VIDEO: Through the eyes of an American
HONEYDEW - From California to UJ to Kya Sand read a young woman's views on South Africa.
Is South Africa still considered a Third World country?
Sydnee Leuellyn from Southern California, who is a volunteer at the Build the Future Kids Pre-school, thinks our education has improved but, our social welfare state-of-affairs is dismal.
She has been volunteering at this Pre-school in Kya Sand from May and feels there is still a big gap between the haves and have nots in South Africa.
“Looking at the situation in Kya Sand Informal Settlement, it is shocking to see how people survive without adequate sources like electricity. And, no proper sewage. In America, this would probably be unlawful,” Leuellyn explained.
Her journey to the country started last year, when she attended a community course at the University of Johannesburg and she said fell in love with our diverse culture.
But, that is not all. She also met her boyfriend, Andrew Stevens.
And so, her relationship with South Africa began.
She came back in May this year, to perform her 100 hours of community service as part of her sociology studies.
“I found the Build the Future Kids, hidden in Kya Sand. And I’m glad I have this opportunity, to work with the community regardless of our different backgrounds. Sometimes language barriers affect our communication, but we understand each other and share the same goal to give our best to the children. And that has made a great impact on my life,” she chuckled.
Leuellyn is adamant that the state of social welfare in South Africa is not acceptable.
This young woman said as much as our socio-economic state is unacceptable, she was mots impressed with the level of academics at UJ.
“I think the level of academics at UJ is more impressive than ours at California State University. At our university, we focus on one subject per semester, whereas in UJ I found that I had to do this course and then another one. I actually found it to be too challenging for students but in a good way,” reckoned Leuellyn.
[please insert video- Leuellyn says it was tough to study ]She also pointed out that she likes some of our retail brands such as Mr Price and Factory.
“Based on the television adverts about Africa, I assumed that South Africa is filled with people suffering from malnutrition, but no. Actually, this country looks more like a First World country than what is portrayed on television. I love the malls and the affordable stuff that one can get, especially at Mr Price. At the moment, I’m impressed with Hustle, the television show,” concluded Leuellyn.
