Lindsay feeling at home in Cape Town

In a lot of ways this kind of feels like the first week because this is the first week that we went through what we will be doing basically for the rest of the time that we are here. Monday through Wednesday we have our internships, Thursday are classes at the University of Cape Town (UCT) and we have the weekend to explore Cape Town and its surroundings or go on a scheduled get away. This past weekend myself and 15 others had an awesome experience.

Lindsay feeling at home in Cape Town

Sunday night I was up until about 2:30am because I was so excited about my internship the next day. It also didn’t help that I had previously been at a Swedish House Mafia concert and was seriously amped up from that! The concert was absolutely amazing and for those reading that don’t know who they are (Mom and Dad this is for you) they are a band consisting of 3 DJs and are kind of like dance and house music. I wasn’t expecting this to be that amazing of an experience, just a cool concert that was on an Ostrich Farm, which was legitimately an ostrich farm. As you walked in there were 8 foot birds in pens that did not seem tall or strong enough to actually keep them in. The concert was very cool and an all day thing with DJs starting at noon and continuing until Swedish House Mafia came on at 8:30. The whole day was a ton of fun, but there was one moment during the performance that really stuck with me. Maybe it’s because I went to the concert thinking it wouldn’t be anything special because it’s an event I could go to in the states so I had the same expectations as I would for any concert I could see in New York, but I’ll continue with the story. So about an hour into their set they are playing one of their most well known songs and the graphic screen behind them displayed a South African flag that was meant to look like it was blowing in the wind. One of them began talking about how beautiful of a country South Africa is but it’s not the “mountain that looks like a table” or the beaches that bring the beauty to this country, it’s the people. He then thanked everyone in the audience for making the show as great as it was and for having them in their country. After this all three members started waving South African flags and the crowd went nuts. It was so strange because I’m not South African and yet I felt like such a part of this community. There was such an amazing feeling of togetherness and welcoming. Maybe it’s because the band stole the words out of my mouth and I have been wanting to thank all of South Africa for having me and haven’t had the ability to do so that I felt so connected to everyone at that moment.

Prior to the concert we had been welcomed into several Capetonian homes including our professor’s, Vernon Rose, and his mother’s. With this is mind and the unexpected welcoming and thanks I found at the concert, I felt like I had graduated from ‘tourist’ to temporary resident, proud to call Cape Town, South Africa my home for the next 3 months. I didn’t start this blog with the intention of talking about a cool concert I went to, I really had intended on writing about my internship, but as I started writing I began to realize how unexpected experiences had affected me more than my first couple days at Christel House. I’ll be sure to write about my experiences in the school next time! But this week I thought I’d let you all know the unanticipated story of how I am beginning to call Cape Town my home.