If you would have told a young Katherine that one day she would be the only American in a community newspaper office in South Africa, she never would have believed you.
That is, however, the reality of my current situation. My name is Katherine Campbell and I am an American student who is currently working with the Sandton Chronicle during my school break.
I started my time with the publication on 18 July. For the past week, I have been preparing press releases for publishing, researching stories and writing a couple articles of my own.
I have also attended a few events so that I can either write about those events myself, or to see how other Sandton Chronicle journalists write about events. This has taken me to different parts of Sandton, including Nelson Mandela Square and the Sandton Gautrain station and has allowed me to meet many different South African people.
I believe that working with the newspaper, especially being a local newspaper, will be a wonderful way for me to learn about the people, culture and experiences of South Africa as I write about people’s experiences here and live vicariously through them.
My biggest struggle right now is understanding the various accents that South Africans possess. I sometimes feel embarrassed that I have to ask three times what someone is saying, but I have found that everyone has been kind and understanding. My goal by the end of my time here is to be able to understand everyone’s accents and hopefully pick up a few words and phrases unique to South Africa or Joburg.
I will be here for four more weeks, during which time I will continue to work with the Sandton Chronicle and will write weekly updates as an American experiencing South Africa.
