Life in Cape Town this
past month has been incredible but it took some getting used to in the
beginning. For the first time in my
life, I really had to make some lifestyle adjustments in order to fit in and be
successful in Cape Town.
One aspect of South
African life that I had to get used to was the language. Yes, English is spoken to some extent by
nearly everyone in Cape Town, but I had to learn the lingo to really fit
in. Just to give you a few examples of
the different terminology… A robot is a traffic light; A garage is a gas
station; An “oke” is a “dude”; The theatre is the operating room; You don’t
call someone you phone them; You don’t pick someone up you fetch them. I really could go on and on.
Another aspect of life
that I had no problem adjusting to was the food. The food in Cape Town is amazing!! The Cape Town population consists of a
mixture of many different cultures and the food represents all those
cultures. Foods most popular to Cape
Town include: Samosas (fried savory pastries), koeksisters (donuts covered in
spices and coconut flakes), pies (similar to pot pies), bobotie (traditional
South African dish consisting of spiced minced meat and an egg topping), curry,
lamb, ostrich, gemsbok (type of antelope), gatsbys (gigantic sub sandwiches
filled with the meat of your choice along with chips (French fries) and various
sauces), biltong (South African beef jerky), just to name a few things. The chocolate in Cape Town was also unlike
any I’ve ever tasted. I can’t remember
the last time I actually bought a candy bar but I probably bought more
chocolate in this month than I have in my entire life :/ It was not difficult to find good food in
Cape Town and my house mom was also an amazing cook. I know I’ve gained a few pounds on this trip
and a detox is a must when I get home!!
Living in Cape Town
also forced me to live a simple life.
Back home, I am used to long hot showers, heat during the winter time,
and high speed Internet access anywhere and anytime. Saying this makes me realize how fortunate I
am and really makes me appreciate what I have, but it also makes me feel a bit
ashamed. In middle class South African
life, most homes do not have heating or a/c, water and electricity are limited
(if the country uses too much electricity at any given time, parts of the
country will get their power turned off until the usage decreases), and
Internet access is limited and there is definitely no such thing as Google
Fiber speed. Life in Cape Town definitely
took some adjusting to. I froze the
first several nights while I adjusted to the cold and I actually really enjoyed
being unplugged from the rest of the world for a while. After seeing the struggles that many people
in South Africa face on a daily basis, I think that I need to make changes in
my own life to live more simply, to conserve my resources and not waste, to not
take life for granted, and to not complain about the little things.
But… one of the most
difficult adjustments I had to make was driving on the left side of the road and
on the right side of the car!! I had to
take on a lot of the driving responsibilities while in Cape Town, and for those
who know me well, you all know that I don’t like to drive, especially in
unfamiliar and congested areas. For the
first few days driving I had to constantly tell myself to drive on the LEFT
side. It doesn’t sound all that hard but
it was a little difficult at first. And
to make matters worse, the drivers in Cape Town are crazy!! They cut people off, weave in and out of
traffic, and definitely don’t follow the speed limit, and… people generally
think that it’s ok to cross traffic on a busy highway. After a few days of stress, I finally
adjusted and tried to drive with the flow of the rest of Cape Town. If I get back home and start driving like a
maniac, you all will understand why!!
My Cape Town journey
has almost come to an end, and it has truly been an experience of a lifetime
and an experience that I will never forget.
I have grown so much and learned so much about myself over the past
month. While I am sad to say goodbye to
Cape Town, my journey is not quite over yet…
My home-stay family!
My lovely program directors!
Victoria Hospital
My Cape Town Home
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