Hello/Goodbye

Exhilarating, phenomenal, and surreal – these are the words I would use to describe my past few days in Cape Town. Recently, someone asked me to choose the best thing I’ve done abroad thus far. To be honest, I didn’t have an answer. While Cape Town has definitely been treating me well, I couldn’t pinpoint one moment and confidently say, “blank changed my life!”

That is, I didn’t have an answer until Friday when I went paragliding off of Lion’s Head.

You may recall Lion’s Head is one of the nearby mountains in Cape Town I recently hiked. You may also recall I told myself I’d never hike it again. Well, this all changed a few days ago when I found out that in order to paraglide off of Lion’s Head, I had to hike up Lion’s Head. In retrospect, this seems obvious, but that never clicked in my head before I signed up.

My mom often tells me not much has changed since I was two; if I am hungry and tired, I’m not the most pleasant person to be around. On this morning I was operating on a few hours of sleep and only a banana in my stomach, so I certainly wasn’t stoked to set out on an unexpected early morning hike. But, after much debate, I agreed to bite the bullet and complete what I had set out to do.

So, after another hike up Lion’s Head, I finally made it to the take off point and was ready to go. I put on my helmet, got the parachute attached to my harness, and literally jumped off the cliff. Luckily I was all strapped in, so instead of plummeting to my downfall, I was instantly lifted into the air and got a bird’s eye view of Cape Town. The scenery was breathtaking and it was incredible to see the city from that perspective.

This is Africa! (Click photo to enlarge.)

Little did I know, the best part was yet to come. While in the air, the pilot I was tandem to told me it was “rollercoaster time.” Granted, I didn’t know what that meant, but I didn’t have many options at that point. Lo and behold, the following few minutes would be the most fun I’ve had in Cape Town up until this point.

What a way to start the day! (Click photo to enlarge.)

I can’t quite describe the feeling, so I’ve included a clip to help explain what it was like to be in the air. Fair warning: you’re about to get a good laugh at my expense. Let me also preface this video by saying I was hysterically laughing the entire time. I have a theory that too many endorphins were released in my brain at this moment, leading to the maniacal reaction. That being said, this made me realize that all of my hard work was worth it.

This will be my last blog post for the next couple of weeks, as I will soon be departing for a 10-day camping trip in Botswana and Zimbabwe. While I’m there, I will be going on game drives, white water rafting, and will finally get to do the thing I have most wanted to do in Africa: bungee jump off of Victoria Falls! I’m sure I’ll have many stories to tell and pictures to share upon my return and I can’t wait to experience the other activities southern Africa has to offer. Farewell for now!

The Lion Queen

After another whirlwind weekend, I’m convinced I’m living in a winter wonderland. It’s such a treat to be a tourist in my own city and explore places I’ve never been before. The past few days were full of adventure and trying new things, both of which I’ve learned are essential when studying abroad.

On Friday I embodied my inner aristocrat and attended High Tea at the Mount Nelson Hotel. To summarize teatime in one word, I would say it was idyllic. I ate delicious finger foods, scrumptious sweets, and drank traditional British tea. As if that wasn’t enough, the scenery was stunning. Much to my surprise and extreme satisfaction, the hotel is painted an adorable light pink. Even with a leisurely stay, I never wanted to leave! Below are pictures to do the setting more justice than my words ever could.

The Mount Nelson Hotel in all of its glory! (Click photo to enlarge.)

Believe it or not, these are only some of the treats the hotel had to offer! (Click photos to enlarge.)

The fun continued on Saturday with my first visit to Camps Bay, a nearby beach. The sun was shining for most of the afternoon and luckily the water was just warm enough so that my friends and I could jump in the Atlantic Ocean. I can’t wait to return to the beach when it warms up a bit more!

This view really never gets old! (Click photo to enlarge.)

Sunday was a day I will never forget. After a lot of convincing and motivation from friends, I hiked Lion’s Head to see the sunset and the full moon rise. I’m not much of a hiker (i.e., not at all), but it was a rewarding experience. I can’t say I’m rushing to hike again, yet I’ll always cherish the moment of making it to the top and gazing out to appreciate the wondrous view.

 The view from the top of Lion's Head was sort of worth all of my hard work!

Hook 'Em from over 2,000 feet up in the air!

The full moon and city lights were phenomenal!

This coming weekend is also sure to be an eventful one. I am doing a homestay in the rural town of Grabow, the largest fruit exporter in South Africa. I’m eager to meet my host family, learn about their customs, and drink some of the famous Elgin Valley apple juice, Appletiser!

Lessons Learned

People always say time flies when you’re having fun and now I know this is true across the globe. The irony I’ve learned from studying abroad is this: for the first time in my life, I finally feel like something besides a student; for the first time in my life, I finally feel like there is something I’m doing greater in life that is complemented, not dominated, by my education.

As an extremely studious (and, frankly, anxious) person, this is a new phenomenon to me. It’s refreshing, for instance, to go to Boulders Beach with friends on a random Sunday afternoon to visit the hundreds of African penguins that live there. Even if I’m not going on an excursion, something as simple as sitting on my apartment’s balcony with a gorgeous view in the 70 degree “winter” weather is something I never take the time to do at home.

It was such a treat visiting all of the little penguins at Boulders Beach! (Click photo to enlarge.)

