cape town

i'm not quite sure what to make of my new country of residence.

actually, it's quite beautiful here. i arrived 2 days ago and immediately fell in love with south africa's landscape. how could one not? every view that i catch of the city, of the harbour, or of table mountain is even more beautiful than every photo i've ever looked at of them.

that being said, this is our 3rd day here, and i'm really anxious to do things on my own. i have spent basically every waking minute with the same horde of several dozen american students, and it's a bit frustrating not being able to do things on my own (or, rather, in much smaller groups). my primary reason for this is because traveling around in such a large group seems to aggrandize the fact that we're loud, twentysomething, moderately wealthy americans. i'm ready to blend in and learn new things, because frankly, this feels like freshman year all over again.

despite my objections to the status quo, i really am having a wonderful time here in cape town. the day of my arrival was largely spent in the hotel that we all are staying in, meeting one another and commiserating over our long flights. those of us who wanted to also obtained our local mobile phones. some individuals exchanged money as well.

that evening felt a little awkward, but was interesting as well. what i mean by that is that we went out to dinner in groups of roughly a dozen -- still too large for my taste, but more manageable than the aforementioned innumerable number. we each went with one "sol-mate", or student orientation leader. we hit up a delicious chicken joint, but being all together like that, with only one individual (our sol-mate, joe, who is from east london) knowing how to act within the morés of cape town, felt very graceless to me.

that being said, that evening was the first time that we really got a feel for cape town, as our tourbuses dropped us off on long street (the main thoroughfare downtown) and each group went off on their own. we did some walking, and the definition of "developing world" became crystal clear for me. there is so much construction throughout this city that everywhere you look, you see a crane or a fence, and there are plenty of remarkable feats of construction, including beaucoup highways and skyscrapers. however, as we were leaving the restaurant, there were a few young boys following us for a few blocks, begging us for money. it was very sad, but we knew not to give them money (we're not assholes, i swear. we're all committed to volunteering in our time here. that's how we plan on helping south africa's population while here.). that all being said, it was something i'm going to have to get used to.

yesterday was also spent almost entirely indoors, which i abhorred as much i had the day before. most of the day was spent enduring talks on health and safety, but logistics were discussed as well. we also found out that we all got our first choice for housing (that is, whether we wanted to live in on-campus dorms, in off-campus apartments with other americans, or in home stays). that's when the personalities of my fellow americans, who i'd spent the past 36 grueling hours with, became quite clear. it seems to me that those living on campus (such as myself) are more laid back and seeking an authentic experience, whereas those living in the apartments are more of a partying sort. (those doing home stays simply seem antisocial.) at any rate, i'm super excited to live on campus.

last night, we hit up an amazing club downtown with a 37th story panoramic view of the city. it was breathtaking (sadly, i forgot my camera). however, some of my fellow americans managed to perpetuate negative stereotypes by getting unnecessarily wasted and (in the case of one, as i found out this morning) insulting a local, throwing up in a cab, and being too hung over to come to today's activities. the director of our program was pissed (as well he should!), especially after having given the health and safety lecture only yesterday. today, however, was spent more outside, as we finally got to go see the university of cape town. we walked around it, and while it's more beautiful than the pictures, it's also incredibly steep. however, the views on the upper campus are breathtaking! i don't know how i'm going to get any work done! ;)

unfortunately, we had to spend most of today in a lecture hall learning about school-related logistics (e.g., registration), but tomorrow, we'll be moving in to our residences, which i'm so excited for. i can't wait to meet whomever i'm living with! :)

all in all, i'm having a fabulous experience here, and i know i've only just begun to immerse myself in cape town's modus operandi. however, i already know that "is it?" is a local expression for "really?" and that what i'd been told is true: south africans LOVE talking about politics. nonetheless, each south african i've met has been exceedingly friendly, and i'm SO excited to be here.

africa, baby!! ;)

p.s. the internet here is terrible. :(