Hello all! Thanks for tuning in. Here I will keep interested parties (aka you all) updated on my adventures during my semester abroad in Cape Town, South Africa. Today marks 10 days until my departure. Things are slowly coming together- I received my student visa earlier this week and I am slowly prepping for the daunting task of packing by starting to organize my things.
The title of my blog is a North African proverb. I think it nicely reflects my approaching attitude towards my study abroad experience. The short of it is that I am treating my time in South Africa as an adventure and a bit of an experiment. I am going with no specific expectations and leaving with no regrets and will just take everything as it comes: in stride. This will be the first time that I am truly on my own. I will be very far away from the people who know me best and the places and people that I know best, so if nothing else it will be a test of my independence and a taste of the real world. My semester in Cape Town feels to me a first step to my "journey of a thousand miles"-- my life as an independent and confident adult.
I'll be sure to blog again once I arrive and am settled in Cape Town. One note: while I'm sure I will enjoy this whole blogging experience, I can't make any promises about how frequent or detailed my posts will be ... I don't really know what my internet or free time will be like. However I can guarantee that I will certainly update you on the big stuff-- trips, particularly special evenings or days, etc. I will also be posting pictures (probably on Facebook) and put links to the albums for everyone to see here.
I will leave you with my mailing address for when I am there. I will still be using my school e-mail address and Facebook but please don't hesitate to send me mail, even if its just a letter or a postcard or a photo or something. No one can deny the wonders of cyberspace but I really do enjoy getting and writing good ol' snail mail so write me! I'll write you back I promise! Mail takes about 3 weeks to go between SA and the states but its still fun, I think. So yeah, enough of that. Here it is:
Melissa Waldman
C/O Quinton Redcliffe, CIEE
International Academic Programs Office (IAPO)
Lovers Walk, Lower Campus, University of Cape Town
Private Bag
Rondebosch, 7701
South Africa
EDIT 1/22/09- I forgot to mention to you that if you do decide to send me anything besides just a regular letter (like a package) send it through a mailing service (DHL, FedEx, UPS, etc), NOT through the regular mail. Apparantly packages tend to get stolen when put through regular mail and we definitely wouldn't want that to happen. So letters: regular mail, packages: mailing service. Thanks!
Until next time!
Love,
Melissa
