Days 1 - 4

6-8-13

         As I peer out of my 747 window onto the beautiful city of Cape Town, I must say that I feel pretty damn lucky knowing what is ahead of me, although; I honestly have no idea what the next six weeks will bring. From what I’ve heard I have just begun the toughest six weeks of my life and for some reason, I could not be more excited. Everyone warned me to be very careful with my possessions when I go out in public since theft rates are extremely high here, yet, I find it hard to believe since Cape Town is so appealing to the eye. I did not realize the magnitude of the beauty and I cannot wait to become immersed in the equally beautiful culture. I hope that this experience will increase my knowledge of a world outside of my own and of a world of business that I have never known. As I waited to drive to the airport in Boulder, Colorado, the impact of the journey that I was about to embark on had not fully kicked in yet and I didn't really feel much of anything. But now, as I sit on this flight, I must say that I am incredibly nervous. The images that I have created in my head from past students stories have made me wonder if I will make it out of EESA with my dignity it hand. Lets just say that should I complete this program I will be immensely proud of myself and ready to take on any challenge.

6-9-13

         Day one didn't really make me feel any less nervous to be here. If anything I am even more concerned that the workload is going to kick my butt and I will be leaving South Africa having spent every second working and not seeing any of the country. Classes are definitely going to be hard to get through since they are quite rigorous but I have no choice, and even if I did, I would chose to be here. The supposed reward should prove that all of this upcoming hard work is well worth it. I was definitely getting nervous when Dr. Morris started calling out people at random to answer questions in class but thankfully, today was not my day. I have a feeling tomorrow might be. One thing I do enjoy is the material. At least we are studying something that we all share a common desire in: entrepreneurship. That should make everything worth it as well.

            Tonight we spent dinner at a former clients restaurant in the township of Langa. It was absolutely incredible. The owner and her family had managed to create such a beautiful restaurant out of literally nothing. I definitely did not expect to enter such a wonderful place in the middle of such a struggling town. The food was delicious and the band played beautifully. Her story of survival was inspirational and I believe that it is the stories like hers that prove we are here for the good of the community. I feel blessed to have this opportunity to create real joy through business. It is the clientele that makes me want to work harder and put forth more time just so that I can say I helped even a little bit. I only hope that I can provide for my clients what past students have provided for her.

6-10-13

            I don't think I have ever spent so much time in one classroom in one day learning about the same thing. Well, I guess I didn't learn one thing. I learned many things in one overarching topic. There’s not much else to say other than that I am incredibly tired from listening to lectures all day and then meeting with my team for the first time. Luckily this team meeting went very well and we feel that we are a bit ahead of the game by getting our Letters of Agreement for our clients done this week. I spent so much time working that I ended up not even eating dinner, which is not a method that I can sustain. I know I will figure out a way to eat even after all of the places on campus have closed… I hope.

6-11-13

         Today made me feel pretty lucky for being assigned the clients that I was. I got to meet my first client this morning as he came to speak to our entire program about his journey and dedication to his technology business. It makes me feel honored yet humbled to have the opportunity to work with Luvuyo Rani who has inspired my professor Dr. Morris to become what he is now. I am honestly quite nervous since I have no idea how I will be able to help a man who has already created 23 stores in Cape Town teaching computer classes and selling computers. He seems to have his head on right but I trust that Dr. Morris knows he still needs a little help. I am excited to interact with him and see how he will view us since he has already participated in this program once before. I was completely shocked when I found out that I would be visiting my second client’s coffee shop during our tour of Kayelitsha (which I will get to in a second). Vuyile Msaku owns such a beautiful little coffee shop and I cannot wait to learn more about his past and his vision for the future. His coffee and muffins were delicious and I am excited to have more when I return for our first meeting tomorrow. My team and I have apparently been assigned two of the most interesting clients that are participating on the program. I am not sure why we have been chosen to help these people but I hope Dr. Morris sees something that I do not. We are also the only group to have already met our clients, which makes me feel like we sort of have a head start, but I doubt I will feel the same way once we settle in and start to evaluate their businesses.

            The second part of my day was quite the eye-opening experience. We were taken on a tour of the township of Kayelitsha. This tour started at a lookout point in the middle of this township that looked over the entire area that is home to millions of people. Let me be clear that this area is not small by any means, but I was still surprised at how many people could live there. I haven’t brought my camera anywhere since I am a little nervous of it being stolen off my back. Therefore, I have no pictures thus far but I plan on bringing it places from now on. I need mementos of these beautiful places and I must take risks in order to capture them. From the lookout we then went to the coffee shop, which lies in the business district of Kayelitsha. This district is very small but much nicer than I had imagined. It looks put together and well kept which is quite surprising due to the absolute turmoil surrounding it. We then drove to an inspirational orphanage in the Township. The children were absolutely beautiful and it made me so happy to see them smile and thrilled to see us. Their youth is beautiful and leads me to believe that there is hope for the future. I really hope one day that I can return to South Africa and bring my children to places like these so they can experience the love within the hearts of these people as I have.