One month later

As my last German friend in Cape Town left for home, the instant arrival of 20 American students ensured I wouldn't be without foreigners in this city. I said goodbye to Blencathra and moved down the street to my new home (still in the ritzy upper class neighborhood of Tamboerskloof) filled with UNC study abroad students.

The following week I took off from work and participated in my programs orientation week. Surprisingly, I realized how much I needed this week to re-orientate myself to my new surroundings. My new life in the same city was going to be much different from the independent style I had grown accustomed to these last three months. Minus the stress of traveling in a huge group, it was nice to be re-introduced to Cape Town and explore the city through the new eyes of my peers. Robben Island, city centre, Cape Point, Table Mountain--our first week was completely packed with a "welcome to the city" marathon.

Lets just get one thing straight. America--we are a LOUD bunch of people! On our balcony, in the kitchen, walking down the street, in restaurants and bars, on buses--everyone knows when Americans are approaching. For me, spending three months trying really hard to blend was for two reasons--one: pride and the desire to assimilate and two: basic safety reasons traveling alone or in groups. Being foreign in addition to American often makes you a target for muggings).
So learning to be comfortable loudly walking in a giant group of Americans in down town Cape Town was a huge adjustment and still something I'm getting used to. On Friday we take the Jammie shuttle (the University bus that is free for students and faculty) to UCT for class. Just imagine it: enormous group of Americans loudly pile onto a bus and completely take it over. Conversations fly across the bus, trying to talk to strangers at 8:30 in the morning, questions about this and that--once we got off, our lovely TA told me I looked like a 13 year old at the mall with her mom, my expression was clearly "Mooooooooom you're embarrassing me-get me out of here!"

Despite the adjustment to constantly living with group dynamics (Real World: Cape Town. It's totally happening with or without the camera crew) it has been quite lovely being surrounded by people again. This weekend a lot of us hiked to Camps Bay--a relatively easy 2 hour hike up into the mountains surrounding Cape Town and ending at one of the most gorgeous beaches in the city. Picnic on the rocks overlooking the crashing waves, watching the surfers in the frigidly cold ocean waters, laying on the beach, reading our books for class (needed to slip in that academic stuff somewhere in this post...) and getting ridiculous looking tan lines--yeah, I'll happily trade half my senior year for this.