Snigdha's first impressions

Snigdha (in red), with her classmates, listens to a talk by Mr. Joe Schaffers at the District Six Museum

It may sound cliché but being here this past week in Cape Town has been surreal. I was so excited to finally arrive in Cape Town because the plane ride from JFK to Johannesburg was less than ideal. Any plane ride more than 12 hours is less than ideal. However I did make a friend! Lauren and I were sitting next to this native Capetonian who told us all about what places to visit and what to see.  I wasn’t even in Cape Town yet and I had already met someone who was so nice which just reminded me of Marita telling us how genuine and caring people from Cape Town are.  When I first laid eyes on the region my jaw dropped.  There are so many mountains surrounding this place and every morning I am in the presence of the seventh natural wonder of the world. Table Mountain is something that I will never get used to looking at.  I had built up so much anticipation to seeing it and now that I get to experience the awe of the mountain every day is amazing. Everything is amazing. The weather is perfect, I live in a great house with amazing housemates, and the people I have met on orientation have been fantastic.  

Honestly at the airport I was feeling very scared to leave my parents, my friends, and my home. However this trip is all about new experiences.  I’ve already done so much like going to a soccer game at Green Point Stadium which was especially exciting because I watched the world cup very closely in 2010.  I visited the University of Cape Town and it is the most beautiful school I have ever seen. I’ve been to amazing beaches and seen penguins and went to church and have gotten super amazing food. 

Let me tell you about the food here in Cape Town. The cuisine here reflects the diversity of the city.  I’ve had traditional Cape Malay food, Thai, Ethiopian, seafood by the cape, and NANDOS (it really is just as awesome as Niall says).  The city is also beautiful. I’ve never considered myself a city person before but holy cow that has changed in like 3 days of being in downtown Cape Town. The music, food, architecture, and vibrance of the city have stolen my heart.  Also, Marita told us that race was a huge topic in South Africa but honestly no amount of preparation could have prepared me for the racial disparity here.  It’s 2014 and the effects of apartheid and colonialism are everywhere.  But that’s what I’m here to learn about and study and hopefully help out with at my internship.  So far, Cape Town has provided me with amazing food, eye opening experiences, and friendly people.  I’m excited to start discovering more about this place as well as myself.