Meg's random thoughts on Cape Town

A random collection of thoughts centered on Cape Town:

1. I am starting to believe that Coca Cola ACTUALLY owns this country. No matter where you are, I promise you that coke is sponsoring something near by, or has their product in every store within walking distance. This along with the plethora of McDonald’s and KFC’s you see around still feel out of place to me. It is also quite interesting to note how KFC is running a huge giveaway for “A trip to ATLANTA GEORGIA”… wow because that’s the obviously first choice for anyone coming to visit the US on a once in a lifetime trip. 
2. The use of the word ‘shame’ instead of ‘that’s too bad’, the question ‘is it?’ replacing ‘really?’, and the different sound effects they have in response to certain situations are not only awesome but highly addicting. I think we are all starting to catch ourselves sounding a little like a South African every once in a while. I am curious to see if/how long these habits last once we get back to the US, and what people’s reactions will be if we ever slip up and say something native to here.
3. Fun fact: they call traffic lights robots. Also almost every Uber driver here is not from this country (not too different from the US) but that also comes along with the fun game of not always knowing what route your Uber is taking…since they don’t always know what route they are taking… Also fun because Uber lowered fairs and now the drivers are on strike, three cheers for surge pricing!
4. They weren’t kidding when they said Cape Town could have all four season in one day. The first official day of autumn literally felt exactly like autumn, then we had a series of days where it rained and then got hot, repeatedly until the present.
5. The Table Mountain hike is SO hard. Everyone talks about this hike as something you have to do while you are here, but everyone leaves out the minute detail of it being a killer, all uphill, stair climbing for two hours hike. But with that being said, it is absolutely worth it and is indeed, something everyone who comes here should endure. If you’re lucky, your cable car might even start singing “Don’t worry be happy” like ours did. No picture, or short paragraph will ever do that day justice.
6. No matter what type of food you get here, it’s good. People at my internship also like to point out how shitty American food is compared to their food on a regular basis. Their skills in the kitchen are definitely a point of pride for Capetonians, I could definitely benefit from taking a tip of two from them.
7. EVERYONE LOVES TO TALK ABOUT DONALD TRUMP. You get in a taxi? The cab driver asks. You’re at a bar? The person who hears your accent asks. Internship? You guessed it, they ask too. I wonder if more people went abroad during this election season and saw how much our elections impact the rest of the world, if anyone’s votes would change? It still baffles me how tied in they are to politics around the world, probably like many countries, not on that list is America. We know nothing about foreign politics, I mean if I were to refer to JZ, even in a South African context, my guess is everyone would think I misspelled the rapper’s name versus talking about the corrupt president.
8. “Facts” I have decided are true
   -paragliding is the best feeling in the world and is my new life career backup plan if all else fails
   -getting a tattoo abroad is not sketchy and unsanitary if you do your research and go to a nice shop, I think I might hit the next American who tells me I will get an infection just because I am not in the U
   -Koeksister’s, a denser, tastier, coconuttier version of a US donut, are the best dessert. 
   -the view of Table Mountain will never get old, ever.
9. Cars are small, basically all of them. The only big cars you see on the streets are buses, mini buses, or trucks used for work. This only reinforces the concept of how excessive Americans are. Really why does a family of four need a car that could hold a small army? They don’t.
10. I cannot believe that next weekend is our last full weekend here in this magnificent and ever fascinating city. It is a constant push and pull at every moment of the day between being ready to go home and never wanting to leave. The staff at CMES is constantly bringing up how much they will miss us, which is so sweet, but also a constant reminder of how little time we have left here. I think we are all starting to feel the feels when we think about having to pack up and leave. I’m not quite sure what going home will feel like, but I know my life will never be the same after calling this place home these last few months.
    
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