The American Experience 9 NEW!

Goucher College

Laura de Lange went on exchange to Goucher College in Baltimore, USA in the second semester of 2011.

Please read Laura's article she wrote for the Goucher College student newspaper.

I chose to go to America on exchange because I figured that the country is too big to explore as a tourist, you’d need months to properly explore the US. Turns out you’d probably need decades, but the little bit of it that I did get to explore and experience was AMAZING.

I truly did not expect to enjoy America and Americans as much as I did. We have a whole load of preconceptions of their way of life (part of the reason I wanted to go there on exchange, to see how much of it was true) and that often clouds our judgement. Going to America I experienced a curious, welcoming, liberal and accepting atmosphere at my college, Goucher College in Towson, Maryland. I made friends there that I will keep for life, and learnt a lot about cultures that we do not have in South Africa.

I got to travel along the East Coast quite a bit. The friends I had made welcomed me into their homes, and each and every one of them tried to give me the “real American experience”. Thus I got to meet a lot of people from different backgrounds and ages, see how different family units interact and how different people live. I also go to do all the touristy things, visiting Washington, DC, Philadelphia, New York, West Virginia and New Jersey.

My courses were also amazing. My college was really small, so my biggest class had 21 people in it. The smaller classes allows for a closer relationship with your lecturers, and the opportunity to get more creative in your choice of essay topics. My maths class had eight students in it, so your lecturer knows when you don’t know something. I also got to study things that are not offered at Rhodes: Queer Theory, an Archaeology of Language, Spanish, Graph Theory and Interest Group Politics. I joined the fencing club, and basically did anything that you cannot do here. 

And don’t get me started on the food, which was amazing! Eating a wide variety of first class food daily was such a treat.

I also learnt a lot about myself. I learnt that I am good at mixing with all kinds of people, and that it’s okay to be myself, people will still like me. I learnt that I am capable in high stress situations. I learnt that I love travelling and that, although it’s scary and takes guts, it is one of the most rewarding experiences in this world. I learnt that there are some stupid, ignorant Americans, but that they are not entirely to blame for their bad schooling system and global hegemonic dominance. I also learnt that there are intelligent, knowledgeable Americans who want to talk to you, want to learn and can teach you something in return. I learnt that America is a beautiful country.