Realizations After a Semester in Cape Town

After four months in Cape Town, I realize that I have a terrible sense of humor. I stuck to my guns, but my guns apparently weren’t funny. This cuts me deep and is making me rethink things. I arrived in Cape Town in July and fell in love with this place instantly. The sprawling city, the diverse and interesting people (and their accents), the breath-taking scenery. Oh, and the bars and clubs. What’s not to love?

Amsterdam is in South Africa?

One of the things that I love most about my experience in Durban is the glimpse of small-town living I get every once in a while. Even though Durban has over 500,000 residents, there are several regular hangouts where I always see familiar faces.

London Was Always a Dream

Three months from now I will be making a huge change…I will be moving to London! I got accepted to go to Goldsmiths, University of London! I am going for a full academic year (September to June) and I couldn’t be more excited! It is going to be a big change but I am more than ready!

I am excited to spend time in a city that I love! One thing that I can’t wait for is to be challenged. To be challenged in school and in personal life is something that I have been craving for awhile now. Going to London will push me and change me in so many ways.

The Familiarly Unfamiliar

The magnitude of change is quite astonishing. After the emotional adjustment period, I asked myself “how could there be so much change in a familiar setting?” The metropolitan style of London is something that I am quite familiar with. Yet, socially- the city is another world. I could map out all the differences now, but I’ll save the blog some room! I spent a short time nit picking between things and just allowed myself to immerse in the social culture of this city.

T-10 days

With just over a week until my departure for London, most of my thoughts are still on planning: will my credits transfer appropriately? Is my suitcase the right size? How many pairs of shoes should I take?

In the off chance I let myself actually think about what life in London is going to be like, I hit a wall. Combinations of old Mary Kate and Ashley movies, postcards from childhood friends and visits to the British goods store in my town flood my vision, forming an awfully stereotypic idea of what the place must be like, so I’d rather stick to thinking about my goals for the semester. I have plenty of aspirations, I want to find a little underground music venue and see some band before they get big, I want visit as many museums as I can, but mostly, I want to know what it’s like to be a student somewhere other than the United States

All that said, a few panging worries also cross my mind when I think about the reality of the coming months. I’m worried that I’ll get lost in such a large city. I’m worried I won’t make friends living by myself and I’m worried that I’ll miss my family and friends in Boston. But judging from others who have gone before me, even the disasters in a once-in-a-lifetime experience can make the most positive memories.