First Impressions of Cape Town – Brett Brawerman

When we first stepped off the airplane, all of us felt quite relieved to be done traveling. Our first collective feeling, although a bit delirious from the multiple flights, was shock. We couldn’t believe we just walked into 85-degree weather, with the scent of the beach. The rest of the night got a bit fuzzy as we were mainly just ready for bed. Cape Town is a big, beautiful city. The buildings are more contemporary than we thought and the people have been incredibly nice. Everyone seems eager to meet us and learn about us, almost as if Americans are a delicacy. The weather is really something else. Despite being a little humid, we have completely skipped winter and are now living in a climate that is almost always above 85 degrees and sunny. The sun is way stronger than we are used to and we are not used to the conversions (weather is measured in Celsius) but you won’t find any of us complaining. Walking down the street, it has never been so obvious that we are tourists. A group of 30+, the majority being white, gets quite the looks from the locals, but we are so excited to be here that it doesn’t even matter. 

 Our first day was quite the challenge. We first traveled to the beautiful waterfront to exchange monies from USD to RAND, and to do a bit of shopping and sightseeing. The six of us guys decided we didn’t have any interest in the shopping mall so we climbed down the rocks to the first beach we saw. The water is clear and gorgeous, but what we saw gave us a little kick. There was a man stripping down to go into the water for his daily shower. While this may be illegal, it was a reality check as to how fortunate we are to be traveling to this country and staying in a nice hotel. However, we stayed focused on the scenery. We then traveled to Table Mountain, the country’s most recognizable and famous 15,000 acre feature. This was just the beginning of our journey. A bunch of college kids coming from winter weather and right off a seventeen hour plane ride that brought us into a new and very different time zone, we were not exactly prepared. We started hiking up the 1,086 meter mountain in 90-degree weather. Needless to say, we were immediately exhausted and a bit dehydrated. However, we persevered and while we may not have made it all the way to the top, we became a close-knit group and a silky smooth team all within the first few hours. This bonding, which really pushed us to the limit, was unexpected this early but has made this experience so enjoyable already.

In a general overview, we are still a bit shell-shocked that we are now enjoying summer on the opposite side of the world in a whole new continent. That being said, it’s hard to deny this country’s natural beauty and unique make-up. We have seen baboons, penguins, seals, amongst other animals and have experienced local flea markets, two ocean’s meeting point, and incredible food. As a group, we are speechless every time we step out of the bus, but are incredibly eager to learn more and be immersed in this culture. Needless to say, I am in love with this country, and I have been here less than 36 hours. It is pretty evident that the best is yet to come.