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By kenzconnors

I've been bouncing around Cape Town, South Africa for four days as of now. The first week of my SIT program is an orientation. On the first day the academic director, Stewart, actually dropped us off at a random place in the city and told us to find our assigned destination. My group was assigned the Greenpoint Stadium--the stadium that was built for the World Cup in 2010. We walked MILES to find our way there and introduced ourselves to the public transportation system in Cape Town.

When we got there, we noticed a very large crowd. There was a day-long performance competition going on to celebrate the freedom of the slaves. My small group bought a ticket for 60 rand each and had so much fun listening to the music and watching the performances. This first day was hectic so I was excited to be able to relax at Bloudenberg Strand (strand means "beach" in Afrikaans) and Buffelsfontein the next day.

I can't even begin to explain the beauty that was Buffelsfontein. We learned that this word means "Buffalo Fountain" in Afrikaans. Buffelsfontein is a wildlife reserve that we spent three nights on. My entire cohort of 24 people stayed in a home with glass windows that allowed us to see the animals roam the reserve around us. I woke up to the cutest family of zebras outside my window in the morning!

...continue reading "Wildebeests, Rhinos, Giraffes, OH MY"

By kenzconnors

As I sit in the gate of my connecting flight in Dubai, UAE, I cannot believe that I am one step closer to arriving in the city of Cape Town. I have never seen an airport this extravagant and beautiful. I can't wait until I get to spend a couple of days here in May after my program culminates! A couple of weeks ago I connected with another girl, Adeline, who is also from Massachusetts and in my program. Luckily, we had each other to figure out how to get around the bustling Dubai airport! Having her by my side has really been invaluable.

Without a doubt, my biggest fear has been the long flights to both cities (13 hrs to Dubai, 10 to Cape Town). However, with the help of feel-good movies, delicious food, and lots of shut-eye, the flight was incredible and exceeded my expectations. It was over before I knew it. It also didn't hurt that complimentary wi-fi was provided.  I sat next to an awesome couple on their way to Mumbai; they gave me tips and tricks on how to conquer international flights, which as an inexperienced world traveler, I was grateful for.

...continue reading "DuBAI America…"