I can’t believe that our orientation is almost over. I feel like I’ve been in Cape Town a lot longer than 11 days. However, all of those days have been amazing and it still seems a little unreal at times. I feel so lucky to be able to spend an entire semester here getting to know this city, and I get to spend it with amazing people. Orientation has been a great way to ease into life here because we have had some fun and been able to do a bunch of touristy things like the trip around the peninsula, visiting the penguins at Boulders Beach, and doing a wine tasting at Altydgedacht Vineyard followed by visiting Spier and getting to pet a cheetah.
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| Sam and Nicole |
Orientation has also exposed us to some of the cultural aspects of Cape Town that many people aren’t aware of, which I think has been equally, if not more important. At the District Six Museum we learned about all the people who were displaced by the white people during apartheid and how that led to the creation of townships which still exist today. At the Slave Lodge, it was also interesting to learn about the history of slavery in South Africa, much of which I had no idea about. Lucy Campbell of Transcending History made a wonderful tour guide who shared all of her knowledge with us. Robben Island was another stop in our busy week and I loved that we got to hear from a former prisoner about what life really was like there. Having that perspective made the tour even more real and I could understand better what they went through during their time on the island. By far the most emotional day here came with our tour of the townships. Seeing the conditions in which some people live was eye opening and it really started to show me the effects that apartheid and poverty can have on an entire community. It also led us to our first real discussion of race as a group in Cape Town, and I think it brought everyone a little closer to each other.
Today we started to visit everyone’s internships. I enjoyed seeing where each person is going to be working for the next 14 weeks and hearing about what some of the organizations are doing to try to better the community. It made me want to help out at every internship and it made me excited to talk to everyone about what they end up working on through our time here. Its so unfortunate that almost every place we visited is having funding problems that could lead them to close their doors and stop all the amazing work they’ve been doing. We haven’t seen Christel House yet which is where I will be, but I cannot wait to finally see it and meet the people I will be working alongside. Since I found out I would be going on this trip, I prayed that I would get to do an internship at my first choice, Christel House, which I luckily did. After seeing the townships and getting to know Cape Town, I anticipate being able to understand the children who attend school at Christel House a little more since most of them live in the townships.
Orientation has been amazing, and it has all been extremely useful. I feel much more comfortable here. I’m ready to start classes and my internship so I can meet more people and get into an actual routine. I think taking the classes with Vincent, Vernon, and Marita will also reinforce everything we see going on around us, which will make our experiences here even more meaningful than they already are. I know I still have so much to learn and do over the next three months, and I am so happy I have this opportunity. I was kind of sad to leave all my friends and family, but since arriving I have known that I am in the right place. I have absolutely loved every second of my time in Cape Town and it is truly the most beautiful place I have ever been. The pictures don’t even do it justice.
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| Dan, Sam, Kelsey & Ryan enjoy an evening of listening to Jazz at Blue Chip |
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