EsCape Town

I am actually here! It’s weird to think that I woke up in Africa today when just last week I was in my house in the small town of La Verne, California.

The flight was very long. I went from Los Angeles to New York to Johannesburg to Cape Town.  It was on that fifteen-hour flight to Johannesburg that I realized how far I am going. So far that I was able to watch two full-length movies and two shows on the flight. So far that the flight crew served dinner and after a long while, served breakfast. This really gave me the perspective that I am actually going to be worlds away from home.

When we got there and as I got my bags and headed towards the transportation pick-up, a group of the CIEE (the study abroad program I am apart of) RAs were holding up signs and very enthusiastically singing and dancing greetings to all of the students. They then took us on the bus to the UCT campus, which stood majestically right in front of Table Mountain. This week was the CIEE orientation week. We signed in at our temporary housing for the week, Graça Machel hall. And that’s when the repeat of freshman year began. Everyone was very eager to meet new people and mingle. Many schools are largely represented such as USC and George Washington University (Georgetown only has me and one other student). But I actually prefer not knowing many people. It forces you out of your comfort zone, especially since you’re in Africa, and I believe that that feeling often leads to the best experiences and memories. To top off the initial discomfort of being so far away from home, there was no Wi-Fi in our dorms. I couldn’t communicate with anyone from back home through Facebook or email except for my family whom I called briefly to let know I was there safe and sound. Even in our permanent residence, the Internet is strictly limited. No streaming movies, it would probably be impossible to Skype in the dorms, and the Internet is extremely slow. But surprisingly, I kind of like these circumstances. I feel less tied down and expected to uphold a certain image in the Internet world. It’s very refreshing to have a break from that and fully immerse myself in my surroundings.

This week was jam-packed full of activities. But two activities stay with me as the most significant. At the end of the day on Wednesday, we went up to the top of Table Mountain. It was indescribable. As we were taken up higher and higher I could feel my ears pop. And as the buildings and the beach became smaller, the image looked like it belonged on a postcard. The top of the mountain was of course breathtaking. You could go very far down on the rocky flat top and the clouds in the distance were right at eyelevel. Many people packed lunches and wine and set up little picnics while enjoying the view. I definitely want to go back and hike up the mountain. Seeing one of the new Seven Wonders of the World reminded me of how fascinating nature and our planet are.

The other highlight for me was last night’s dinner in Stellenbosch. The wine land was gorgeous, like something out of a painting. The venue was dimly lit, outside, and fairly fancy. It reminded me of a wedding reception. It was buffet style and the food was incredible. There was every kind of meat imaginable, including ox tail, which I actually found to be quite good. After we all stuffed our faces, the RAs started to dance to this great upbeat music and it turned into a huge dance party with African music and circles forming. I left that dinner with an impression of the South African culture as being peppy and full of life. The RAs are some of the happiest people I have ever met, which shows that there is something about South Africa that affects people in a positive way and brings a sense of community. It is a community I can’t wait to be a part of.

Now I am more excited than ever to begin my journey and experience more of what the country has to offer. I look forward to starting classes soon, joining clubs, volunteering, touring more, shark cage diving, and whatever else I can do to make this the best semester possible.