If there’s one thing I’ve learned living here thus far, it is the fact that at times, the wind can be quite ferocious! I’ve discovered that it can be rather risky wearing a skirt to work because although it might seem fine when I leave in the morning, a lot can change until I get out of work when it’s a struggle to make it to the train station without giving the locals a show ;) Other times it literally seems as though the house might actually blow over!

My internship is going well. I get along with my boss quite well and she’s even discussed the possibility of hiring me on as a full employee! But this is just talk and nothing is for certain. I haven’t done as much research and anthropological work as I would have liked, but this is all pending on the Joburg office since that is where the research department is. I’ve been told I will start that sometime soon…hopefully.

I fall more and more in love with Cape Town everyday. I feel so lucky to be able to live in such a beautiful city. Plus the cultural aspects are extremely fascinating. And, being an anthropologist, I’m thriving on my interactions with the locals! There really is a ton of history here, and although South Africa has come a long way since the apartheid, there is still a VERY long way to go. It’s also interesting to see how the country is reacting to the proceeding World Cup activities. There’s still lots of work to be done, and it will be interesting to see how they pull everything together in the end.

Life outside of work is great. All of the interns get along well and we love to explore the area and go on adventures together. We went to see the African penguins last weekend which was amazing! You can actually go onto the beach where they live and swim with them! I literally was sitting no more than 4 ft from them! (I have pictures to prove it) You do have to be careful though since they will bite you if you get too close. We’ve also been going to the beach a lot since it’s been quite hot lately. On Saturday a couple of us went to the Biscuit Mill which is a market with tons of good food and boutiques. It was absolutely delicious  Sunday, I began my PADI diving course so I can get certified to go scuba diving in our upcoming trip to Mozambique in March. We are going on a 10 day excursion to Swaiziland and Mozambique where we will be participating in 5 open water dives along with safaris, museums, and straw huts on deserted beaches!

Mom is coming to visit tomorrow! I’m very excited for her arrival as we have quite a fun filled couple of days including wine tours in the Stellenbosch and Paarl regions, a 2 day safari at Sanbona, a sunset hike up Lion’s Head to catch the full moon, and a trip to Robben Island. I’m sure its going to be quite a week!

The Beginning

So after a long and tiring 20+ hour flight I finally arrived in the beautiful Cape Town, South Africa. Although it was nearly midnight by the time I got in I still found myself refreshed by the wonderfully cool South African air. I spent my first night here in a hostel called Obviously Armchair which ended up being just blocks from my new home. After a horrible nights rest – due to nerves and excitement—I was picked up along with another intern from VAC, Juhi and driven to our adorable orange bungalow. It is a ten bedroom house with a nice little front yard, porch and back area, where I was lucky enough to score a decent sized corner room complete with my own bathroom—sweet! The view from outside our door is the stunning Devil’s peak mountain which is breathtaking every time I see it.
My first day, two other interns and I were taken to orientation and put on a city tour of Cape Town. And although very touristy it gave us a wonderful view of the city and we even got to get off at Camps Bay for some lunch. The only downside is the fact that the running joke seems to be how you can so easily tell who the new interns are because they get totally scorched on the open air tour! And I definitely didn’t disappoint in terms of nasty sunburns- ouch.
The next day I had my meeting with my boss, Rachelle for my internship at Youth Dynamix. The meeting went extremely well and I think it’s going to be a perfect fit for me. Her office is within an advertising company called JWT, which I may be able to do some work for as well. After the meeting my boss and I along with some fellow interns and their bosses went for drinks – what a wonderful start to a new job 
I’ve come at a really good time in terms of getting to know other interns since this is when a lot of new people are coming in as well. Everyone is very nice and it seems like we should have a group of around 30-40 interns over the next couple months. The organization VAC hosts adventure trips every Friday and this week’s trip was hiking to the Bloomsberg Caves. After being a total couch potato for the last, I’d rather not say… the hike to the caves was quite the kick in the ass! However when I finally made it we had to literally army crawl through a very narrow tunnel before reaching an opening in the caves. I also need to mention that the views from this hike were utterly stunning as we overlooked Cape Point and Simon’s town in the distance. Going down the mountain got quite interesting as our leaders decided it would be fun to try going down the other side of the mountain. I soon learned that although they had done this hike a couple of times they had never attempted this before and after literally scaling down partial cliffs we soon lost the trail and were stuck traipsing through the African bush. Although it was quite comedic, few escaped without scratches and twigs covering them.
Finally today, we went to a Braai (kind of like a BBQ) in a local township. It was an amazing experience, not only to visit a real township but also to see the culture at its truest form. The food was amazing, and I’m not just saying that because I’m a meat lover, since this braai included huge plates full of delicious chicken, sausage, and lamb- yum! Braai’s are quite popular here and the ones at Mzoli’s are some of the best in town, often including local DJs and lots of dancing and drinking.
I begin work on Monday which I’m very excited since it will get me started on a schedule and keep me busy busy!