I’m making a conscious effort to live in the present because, judging by the fact that somehow it’s almost August, I’ll be making my way back to Texas before I know it. In the mean time, I’m learning more things everyday. Here are the top 10 things I’ve learned from being in Cape Town thus far:

10. South Africa seems to have an affinity for KFC. I would have never guessed that Kentucky Fried Chicken of all restaurants would be an intercontinental chain, but lo and behold it’s true. There are KFCs everywhere – downtown, at mall food courts, even in the suburbs.  At least this keeps my hopes up that Qdoba will come to Cape Town before I leave!

9. Ketchup is called tomato sauce and instead of office hours, UCT has tutorials called “tuts.” Cultural differences like these never fail to amuse me!

8. It’s average for a native South African to speak 6-7 languages. This really trumps my bilingual abilities of English and American Sign Language.

7. I can actually survive with only 5 gigs of Internet per month, which is another refreshing aspect about living here. My life doesn’t revolve around social media and I am actually becoming friends with people in real life before we connect on Facebook.

6. UCT recycles and supports the green initiative on campus.

5. Even with an environmentally friendly campus, UCT is definitely not smoke free.

4. Self-service checkouts at supermarkets haven’t made it to this part of the world yet. Normally I wouldn’t consider this a significant cultural difference except for the fact that I spent a whole lecture in my Information Systems class learning about the “kiosks overseas that allow you to never have to speak to another person in the grocery store!”

3. South Africa is truly the Rainbow Nation. Though it got this nickname from the number of diverse cultures and people that inhabit the country, I also found this to be true in the literal sense. (See below.)

Even on rainy days, Cape Town is still beautiful! (Click photo to enlarge.)

2. Walking to campus is not for the faint of heart. I leave 30 minutes before class to complete the 20-minute hike to Upper Campus (literally, a hike) and reward myself with a 5-minute water break. Even with this precision, I still manage to make it to class looking less than stellar. But hey, at least I’m on time and will soon have calves of steel.

1. People don’t have to ask me if I’m American because apparently they can tell from my “sports clothes and bright shoes.” This was a lovely greeting from the first guy I ever talked to on campus.

This weekend I’ll be exploring Stellenbosch and spending as much time as I can basking in this beautiful weather. Happy August from my time zone to yours!

Two Weeks Notice

Greetings from the southern hemisphere! Today marks my second week in the Mother City. Although I haven’t been here long, it’s shocking how fast Cape Town is beginning to feel like home. Since my arrival, I’ve been taking advantage of everything Africa has to offer (which just so happened to include meeting an adorable Golden Retriever). Some other notable highlights include…

Table Mountain

I had quite the welcome to Africa by taking a cable car up the mountain on my first full day here. At 3,500 feet up in the air, the view was unbelievable. We were so high up in the sky that I was literally on cloud nine.

The view from Table Mountain, where we practically floated on clouds. (Click photo to enlarge).

Kirstenbosch Gardens

After a long week of orientation, I was treated to a night full of traditional African cuisine and dancing with the 130 other students on my program. I plan to return to the botanical gardens during daylight hours so I can see all of the beauty this location has to offer.

Rugby Game

I barely understand American football, so my first rugby game was quite the experience. The match included head masks (?), guys wearing short shorts (??), doughnuts (???) – and clearly a lot of confusion by me. I’ll have to give this sport another chance later in the semester.

Cape of Good Hope

The peninsular tour I took of the city ended on an incredibly ‘low’ note at the most southwestern point on the African continent. The pictures don’t do the view justice – you really have to see it to believe it!

Casually hanging out at the most southwestern point of Africa! (Click photos to enlarge).

My days are filled with lots of walking (uphill, sometimes in the rain) and my nights are spent getting to know remarkable people from all across the world. I am confident I made the right decision to travel here and I can’t wait to see what the next two weeks will have in store. As they say in Cape Town… Cheers!

Ready for Takeoff

Following months of preparation, I am finally set to begin my semester abroad. After a blur of airports, layovers, and time zones, I will reach my final destination: Cape Town, South Africa.

Why South Africa?

Truthfully, I don’t have a straightforward answer. Is there a precise way to pick a study abroad destination? That’s a question I debated for weeks before I decided upon studying in Cape Town. After a lot of lecturing advice from one of my older brothers, I realized there is not a perfect plan for studying abroad. Yet, I needed a way to narrow down my pool of options. Ultimately, I decided:

·      I want to go to an English speaking country.

Though English is certainly not the only language spoken in South Africa, it is an official language and used by more than a quarter of the population there. Since I am only fluent in English and American Sign Language, this helped rule out a lot of places around the world.

·      I don’t want to go to Europe.

Call me crazy, but I didn’t have a strong desire to go to Europe for four months. This isn’t to say I never want to go to Europe. Of course, I hope to one day visit all of the thriving countries and learn about their rich history. Yet, a study abroad program is not the outlet I wish to do so in. Instead, I want to use this semester to travel somewhere that would be less accessible after graduation.

·      Why not?

If not now, when? Cape Town is an eclectic city filled with exotic animals, friendly people, and some of the most breathtaking views in the world. A recent article by The Huffington Post agrees that Cape Town should be at the top of everyone’s travel agenda.

This colorful infographic map depicts some of the beautiful sites I plan to explore!

Studying abroad is said to be one of the most transformative experiences for college students. I have no doubt this will be true for South Africa, a country that is still learning from a troubling history of apartheid. Philanthropic efforts are very close to my heart and I will use my time in Cape Town as a chance to further my community service endeavors.

As an avid blog-enthusiast, my goal is to post regularly to this site. Though the Wi-Fi access may be limited, I want to use this as an outlet to document the experience for family, friends, and myself. I am filled with gratitude to have the opportunity to study at the University of Cape Town… now it’s time to start my African adventures!