Hikes and Beaches

So far the weather here in Cape Town has been unbeatable! There's no way this is really their winter. If it is I'm moving here ASAP. A couple days ago four friends and I decided to take advantage of the sun and go on a hike up the side of Table Mountain. We hiked to this place called the memorial and then even higher to a lookout called the box house. Although it was a definite trek, the view made it worth it. At the top there was a more than 180 degree view of all of Cape Town!

Me standing over the city, looking out over the ocean!

Mary, Emmy, Alli, Me, and Rachel.

I'm obsessed with the trees here. They are so unique.

The Memorial.

Alli, Emmy, Rachel, and Me.

The next day it was still beautiful weather so a group of girls from my house took the train up to Muizenberg beach. All the locals thought we were crazy for going to the beach in winter, but we didn't mind. Clearly we had the right idea because about 15 CIEE kids ended up at the same beach! I definitely want to go back there once the water warms up and try some surfing!

Two kids from the program (Austin and Colin) going surfing.

The whole CIEE bunch!
A view of the beach and the waves.

View of the beach in the other direction.

My favorite part of the beach - colorful shacks (I think they were changing rooms) that lined the entirety of Muizenberg!

UCT Tour

Now for the fun stuff! Yesterday we went on a tour with all the international students that lasted all day and took us all around Cape Town. Honestly, Cape Town is the most beautiful city I have ever seen in my entire life. However, its crazy to see the first and third world contrasts that exist here. You can be in the most wealthy part of Cape Town, where Tom Cruise has a summer home, and drive 3 minutes away and be in a completely destitute township--its like nothing I've ever seen before. But one thing is for sure: I've fallen in love with this city.

A group of singers outside one of the National Parks! The music here is amazing and people are always singing and dancing. Its such a great vibe.

We almost hit an ostrich while driving! A little shocking to see compared to the deer in the US.

New friends, Emily and Pearl, at the penguins!

View from the penguin site--they have really cool rocks in Cape Town!

View of penguins homes.

View from the tour bus.

View from my room!

One of the places we went on the tour: Cape Point--looks like Paradise Falls from Up! So beautiful. The beach down at the bottom was pristine.

Another gorgeous view from Cape Point.

A beautiful lookout--one of our first stops on the tour! The houses look like something you might see in Greece.

My room! It's a little more decorated now.

The penguins at Boulders National Park! So adorable.

First Post!

Hello all!

I'm finally moved into my house, set up my internet, and orientation has slowed down enough to allow me to write my first post. Most of this blog will consist of pictures and captions because I'm not witty enough to write interesting entries. However, since a lot has happened that I haven't gotten to take pictures of, I will give you all a brief overview of what has transpired since I arrived in Cape Town.

The first day I got in we did a lot of boring orientation things and I was so tired so I just went to bed but the second night I got out and explored Rondebosch (the suburb we are living in). About 40 kids from my program ended up at a bar called Cybar which was pretty fun and gave me a chance to meet more students from the program. Beer is cheap here and also has a higher alcohol content so being that we are in a recession, this has been my drink of choice. There is also a really good drink here called cider which is similar to beer but tastes like sparkling apple juice! Another one of my favs.

The food here is actually pretty good! And again, fairly cheap. Everything tastes a little different than what I'm used to, but I'm starting to get used to it and really enjoy it. The calamari here is amazinggg so I've been having that a fair amount. Last Saturday we had our first braai (South African word for barbeque) and it was so fun! They had amazing meat--which seems to be a South African specialty, bread, and salad. So far the weather has been nice. We had one day of rain but since then it has been pretty sunny, but still chilly. The cold + no indoor heating anywhere = flannel pjs and a sweatshirt to bed every night.

As of yet, I haven't been too homesick *knock on wood*. South Africa has places very similar to America so its easy to feel at home. Plus skyping comforts when I'm missing family and friends.

However, one night my housemate Teddy was teaching me how to dance and we did the pretzel (my Dad's signature move!) which made me a little nostalgic for father-daughter banquets at the WAC.

In the next couple days we get to sign up for classes and clubs we want to join at UCT. I can't wait to sign up for wine club, scuba diving club, and maybe even sky diving club! I'm also really excited to go bungee jumping even though I am terrified of heights. I'm also looking forward to hiking up Table Mountain and Lion's Head to watch the sunrise. The thing I'm most excited for at this point though is my CIEE volunteer work. I've decided to sign up with a group called YIP (Youth in Prison--one of five volunteer options given to us by CIEE). In this program I will be working with kids who have been incarcerated, giving them an outlet through art, writing, music etc. and trying to keep them busy throughout the days so they don't get into more trouble. This program is perfect for my psychology major so I'm super excited to get started!

Anyways, sorry that was so much information but I promise the rest of the posts will be pictures for easy viewing :)

Miss you and love you all,

Erin