The Beginning

It’s hard to believe that I have been in Cape Town for nearly two weeks now. Orientation has been one of the most exciting yet overwhelming times. I have already done so much in the past two weeks that I wouldn’t even begin to know where to start to describe them. Some highlights have been:

• Arriving to the dorm for orientation and realizing there was no elevator after 20 hours of traveling
• Going out on my second night to Long Street and unknowingly walking into a fancy nightclub, and later having sing-alongs to classic songs at an irish pub
• Dinner at the V&A waterfront
• Visiting sites for volunteer opportunities and seeing the townships of Cape Town
• An authentic African dinner at Marco’s African Place
• Seeing the two Cape Town soccer teams in the opening match at the Cape town World Cup Stadium

• Visiting Muizenberg beach and swimming in the Indian Ocean for the first time
• Exploring Green Market and Long Street during the day
• Clifton Beach – and it’s frigid Atlantic waters

• Registration at UCT, the most antiquated process I have ever experienced
• Discovering food and drink are so cheap here
• Moving into my house, 12 nursery road in Rondebosch (google maps doesn’t do it justice)
• And many, many more

Today, we went on the Cape Peninsula tour, which was unbelievable, the University of Cape Town pays for all international and first year students to do it, and it was great! Highlights were:

• Camps Bay beach
• Boulder Beach in Simon’s Town to see the penguins

• Lunch and performances at a township
• Hiking from Cape Point to the Cape of Good Hope

• Signing the New York sign on the top of Cape Point

• Seeing baboons at the national park

All in all it has been a fantastic two weeks. I am leaving tomorrow bright and early for the Garden Route. Three friends and I will be taking a road trip from Cape Town, stopping in Wilderness, Knysna, Plettenberg Bay, and Oudtshoorn. We have a host of adventurous activites planned and I am so excited to experience it all.