Destination: Cape Town, South Africa

After 32 hours of travel, I have arrived safely in Cape Town.  

Arriving
My journey started early on May 7th. My loving parents drove me to the Atlanta International Airport from our home in Clemson, SC at 6 am EST.  A few hours later, my parents and I shared in the moment we each face when leaving loved ones.  I then began my lone journey through a mesh of security checks, searches, lines, and waiting.  My first flight left at 12:05 pm EST landing in Washington Dulles.  I then went from Dulles to Amsterdam landing in Amsterdam at 2:30 am EST (7:30 am in Amsterdam).  As May 8th began, I met up with my fellow MSW intern, Stephanie, and we boarded our flight to Cape Town, South Africa.

My flight landed in Cape Town at 9:30 pm (3:30 pm EST).  After shuffling through customs, I collected my bag and met up with the Cross Cultural Solutions driver.  The house lights shown bright in the dark as we headed onto the highway near the airport.  The driver made kind small talk and pointed out Townships that were hidden by the dark.  Eventually the van whipped through the narrow streets of the Rosabank suburb, where the CCS homebase is located, and dropped us off.  Stephanie and I were buzzed into the home by a security guard and shown to our room.  The room is large with to bunk bed sets and 4 cubby-like closets.  I chose a bottom bunk and cubby.  Before the haze of jet lag took over, I organized my clothes and possessions in preparation for a fresh start in the morning.  Though my body is foggy, I am filled with the feeling of both excitement and terror.  The excitement and terror of jumping in and challenging everything you thought you knew.


The first day
I awoke to my first day in Cape Town to the voices of other volunteers in the house preparing for their day.  Slow to warm, my body was dehydrated and sore from travel.  I felt much better after a banana and some water.  Overall, my body is adjusting to the time change well.  At 9 am, I met Luanne and Tahira.  They are the heads of the CCS program in Cape Town.  As MSW, they will be supervising Stephanie and I during our time in Cape Town. 

We started our orientation by reviewing safety policies, house rules, and expectations for long term interns.   As discussed, Cape Town is an urban area with many suburbs and 11 nearby Townships. The city is full of many beautiful sights and has been influenced by many different communities from around the world.  The city also deals with high levels of crime, poverty, and HIV/AIDS rates.  As discussed with Luanne and Tahira, as interns, we must be aware of the safety issues and keep curfews, and common sense in mind at all times while traveling and at our placements.

My placement for the next three months will be at SAFE LINE.  SAFE LINE is an child protection agency focused on the prevention of child abuse and child sexual abuse.  They serve children from 2-18 that have experienced child abuse, sexual abuse, and sexual assault.   As far as I know, I will be assisting the local social workers in daily field work and forming a 10 session group for some of the children that SAFE LINE serves.  My placement will start on Tuesday (May 10) going from 8 am to 1 pm the first two weeks and extending into the afternoons later in the month.  The placement will be challenging because I am working with a vulnerable population and hosting my own group.  These are tasks I have never tried before, but I look forward to meeting the staff and learning more about the agency.  I also look forward to meeting the  children.  I hope that can build on each of their strengths during my time with them.  Right now, I am focusing on learning more about the agency and exploring my new environment.  In the past I have jumped in without looking, for my experience in Cape Town with SAFE LINE I want to observe, support, and produce thoughtful projects. 

After our discussion about placement and lunch, around 2:30 pm, Stephanie and I took a well deserved walk to Rondebosch.  Rondebosch is the suburb that host the University of Cape Town and many stores.  The walk was short and sweet, but gave me a chance to see the area and Table Mountain from afar.  We passed by the nearby train station, saw the entrance to the University, and stop in a few shops.  I also picked up some more Rand at a ATM for the coming week.  The streets are narrow and the architecture reflects European influence left from colonialism.  The housing and apartment complexes are all surrounded by tall fences, barbed wire, or an electric fence, but the streets are quit with only a few people rushing off.  The sidewalks are asphalt lined with arching trees and flowers curving through the hilly terrain.  Even when Cape Town's winter weather is dreary I will take comfort in the site of Table Mountain and surrounding hills.

Tonight, I will end the day reflecting, collecting project ideas, and resetting my body.  

As a side a note, I will not be posting any pictures for the next few weeks as I will be focusing on building rapport with community members, clients, other volunteers, and staff.