As I walked to the exit of OR Tambo airport, I felt a surge of anxiety. What would the next 6 weeks be like? After 30 hours of traveling, my first time traveling abroad, all I wanted to do was flop in my bed. Obviously, my bed in Buffalo, New York was quite far, so that wasn’t an option. However, I realized that Rivonia Lodge would soon feel like home.
After I met Jonathan and Paul at the airport, they introduced me to Bryan, who would drive me to the lodge. Even though I was exhausted from not sleeping on my flights, I enjoyed getting to know Bryan. He made a point of telling me what seemed like everything about Jo-burg, referring to things we were passing as we made the drive home. I felt that he was excited to be able to tell me about his city, like the culture around soccer/football games.
Once we got to the lodge, I had the pleasure of meeting Fillitah at the reception desk. She first asked how I was feeling after my journey, and then told me she would be my “African mama” while I was staying here. Right away I knew she meant it and I immediately felt calmer about being so far from home. Bryan then led me to the dining area, telling me that another Yale student had also arrived, and urging me to go meet her. I felt like Bryan and Fillitah were genuinely excited to have us here and to get to know us, which made me feel at home.
We have now been staying at the lodge for about a week and a half, and my feelings towards the lodge and its staff have only improved. From the heated floors to Fillitah making sure that everyone has put in a dinner order, even by coming into our morning class or stopping our bus from leaving on excursions, I feel welcome here.
Of course, like most bed and breakfasts, I assumed that Rivonia Premiere Lodge would be nice to stay at. However, I had no idea what great hospitality and welcoming nature its staff would bring. Staying at this lodge has made me appreciate the value of making people feel welcome. Even when I am halfway across the world, I know that there are people who care about me here. I hope to absorb these values from the staff here at Rivonia Lodge. I think that going forward with this program and interacting with people of different cultures and lived experiences, specifically in regard to health issues, we should prioritize making people feel welcome in whatever space we are in. Not only will this help us to gain a better understanding of their perspective, but more importantly, it will show them that we value them as an individual.
