To all readers at home curious about what I have been doing the past two weeks, I bring you a spark notes version of my new life in Cape Town thus far.
Day 1-2: A looong flight literally across the world. Denver, Colorado to Cape Town, South Africa = 28 hours of travel time.
* Move into 37 Roeland St. Western Cape. The view of the harbor from my room:
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Days 3-5: Orientation with the friendly Connect 123 staff (where I learned how to purchase electricity credits and turn on the hot water- amenities I wish I would have figured out the night before when I took a cold shower in the dark!)
* Hop on hop off tour with new friends to get a sense of the city layout and learn about all the must do’s while in the city bowl.
* Dinner at the Waterfront. Thought was to get all of the touristy stuff out of the way.
Day 6: Begin work at Reciprocity. Meet my French bosses, Nico and Pierre, and the other German intern, Ana Jasmine. So far so good!
First Weekend: Cape Town nightlife. Hike Lionshead Mountain. Paraglide! Cape Town nightlife. Sunday braai in nearby township at a butchery called Mzoli’s (details to come when I get pictures to help describe how AMAZING it was)... Enough said, great weekend!
Monday: Won quiz night at a local pub.
Tuesday: Take trip to Khayalitsha, a local township, to speak with an entrepreneur that has successfully built an Internet cafe and computer literacy facility.
Wednesday: A wonderful dinner with a friend of a friend who is from Cape Town. Great food. Great company. Great conversation.
Currently: Enjoying time with new friends and a bottle of wine. Planning many exciting trips to come. Sneak preview: Shark cage diving this Saturday!
I realize this still may fall short of your expectations when looking for an account of my travels. They will get more detailed as I get settled, and I assure you that there will be lots of interesting content to come...
To borrow from my dear friend Brent’s blog (which you should definitely check out here.) living in a new country isn’t easy. Physical orientation, social norms, cultural history, political atmosphere, traffic patterns (or lack there of) all require time, patience, and willingness to adapt all while trying to redefine-or rather- define your place in the larger picture. This is currently the phase of my travels that I am in, but honestly, it is this challenge that inspires me to be here. I am so glad to be in Cape Town, but adaptation takes time. To be uncomfortable in a new place always brings needed growth, appreciation, and modesty. My journey to Cape Town has been no different.
Much love,
Alex