Drew eager to get to know Cape Town as an inhabitant, not just a tourist

I am still not sure if I have fully processed the fact that we are in Cape Town. These first few days have been so packed with sightseeing and exploring the city that finding time to reflect has been difficult. I am functioning on autopilot moving from breakfast, to the bus, to a sight, to lunch, to another sight, back home (usually to take a much needed nap), to dinner, and then home to sleep. None of this is negative. Within our first two weeks in country I will have seen most of the sights that I aimed to see during this fifteen-week program. I’ll know where I want to return to, how to navigate a new city, culture, and people, and be prepared to start working at the Refugee Center with a better understanding of the dynamics at work in Cape Town’s population. Fortunately our program coordinators made this autopilot possible, otherwise we would not have seen nearly as much in such a short time.

I only talk about my autopilot state because I still feel much like I felt at home. When I travel I hit a point, not immediately in my trip but a few days in, when I am overcome with a childish sense of joy and excitement, like it’s four am on Christmas morning and time to wake up Mom and Dad. At that point I realize where I am and what I am doing and that sense of excitement doesn’t die until I leave. I can’t wait to reach that point here, as I am absolutely sure I will, and am eager to see what brings me to that tipping point.

Cape Town is an amazing city to see as a tourist. We have seen panoramic views or mountain ranges and the Atlantic Ocean, seen baboons, penguins, and zebras in the wild, and explored the city’s slavery and apartheid histories through monuments and museums. Seeing Cape Town as a tourist has been amazing and I am sure will continue to surprise me throughout my stay here. I am eager to see how I view the city as more of an inhabitant in 15 weeks as the inevitable end of our program approaches and calls us to reflect on our experience.

Maria, Derek, Charity and Drew as tourists