I arrived in Cape Town Wednesday morning at 9am local time after a very long 2 day trip from Asheville-Atlanta- London- Cape Town. Needless to say I was completely exhausted upon arrival, but found my energy quickly when I met my Rotary host Henry and my Rotary coordinator Helene. They were at the airport to greet me, complete with a Rotary banner.
My first impressions of Cape Town were from the airport. The airport was just completed in time for the World Cup. It was completely spotless, the people were friendly, and it was easy to navigate. After saying hello and goodbye to Helene, Henry and I were off to my new home in Mowbray (suburb of Cape Town and close to the University). On the way we passed many sites, including townships. I was shocked. I expected the townships to be far removed from the city, but instead, the people that live there are right in the city. They see the “other side” often. I plan to get involved through a service organization at the University.
Henry dropped me off at my new home and I met my landlord Rosalie who is also very nice and helpful. It was a bit shocking to see the security measures on the houses—I have a lock for the front gate, lock in the front door’s bars, lock for the front door, 3 locks for my room, lock for my closet, 3 locks on the back door, lock on the back gate, alarm system complete with panic buttons, and bars on all windows and doors. It took me a little while to learn all of the ropes, but now I think I have it down. All of the houses I’ve seen in Cape Town have a similar setup.
Rosalie was kind enough to help me settle in by taking me to get a cell phone. I bought a cheap phone at a local store, sim card, and a plan. Phones here don’t require contracts like they do back in the States which is nice. I’ll admit that I’m a little jealous because most of the world operates off this system. My European friends are able to use their phones here, but not us Americans!
I met 2 of my roommates, one guy is Norwegian and the other guy is German. I will have another roommate coming on August 4th, a girl from Germany. The house that we live in is a semi-detached Victorian cottage. The biggest differences in the house from one in America are the following: you pay for electricity at the grocery store and load it yourself, the washer and dryer (if you’re lucky enough to have one) are in the kitchen, the television has 3 channels (which I can’t seem to find any news on), and there is no central heating or air conditioning. I’m learning that differences aren’t bad, but just a different way of doing something. It’s easy to be overwhelmed by these differences and go into culture shock. I’ve noticed several other International students going through culture shock and instead of dealing with the differences, they complain. I’m trying my best not to complain at all, but just adapt instead.
My first impressions of Cape Town were from the airport. The airport was just completed in time for the World Cup. It was completely spotless, the people were friendly, and it was easy to navigate. After saying hello and goodbye to Helene, Henry and I were off to my new home in Mowbray (suburb of Cape Town and close to the University). On the way we passed many sites, including townships. I was shocked. I expected the townships to be far removed from the city, but instead, the people that live there are right in the city. They see the “other side” often. I plan to get involved through a service organization at the University.
Henry dropped me off at my new home and I met my landlord Rosalie who is also very nice and helpful. It was a bit shocking to see the security measures on the houses—I have a lock for the front gate, lock in the front door’s bars, lock for the front door, 3 locks for my room, lock for my closet, 3 locks on the back door, lock on the back gate, alarm system complete with panic buttons, and bars on all windows and doors. It took me a little while to learn all of the ropes, but now I think I have it down. All of the houses I’ve seen in Cape Town have a similar setup.
Rosalie was kind enough to help me settle in by taking me to get a cell phone. I bought a cheap phone at a local store, sim card, and a plan. Phones here don’t require contracts like they do back in the States which is nice. I’ll admit that I’m a little jealous because most of the world operates off this system. My European friends are able to use their phones here, but not us Americans!
I met 2 of my roommates, one guy is Norwegian and the other guy is German. I will have another roommate coming on August 4th, a girl from Germany. The house that we live in is a semi-detached Victorian cottage. The biggest differences in the house from one in America are the following: you pay for electricity at the grocery store and load it yourself, the washer and dryer (if you’re lucky enough to have one) are in the kitchen, the television has 3 channels (which I can’t seem to find any news on), and there is no central heating or air conditioning. I’m learning that differences aren’t bad, but just a different way of doing something. It’s easy to be overwhelmed by these differences and go into culture shock. I’ve noticed several other International students going through culture shock and instead of dealing with the differences, they complain. I’m trying my best not to complain at all, but just adapt instead.
Great blog post, and so glad to see you embrace the differences rather than complain about it. There are so many more important things in life than complaining about something you can't control. Happy to see your Rotary Counselor is so nice, I'm sure he will be a valuable help to you. looking forward to hearing more and seeing photos on the blog and Facebook. Take care of yourself and HAVE FUN!!!!!!
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