This week at my internship, the South Africa branch was visiting. Although I didn't get to spend as much time with them as I would've liked, I did get to eat lunch with them one day. They talked about college and university life in South Africa. It was surprising to hear about the student lifestyle there. They described that many students, although in school, would not know where their next meal was coming from and would often not eat for days. I knew this was prevalent in South Africa, but I didn't know it was true for university students as well. It seemed completely commonplace from the perspective of the South Africa branch employees. I got a chance to tell them a little bit about what it's like to be a Resident Advisor in America. Their RAs seem to be more focused on the academic role than the role of counselor. It seems that this is what is emphasized in the university setting, and students take it much more seriously than in America. Plus, mental health is less addressed in second and third world countries, which is probably due to the lack of other basic needs. They said they have had to set up programs for students to give back to their villages for a few years after school, because so many of them move out of the country to get jobs after they have an education. This is understandably a tough decision for South Africans who have just been empowered with an education. Although I have learned a lot about South Africa, I never considered what life is like for a university student. And nothing seemed to paint a better picture than a first-hand account. I hope to find out more…