Greetings from Cape Town! So far, South Africa has given me, as expected, some of the most incredible and eye-opening experiences that I have ever had. Over the last two or so weeks, I have had the opportunity to visit multiple museums, talk with many locals, volunteer within the community, and experience what both Johannesburg and Cape Town have to offer both educationally and recreationally.

My trip started with one week in Johannesburg. Joburg, as it’s more normally called, is the largest city within South Africa and is incredibly diverse in basically every facet—South Africa is not known as the Rainbow Nation for nothing. People from all over the world, especially neighboring African countries, have made Joburg their home and have created a community that is filled with many languages, cuisines, cultures, and customs. During my time in Joburg, I lived in a guesthouse in an upper-class neighborhood of the city known as Melville. I was fortunate enough to have my own private room within the house, but at nights the entire group would get together in the shared conference area or we would go out to experience the night life of the neighborhood. Our host, Lydia, was wonderful and would wake up each morning to cook everyone breakfast—it was always a great start to our day. During the day, we would go on site visits throughout the city to learn about both past and current political issues, South African history, and current community struggles. Though Joburg can get a bad rap for being a dangerous city, I would highly recommend it to anyone looking to experience what a metropolitan city is like in South Africa. To future students, I would recommend to always be aware of your surroundings, but as long as you are smart in your actions and always make sure to keep an open mind, you will be okay and have an amazing experience—just as I did.

After our week in Joburg, our group loaded onto a plane and made our way to our current location, Cape Town. I can confidently say that Cape Town in the most beautiful city I have ever experienced. Not only are the people wonderful, but the number of sites offered are incredibly diverse as well. Cape Town has towering mountains, flat wine country, huge forests, and pristine beaches all within 20 minutes of the city center. Our group is staying in a very nice hotel right beside one of Cape Town’s best attractions, the Waterfront—where we have access to shopping, restaurants, comedy clubs, and more. Funny enough, our classes are held in the hotel as well. My daily commute to class consists of me walking across the hall to the room beside mine, so I never have to worry too much about traffic! This doesn’t mean I haven’t had the opportunity to experience transportation in Cape Town though. We’ve taken countless Ubers and buses while here, but many times we find it best to walk—especially since we have access to so much so close.

I’ve been having the time of my life being able to learn about the history and politics of South Africa and then walking out the door of my hotel to experience it. It’s an educational opportunity like no other, and I’m excited to see what the following weeks have to offer.