First update! sorry it took me so long...

Greetings from Cape Town! I am finally settled into my permanent room for the semester-- a HUGE single room (bigger than my room at home) that is part of a 4 room apartment with two bathrooms and a kitchen. One of my roommates is an American student from the same program as me. She, Ellie, goes to Skidmore and we actually have some mutual friends who go there too who I know from Hebrew school/youth group/Chavurah. As for my other two flat-mates, one of them is Neo (pronounced Nay-oh). He was actually a “SOL-mate” (SOL=student orientation leader) orientation leader for the CIEE program. The SOL-mates (about 20 of them) are all UCT students who showed us around Cape Town and helped lead orientation activities. I’m excited to be living with Neo and I think it will be helpful and comforting to have a SOL-mate actually living with us once all the orientation stuff slows down and we’re on our own a little more. Our 4th roommate hasn’t even moved in yet, so we shall see who it ends up being!

I have been very busy since the moment I stepped off the plane, hence the long wait for my first entry. CIEE orientation started as soon as we got to our hotel and continued until Sunday. Then Sunday we began UCT orientation which goes until tomorrow when we register for classes. During my very limited free time I have been exploring Cape Town a little. It’s hard to make any declarations about how I feel about this place since I’m still getting settled and am that whole “WOW I’m in Africa” state. But my initial impressions are that
a) if not anything else, this place is absolutely gorgeous. At first glance and from here on my 6th floor room it looks very much like Florida or California: bright colored houses with burnt-orange roofs surrounded by trees. But then when you look out past the rooftops you see the magnificent sight of Table Mountain, a landmark here in Cape Town. Table Mountain is a REALLY tall and flat mountain that overlooks the city. The University of Cape Town, my academic home for the next 5 months, is built at the base of the mountain. Often late in the day Table Mountain gets a “table cloth”— a mass of clouds over the top of it. It really is a magnificent sight. From other places you can also see the many township communities which are basically rows and rows of shacks where many South Africans live. We’ve already visited two townships in groups and I will be returning to them regularly for volunteering projects. These volunteering programs are a major part of the CIEE study abroad program that I am taking part in and many of them involve being role models, teaching math, science, English, music, and self confidence to the township children.
b) The weather is fantastic. 80-ish degrees and a cloudless sky every day. It’s also extremely breezy here which helps with making it not feel like I’m baking when I’m outside. Apparently later on it will get less windy and a bit hotter but I’m OK with that. This is loads better than negative temperatures and multiple feet of snow back at home! OK, I’m done bragging now :-D.
c) It will probably take me a while to become comfortable here than I would like. First of all this is a big city, which I’m not used to. I’m not accustomed to having to walk or take public transportation everywhere. I must desensitize myself from the children who approach me on the street asking for food and money, which happened to me yesterday for the first time and really shook me up. I also need to learn to be more aggressive/confident in nearly almost every social situation, from confidently walking down the street as to prevent looking unsure and make myself victim to a mugging, trying to order a drink at a crowded bar, pushing through the hoards of people all trying to get on the same bus, to hailing a cab and then calling him out when he’s not going the right way and trying to scam me and get the meter up (all situations I have found myself already). Also I’m simply not used to sticking out like a sore thumb. There is a good amount of white people here but especially in my neighborhood I feel like I’m always being stared at. The moment I open my mouth people will know I’m American so I have to be aware about where I choose to open my mouth and talk. Finally, the university teaching system here is way different than ‘Berg (huge lecture classes, a final that counts for 60% of the grade, no asking questions during lectures or much contact with the lecturer at all, etc.). And let’s not forget that I’m in a different country halfway across the world with different customs, expectations, politics, etc.

I certainly have a lot to get adjusted to so I must be patient. I’ll try to upload some pictures but I have to pay for my wireless per megabyte, so uploading pictures onto the internet is pretty costly but I will perhaps pick out a few favorites and post them here for you.

Soooo this is the end of my first entry. I’m already working on the next one and it should be up soon. I think of home and you all a lot. Sending you some African lovin’ and African sunshine!

-Melissa