My name is Niani (an African name that means Joyful), and I am a Junior (11th grade) in high school. I live in the suburbs of Chicago, IL. I have been fortunate to grow up with a strong family village, that is deeply rooted in their African and American values/beliefs/cultures. I learned about high school study abroad options from a friend who studied in Argentina for a Summer through a program called AFS Intercultural Studies. After a great deal of research on the program, which exists in over 80 countries around the world, and hearing/reading many comments from returnees, stating “a summer just was not long enough”, I decided to apply for a year-long program. After numerous phases of applications, writing several essays, doing over-the-phone and in-person interviews; I received the BP Global Citizens of Tomorrow, full scholarship to study abroad in one of five BP eligible countries. With this scholarship, I will spend my entire junior year of high school in South Africa, living with a host family in a full immersion program. My journey began on September 9, 2014, when I traveled first to New York City, for an orientation and to meet other students traveling to South Africa. On September 10th I flew from New York to Atlanta, GA, and then on to Johannesburg, South Africa to meet my host family and headed to my new home in Pretoria, South Africa. I will live and go to school in Pretoria until mid-July 2015.
About this blog:
This blog will be filled with all the amazing, interesting, funny, difficult, and sometimes even tedious (because nothing worth having is ever perfect or without struggle) details about my journey in Pretoria, South Africa. I will post pictures, videos, and written blogs at a minimum of once a week, on Sundays!
Johannesburg