forward,” in order to bring about change.

With the tools and knowledge we gained in class in our back pockets, we set out for South Africa with excited hearts and tired eyes. 37 hours later, the bags under our eyes have only darkened, and the exhaustion has only increased, yet the excitement and curiosity has not faded. We look forward to the many adventures and opportunities to learn that lie ahead of us, but for now, it is time to go to bed.

Bonus "Theme for the Day" Parody Lyrics

Just a small town girl

Livin' in a lonely world

She took the midnight plane going anywhere

Just a city boy

Took a plane from south Detroit

He took the plane going anywhere

Some'll sleep, some will snooze

Some will sit in seats they choose

Whoa, the plane ride never ends

It goes on and on and on and on

So, don't stop believing

Hold onto that feeling

Three flights, people