t-minus one month

Well today marks a month til I arrive in South Africa. Arrive being the key word since it'll take about 30 hours in transit from when I leave to when the plane touches down in Cape Town. It's pretty surreal to think that I'll be spending the next semester in a new country and not at the berg. I joke that my parents accepted that I'm going when they bought the plane ticket but I don't even know if I've accepted - rather, realized - that I'm going. It probably won't even hit me until I actually step off the plane and get to personally take in the surroundings that I've only heard about and seen pictures of. Even applying for my visa and getting way too many shots hasn't been enough to truly shock me into acknowledging what I'm getting myself into. From what I just said, it actually sounds like I may not want to go so let me just put it out there and say that I cannot wait to go! True, I'm not just excited, I'm also inexplicably terrified. But where's the fun without it?

Since I was officially accepted, any time I tell someone that I'm going to the University of Cape Town (hence forth, UCT) in South Africa, I become concerned that his/her eyebrows may disappear into his/her hairline. After the stuttered question "why?" is asked, my answer is simply "why not?" But while this is true, I didn't just spin a globe around, close my eyes, and stop it on Cape Town. There are many reasons I chose South Africa, many of which I've told people and some more obscure things that I'll admit now.

1. They speak English. I spent 2 years studying Hebrew and before that 5 years studying French. Why not go to Israel, France, or a French speaking country? I actually don't remember much French. I forgot most of it when I started taking Hebrew. I didn't want to forget the Hebrew I managed to learn so going to a country that spoke a different language - out. Why not go to Israel? Um...because I've been and intend to go back. I would love to study in Israel but I want a new experience in a country I've never been to.
2. London and Australia just seem so touristy and while I would love to go to both places, I hope that maybe one day I'll get to travel around Europe some and maybe even get to visit down under. What other opportunities will come around when I can go to South Africa?
3. Because it's in Africa, there is certainly stigma about going there but many don't realize that Cape Town is fairly westernized. Granted, the entire country isn't but I'll be living in Cape Town and hopefully have opportunities to travel the country and see the drastic disparities between communities. Though I'm not exactly an expert on the Apartheid, I do know the general history of it and I think it'll be fascinating to be there with all that history. And honestly, there's a very different mindset there (as with visiting any other country) so I can't wait to live and study there. Who knows how different or similar it may end up being.
4. Being the activist I am and being invested in community service, I really want to get involved with the community doing things like Habitat for Humanity, Relay For Life, and whatever other service things I can find while I'm there. I guess I could go anywhere for that but it'll be especially interesting to me to see Relay while I'm there.
   
5. South Africa has a strong Jewish community. I not only intend to take a class for Jewish Studies (my minor) while I'm there but I would love to find a way to get somewhat immersed in the community and see what it's like there.
   
6. I really really really want to go on a safari. Seriously, what other country in the world has elephants, monkeys, and penguins? So cool.
   
7. I have a weird fascination with Antarctica and in my head, since it's at the bottom of the continent of Africa, it seems really close. Make fun if you must.
   
8. They have the coolest accents. There's something special added to that British accent from Afrikaans, Zulu, Xhosa, and the other tribal languages spoken there. Whatever, I love it, don't judge me.
9. I've always wanted to go. Admittedly, there are so many countries I've mentally listed that I want to visit, but I could find some excuse to go travel Europe or Asia as a tourist or something, what excuse will I ever have to visit South Africa? And it was either Cape Town or Johannesberg. I didn't think I'd be able to get my parents to be able to handle Jo-berg but I've also heard that there's a lot more diversity in Cape Town which I prefer.
   
10. An after-the-fact reason why it's going to be awesome, the 2010 FIFA World Cup is going to be held in South Africa. I know it begins a year after I leave but preparations have been already going on for years. Oh btw, it's the international football (soccer) tournament for you who don't know.

Well that conveniently turned into my 10 reasons for choosing to study in South Africa, Cape Town specifically.

Til next time,
Sarah