South Africa Program 2017

What the 2017 Tubingen- South Africa Program meant to me

If you had told me 10 years ago that I would be staying on Mirabeauweg street in the city of Tübingen, Germany for a month, I would have been flattered and grateful to know that you believed in me but I would not have believed that something like that was possible for a girl who grew up in the small town of Umkomaas in a township known as Magabheni.

However, in the year 2017 something happened in my life that was beyond my wildest dreams and far exceeded my expectations. I was granted the opportunity to represent my country in Germany as part of the Tübingen- South Africa Program. I still remember the tears of joy that rolled down my mother’s cheeks as she watched her youngest daughter walk through the boarding gates of the King Shaka International Airport. As I turned to walk away, I knew that I being a participant of the Tübingen Program was much more than a 3 week experience in Europe.

To me, being a part of the Tübingen Program symbolised me breaking free from my circumstances. It symbolised me making my family proud and fulfilling the dreams of all the past generations in my family who were not afforded the opportunity make their dreams come true. It symbolised me opening the door to the future generations of the Khoza family, in order for them to know that the circumstances that you grow up in do not define you or determine your future, if anything, the circumstances that you grow up in should push you further to desire a better life for yourself and your family. To me, being a part of the Tübingen Program symbolised the chains of the cycle of poverty in my family being broken, because now I know that education is the one tool that I can use to escape the clutches of poverty that threaten to destroy my family.

Representing the University of KwaZulu-Natal and South Africa at the prestigious long-successful Tübingen Program has been a great honour and privilege. The various lectures, presentations, activities and excursions provided the participants with a broad spectrum of knowledge in a wide variety of subjects such as language, history and economics. Most importantly it gave us a glimpse to further study and understand the German culture and language, taking into account the importance of intercultural communications in bringing closer ties and understanding between the two countries. For the most part, this program granted us, the participants, the opportunity to water our intellectual growth because I believe that Intellectual wellness can best be achieved by expanding your knowledge through scholastic, technical and cultural endeavours.

One of the most important lessons that I have learned from this Program is that the concept of “Ubuntu” is not only confined to the African continent. However, it is a concept that is practiced universally as the honorary and eloquent Mr George Monyemangene- Consul General of the Republic of South Africa mentioned in his speech at the auspicious evening of the 2017 TSAP Reception. The residents of the town of Tübingen welcomed us, the participants of the program not only into their town but also into their homes. The host families welcomed us into their homes with open arms and warm hearts. These families went out of their way to ensure our warm and comfortable stay in the city of Tübingen. As I would often say to my host parents, I now feel as though I have a new family in Germany, whom have nurtured, cared and provided for me during my stay in Tübingen as my own family back home would have. For that, I can proudly say that as a human race we are all interconnected, a person is indeed a person through other people and it is truly amazing how much can be done if we all come together as a human race and help each other beyond the barriers of race, nationality and religion.

As we now go back home to South Africa we leave with new established relationships and connections. We leave with a ton of inspiration, knowledge and experience that we have gained through this Program. We walk with pride, eagerness and confidence knowing that we will use the experience gained to make our country shine bright again into the rainbow nation that it was destined to be.

I would like to extend a special thanks to Barbara Owen- Program coordinator of the Tübingen-South Africa Program and her 2017 TSAP Team Elisabeth Kiessling and Katharina Steinborn. If it wasn’t for you, all this would not have been possible. We thank you for all the efforts, the time and the contributions that you put into making this program the memorable and extraordinary experience that it was.

Vielen Dank, Siyabonga.

Zinhle Koza