Hello, everyone! I arrived in Cape Town on Tuesday, July 12, and as much as I would have liked to post that day, internet access here is a bit limited. Anyway, when I arrived, the CIEE team greeted us. They took us to Graca Machel hall (named after the wife of Nelson Mandela), where we stayed for the next few days. On the ride from the airport to campus, I couldn’t stop thinking two things: 1. How absolutely beautiful the city of Cape Town is. 2. This is actually real. I will actually be living in another country for four months. It’s finally sunken in. As soon as we got to Graca Machel, the first batch of us to arrive headed up Lion Head (maintaining the spirit of the Nittany Lions of course!). Although mountain climbing isn’t at all my thing, I did it. I made it all the way to the top. I felt accomplished because I had pushed myself and I felt so blessed to be able to see such a beautiful sunset on the way down. I think the experience on the mountain is extremely significant to my expectations of this trip. I’m going to have to do things that I’m not always the most excited about, but in the end, they’ll be worth it. 

As you can probably guess, the first day was strictly business. We learned all of the rules and regulations and how to stay safe in Cape Town. In addition, we learned the history of Cape Town, which in my opinion, is not much different from that of the U.S. The CIEE leaders told us that because of the apartheid, there is still a lot of racial tension in the country, which didn’t surprise me one bit. It will be interesting, though, to see how different or in what ways it is different than the wounds left on America after the Civil Rights movement.

That’s all I have for now. Enjoy the pictures and I’ll be sure to post again soon! 

Below: Graca Machel Hall, Casey and I showing our love FTK on top of Lion Head, Sunset from Lion Head

Location: Rondebosch, South Africa