Dan on feeling at home

Cape Point

Certain things cannot be taught in the classroom; certain things cannot be captured in pictures; certain things cannot be explained with words. After being in Cape Town for less than a week, I can already tell that over the course of the next three and a half months I am going to run into countless instances of these three phenomena. How do you describe the instance of finally feeling at home in a new place? Relief? Joy? Comfort? A combination of the three, and many more? How can a point and shoot camera capture the awe inspiring view overlooking the city and the bay, or the breathtaking experience of being along a rocky coastline with waves crashing feet from where you stand? It can’t, and never will be able to. They are personal experiences that you can only share with those around you, for me being the twenty other students spending this semester in Cape Town. Still, I am going to try and relay my experiences here to those back home. I will show them pictures and tell them stories. I will update my personal blog and contribute to this one. I will do my best to bring the ones I left behind along this journey with me, though I know it can only go so far.

In less than a week, Cape Town has embraced me as one of its own. From the amazing sights that we have been fortunate enough to experience, such as Cape Point, to the local venues where everyone knows everyone by name, like Swingers Jazz Club, I have become incredibly comfortable. Over the course of the next week and a half I will have more experiences like these and my comfort level will grow. I will be a tourist, something I prefer not to be whenever I can, but I will be learning about Cape Town in the process. At the end of the week and a half, however, real life in Cape Town will begin. I will have my internship, which I am incredibly excited about, I will have my classes at UCT, and I will have the freedom to explore. I have no idea how the next three and a half months will play out, but one thing I do know is I will never regret coming to the beautiful country, and I will forever hold the experiences to come close to my heart.

Dan at Maidens Cove

My emotions going into the coming weeks are filled with excitement of what is to come, longing for those left behind in the States, content with my life so far in the city by the bay. As a matter of fact, they are the type of feelings that really can’t be put into words… 

Dan at Signal Hill