AFS-USA: High School Abroad in South Africa

Experience South Africa not as a tourist but as a member of its community with ten months of living with a host family and attending a local high school. The academic year in South Africa begins in January, so you will be part of two different academic sessions in South Africa. With 11 official languages spoken throughout the country, you will have the unique opportunity to learn a local dialect, though most schools are taught in English. Students live throughout South Africa, though most host families live in urban areas (85%).

There is a vast array of communities in which you could be placed, given the great cultural diversity of the country. There is no 'typical' South African, though most place a high value on family. Families are generally warm and curious about visitors.

The diversity of South Africans include: those of British descent; Afrikaners, who are descendants of Dutch settlers and speak the Germanic language Afrikaans; the Zulu.