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| Andrew, Allie, & Avery |
Hi! My name is Allie Ball, and I’m a sophomore
majoring in English and Political Science. I expect to graduate in 2015, and
I’m not entirely sure what I’ll do after that. I’m considering Law School, but
I may want to work abroad, maybe for literacy or education-focused NGO. I’ll be
interning at City Mission Education Services, where I’m hoping to get a
first-hand look at the current issues faced by South African schools while
helping kids further their education.
After so many months of planning, we’ve finally
arrived in Cape Town. I’ll admit that at some point on the flight, I started to
wonder what I had gotten myself into. I’d attended all the pre-departure
classes and prepared to leave, but it wasn’t until then that it hit me that I
was going to Africa for the next few months. But as soon as we touched down in
Cape Town, my fears vanished. We stepped out of the airport to a gorgeous view
of Table Mountain, and I knew this was going to be an amazing experience.
The next few days certainly did not disappoint. So
far we’ve settled into our house in Rondebosch, walked around the city,
traveled to Cape Point, toured the University of Cape Town and gotten a bird’s
eye view of the city from Signal Hill. The rest of orientation promises to be
just as busy; tomorrow we’re going to visit Robben Island and walk around the
Waterfront, with dinner at a Jazz club that night. It’s difficult to describe
my first impression of Cape Town without resorting to tired clichés, and words
like “beautiful” don’t even begin to convey what it’s like to stand at the top
of Signal Hill, with Table Mountain behind you and the City stretched out in
front of you. But if I had to sum it up in one word, I would say it is awesome.
And while we’ve had a lot of fun these past few days, I don’t really mean that
in a “totally awesome!” way. It’s more that I am in utter and complete awe of
Cape Town. The whole area looks like something out of National Geographic, and
I still have moments when I cannot believe that I am actually here, living on
the coast of South Africa. The city itself is also fascinating. You can see the
influence of different cultures in everything from the architecture to the
food, and the entire city has a feeling that is so unique it can only be described
as “Capetonian.” I’ve already fallen in love with Cape Town, and I can’t wait
to explore some more.
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