I should probably stop apologizing at this point for the length of time between entries...but I will try to be better!
So, nine months after moving to Cape Town, I can finally say that I feel settled in. I have an established group of friends, I'm doing well with school, I don't gawk at the scenery (though I still make a point of being grateful for my mountain views each morning and night), and I have a solid idea of how to get around Cape Town and where things are.
Of course, it's just around this time of settling in that it comes time to go home again--thankfully only for a long visit, before returning to Cape Town for at least another year.
I am incredibly excited about the impending visit (I leave in less than five weeks!). I'll be able to work and replenish my bank account a bit and also hopefully get a bit of health policy experience out of an internship. But, the top two things I am looking forward to? The people and the food. :)
But, as I said, I've been making more new friends recently and have a fairly solid group of people here as well. At Gabby's going away party I had met a group of five young women who are here in Cape Town for a year doing the Princeton in Africa fellowship. They are really incredible women with impressive resumes despite being a bit younger than I am!
Apparently, I have managed to neglect mentioning that I have been taking courses in salsa dancing for the last eight weeks or so. It started because a woman I know really wanted to go so I volunteered to go with, figuring I'd try something new. Honestly, it's turned out to be one of the best times of the week for me. It is SO much fun, decent exercise, and I've actually met some people through the course. I have a new friend, Homero, who is from Angola and came to Cape Town for an English language course. We decided to get together before class yesterday for dinner so I could help him practice English. Honestly, I don't think he needs the help--he talked up a storm! All I knew about Angola prior was that it is located on the west coast of Africa (kinda in the middle) and that the national language is Portuguese. Afterwards, I knew about the thirty year civil war, the politics, the role of the U.S., and what the main city Luanda is like. Oh, and it's good to have a boy to practice salsa with, since Thomas refuses!
I also recently met a couple of whom the guy is South African, the gal is Chilean. They are both super sweet, plus it's always nice to hear about another successful international romance--they are getting married in February and are taking the dance lessons because their wedding will be Latin themed! We're going to try to do a double date when Thomas is home. He FINALLY got the right visa for Nigeria, so I'll have him home at least a couple of days each week--could not be happier about that!
If I haven't made it clear by now, Cape Town is a very international city--not just the MPH program. Everyday you hear a variety of accents and, if you're friendly about it, you're constantly meeting new people. I have a theory that many of us internationals aren't outgoing because we were naturally born that way, but as a survival mechanism. Any time you go somewhere new, you need to reach out unless you want to be a loner. At least, I've become much more willing to strike up conversation since moving here. I find that other non-South Africans tend to be same.
Alright folks, don't forget to mark your calendars: I'll be home November 22nd! Love.
