Someone pinch me because I must be in a dream…

Ever since I stepped off the plane (after 20+ hours in the air), I have been living in a fantasy world! South Africa is nothing short of amazing: the landscape, weather, people, food, and adventures have been great!

Here are just some of my first impressions:

The group I am traveling with has been so much fun- we are all so happy to be here, and really trying to make the most of every experience. I can already tell that some of my future best friends are in the making.

I am also getting to know many other full-time Stellenbosch University students. We had our first "braai" (barbecue) last night where we were able to mingle with students from Mexico, Netherlands, Chile, Mozambique, and South Africa- to name a few. It is so neat to hear where people are from, and what has brought them to Stellenbosch. Everyone is so friendly and interested in getting to know us. Lucky for me, Cornelius and Tracy, two of the people from South Africa that I met live right down the hall from me. I have a feeling that we will be seeing a lot more of each other!

We've also been in the midst of academic orientation. Classes start next week, but we've been able to meet our professors and learn a little more about what to expect academically. I will be taking a culture/language class that seems very promising- we will primarily be focusing on Afrikaans culture, food, language, and art forms. I am also taking a political history of South Africa class that covers everything from pre and post apartheid legacies, political institutions, socio-economic issues, and gender studies. My two public health classes also seem really exciting. One is a mixture of classroom instruction and excursions to a wide variety of public health clinics and related health care institutions throughout the country. The other is working at a local clinic in one of the many surrounding townships. I still don't know where I will be placed, but I find out soon!

This afternoon, we took a tour of the community of Stellenbosch. From playing a game of pick-up soccer (and making funny faces) with local children in the nearby township Kayamandi, to getting lost in the forest on our way to the braai, I'd say that I got a pretty good glimpse into my new home for the next three months!

One thing that has really struck me is the difference between the "haves" and the "have nots." At one point on our tour, we drove past a beautiful gated community. Literally five feet from the gate was a township of broken shacks, clotheslines, and extreme poverty. This is one thing to read about it in a school textbook, and an entirely different thing to witness firsthand; the experience really struck a chord in me. Since we'll be working primarily in the townships, I am very interested in learning how these socio-economic and racial divides manifest themselves in common, everyday South Africans. More to come on the topic…

In other news, the weather has been phenomenal (80 and sunny every day), housing accommodations livable (minus the daily battle I am having with some insects that want to take up permanent residence in my room), and food amazing (who can beat fresh mango juice, grilled chicken, and red wine straight from the nearby vineyard?). I can definitely get used to this…

I'm off to Cape Town for the first time tonight. Then we are heading into a long weekend, so stay tuned for more adventures. In the meantime, I am sending you all my love from across the ocean!