RiTara Williams
RiTara Williams
South Africa 2014 - 2015
VIEW FINAL REPORT
My name is RiTara Williams and I will be working at an internship in Cape Town, South Africa. I will be working with African Impact and The Happy Africa Foundation. Read More About RiTara →

New adventure

I am finally settled into my new apartment and I am still deciding how I feel about it.
Pros

  • I have a new found freedom. The rules are not as strict as the Vol House and it feels more like I am living here in my own apartment. Not having the “politics” of living in the volunteer house will also be refreshing.
  • It is a very peaceful area. Aside from the occasional soccer game between neighboring kids, it is a very quite area.
  • The beach is a 10 minute walk from my front door.
  • I can cook my own meals and control what is put in my food.
  • There is only two beds in my room (for now).
  • I was able to completely unpack and put my stuff in my own space.
  • I can actually have company over without feeling like they need to leave immediately.
  • Getting to work in the morning is not a long journey! I still get a bit car sick in the back of the taxis but it is a short journey.
  • It is fun experiencing another side of Cape Town and living like a local. I have regulars I ride the taxi with in the morning and afternoon and it is always a interesting experience.
  • I think I will save a lot of money living over here as long as I act smartly.

Cons

  • It is so lonely! It is so far away from everybody that I know so it is hard to meet up with anyone. Also this week I am the only one in the house so that sucks.
  • No volunteers to interact with. I have gotten used to constantly meeting people from all over the world, now I do not have that opportunity anymore. Always having somewhere to go and something to do will not be as easy anymore.
  • It is not easy to get to other parts of Cape Town without a car. This goes back to the lonely part.
  • There is no internet in the house which means no working from home on Wednesdays when no other THAF staff member is in the office. It also means no more Skype or Facetime with my parents because I can only do that late night when they get off of work. I have to pay for my own if I want it which means more monthly costs.
  • It is too quiet lol! It is a blessing and a curse.
  • I am bored out of my mind (see points about the difficulties of getting around and no internet). With no internet or TV there is nothing to do once you get home from work. My movies on my computer will only last me so long.

As you can see the Pros definitely outweigh the Cons but it still an adjustment to get used to. I am sure that I will find a way to remedy some of my cons but this next 5 months will be interesting. I keep telling myself that I wouldn’t feel this way if I hadn’t lived in Observatory at the Vol house first so I am keeping an open mind and figuring things out. But know... I MISS YOU LION HOUSE!

Until next time!

2015-01-17 13.33.13

The Kaapse Klopse Carnival competition thingy... We actually just stumbled upon that, we didn’t know what we were watching. I had to text my boyfriend to find out what it was.

2015-01-13 18.12.05

First cooked meal in new apartment!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2015-01-10 12.30.27

Walking through Kalk Bay my neighboring area

 

 

2015-01-04 17.56.59

I have so much space in my new bed!

 

 

2015-01-01 00.12.19

This was one of Cape Town’s bands on New Year’s Eve going through the streets. It was fun for the first two hours lol... four hours later, not so much.

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