Orientation

I’ve seen and done so much in the last few days, it’s hard to believe that I’ve only been here for less than a week. On Saturday, I went to the Horse Derby at the MET, which is a huge event in Cape Town, similar to the Kentucky Derby. About 50,000 people were there. It was unlike anything I’ve ever seen before. The theme was “Glitz and Glammer” and all I can say is that I have NEVER seen that many beautiful people, both men and women, in my entire life. Everyone was fit, tan, dressed up in their nicest dresses, huge hats, high heels…crazy. The women all looked like Charlize Theron and the men were incredibly handsome. It fully demonstrated the huge division of wealth in Cape Town. Sunday was the first day of orientation, where we went for a bus ride and walking tour of the Camps Bay, the Cape of Good Hope, Simon’s Town, and False Bay. Absolutely the most beautiful sights I have ever seen. It’s indescribable in words but the views were breathtaking. I saw the penguins in Simon’s Town and baboons and ostrich along the side of the road. We had lunch in a township and watched break dancers (some only 8 or 9 years old), singers, and fire juggler. These were all people that had grown up in the townships and were involved in the community center who were showing off their talents. The break dancers were the best, especially the little boys! On Monday we had orientation during the day, learning about classes and preparing for registration. Orientation here is a week long events filled with field trips, performances, food, braais (African barbeques/get togethers—very popular), and advice. Last night was my housemate Aviva’s birthday. 9 of the 10 housemates went to dinner at an amazing Thai place and had great food and wine and then went to a pool bar on Long Street afterwards. Great night.