From South Africa to Wisconsin: A University Comparison

Written  by Gabrielle MassonPhotography by Tori TisoIt seems all Wisconsinites are obsessed with their state, particularly students on the UW-Madison campus. Proud of a beer-drinking, cheese-eating culture, one wonders what an outsider, particularly someone who is not from the United States, would think about Madison.Last semester I studied abroad in Cape Town, South Africa. Recently, while working at the UW-Madison study abroad fair, I had the pleasure of meeting and talking to Bronwyn Carr, a student from the University of Cape Town. She had been in Madison for three weeks and I was excited to hear her initial thoughts regarding the city of Madison and campus.One of the main differences she noted between the two cities is that Madison is much more centered around the university than Cape Town, with a unique campus feeling infiltrating the city. Academically, she considered the classes pretty comparable, but said Madison requires a lot more participation from the students than Cape Town. She also found living in a dorm to be very strange. In Cape Town, she lived with her family, which is the norm there and most other places besides the United States. She was not a fan, surprised at how late other people stay up and how she could hear everyone talking through the thin dorm walls. She also noticed the typical American outfit worn to class – sweatpants, leggings, sweatshirts, and t-shirts. I knew this was a far cry from Cape Town, or many European countries, where girls have full faces of makeup, guys have their hair always styled, and everyone sports the latest trends. I remember first stepping onto the UCT campus thinking everyone had just walked out of a fashion magazine, an experience I am sure Bronwyn has not shared going to class at UW.Because of the pride and love that surrounds Wisconsin’s fried cheese curds, brats, and beers, I asked Bronwyn what she thought of the food so far. She responded with a slow shake of her head, explaining that she had mostly just eaten the dining hall food. She did say she has tried food she’s never even imagined, let alone heard of. When I asked her what these foods were, she tried describing fried mac and cheese balls and cheese curds, at a loss for words about how to describe them.While these differences seem glaring, Bronwyn said she was having a good time and liked Madison so far. I know I learned to appreciate the differences in Cape Town and have hope that by the end of her semester here she may have acquired a taste for a cold Spotted Cow or the Old Fashioned’s deep fried cheese curds.