Three members of the debate team went to Stellenbosch, South Africa for the World Debating Tournament during winter break, essentially free of charge. Jealous yet?
It’s a good time to be on the debate team. Past trips have included Scotland, Australia, Canada, as well as this past Africa trip. Future trips to Singapore and Croatia are scheduled.
“It was a great experience,” said Meghan Flanagan, ’05, who went to South Africa with the debate team. “We met so many interesting people from around the world. It was my first time seeing what other people thought about America and who we are. Also, we got to see two different aspects of South African culture, both the townships and the richer areas.”
Heather Morassini, ’05, who also went on the trip, agreed. “It was the trip of a lifetime,” she said. “We were so lucky to be able to do it. We really got to discuss world policies with kids from around the world. It was so interesting to hear how other people view things. We also got to be friends with kids from almost 50 different countries around the world.”
However, trips like the recent one to South Africa only occur over Christmas break. During the school year the debate team travels throughout the east coast to schools such as New York University, George Washington University, Princeton, Yale and Columbia. In fact, there are two different choices per weekend. It’s not all trips to Africa, but one of the main functions of the debate team is to travel.
After each round of debate students would talk with the other six people from the round, who came from as near as Canada or as far as Japan, and would discuss different walks of life. These conversations led to gems of quotes from the South African Free State such as, “Do all American eat only fried chicken?” Or from a Malaysian competitor, “Wow, you’re from America? I’ve only seen you on TV!” Or another favorite from a Croatian, “You Americans don’t know how to hold alcohol, I had my first drink when I was four, practically out of a bottle.”
Besides the opportunity to meet college students from around the world, going to these world tournaments allow for experiences one would never be able to take advantage of without going abroad; in addition that the debate team gets to experience these things for free. Students traveled to South Africa for just about two weeks and because the South African currency is approximately 8.5 rands to the American dollar, the money went very far.
South Africa is a beautiful country with a beautiful beach. During the break it was summer in South Africa and the temperature was always between 70 and 80 degrees.
While there, students toured the numerous vineyards, went horseback riding through the wilderness, and even pet a cheetah. They also visited the Rhodes Club, which is the place to be if you’re a young and wealthy South African, as well as taking part in numerous parties and events in some of the wealthiest and most beautiful parts of town.
On the opposite side of the spectrum, students also saw a lot of South Africa that wouldn’t have been on the tourist map, including a cultural trip to the city of Cape Town and a visit to an Apartheid museum. After that they actually went into a present day township, which is where the white majority segregated the blacks during Apartheid.
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