Welcome to the Mother City

After a long layover in London, I’ve arrived safely in sunny Cape Town. My English relatives are all doing well, and I had a great time hanging out with my sixteen-year-old cousin who I haven’t seen in five years. On Tuesday I met Lilly for a charming morning in South Kensington, followed by a long walk around Piccadilly before a quick tube ride to the sleek and beautiful new T5 at Heathrow.

The flight to Cape Town was long and uneventful. But I managed to sleep, and today I have virtually no jetlag (the time difference between England and South Africa is only two hours). At 6:00 AM I watched a spectacular sunrise from the plane, and Table Mountain really was right there as we began our descent into the Mother City. Friendly UCT students met us as the airport, helped us with our luggage, and loaded us onto a bus that transported us to a hotel not far from campus. After check-in a few of us ventured down to the Water Front for lunch. Our trusty UCT orientation leaders led us to a waterside seafood place where we split calamari, mussels, French fries, blackened swordfish and pitchers of Castle. The weather is perfect – I think South Africa was a wise choice for me, because I’m such a baby when it comes to the cold.

After a brief evening introduction to the program, all of us headed to Long Street for a cheap dinner of chicken and peri peri (chili sauce). Neo, a UCT student, took a group of us to Stones, a bar / pool hall, where we people watched from an outdoor balcony and enjoyed the balmy South African evening until the buses transported us back to the hotel.

Now it’s off to bed for an early orientation session tomorrow, but I can’t wait to begin experiencing more of the real Cape Town.

And I'm Off...

My semester abroad is finally beginning! I'll be touching down in London first to visit family and hopefully Lilly, and then it's off to Cape Town early next week. Somehow I managed to squeeze a miniature wardrobe of kids' clothing into my suitcase - teachers at the school where I work in L.A. were eager to donate to the children I'll be volunteering with in South Africa. Winter break was long and relaxing, but I'm definitely itching to get away and experience something completely new. I've got my summer clothes, electronic converters, a few hundred rand, and a brand new cell phone with an international SIM card. Let the adventure begin!