Today was my first official day at UCT! Academics are a bit different here; first of all, there are only 3 years of university (“varsity”) and additionally, each student typically only takes 3 courses per semester. That being said, I am registered for 3 courses, which actually add up to more than a typical semester’s worth of units at USC. Two of my classes meet 3 times a week with a discussion section, while my science class meets 5 days a week – yikes –. The class sizes aren’t very large, and it will be easy to get to know South Africans through discussion sections. Finding my classes was a bit of a hassle because they weren’t posted on our student accounts and I had to wander around the department buildings to find the class lists. After looking like a freshman all over again, however, I was able find my way about on the relatively straightforward campus. I’m really looking forward to my “Defense and Disease” class, which discusses immunology and vaccine research. There are going to be guest lecturers from the medical school who will present on their specialties such as HIV, malaria and TB (the top infectious diseases in Africa and the world). I had to take a Jammie shuttle to the medical school to sign up for SHAWCO health, another thing I’m really excited for, and it was pretty straightforward. SHAWCO health is a student run volunteer org at the UCT medical school that runs weekly night clinics in townships around Cape Town as well as weekend pediatric clinics. I’m really looking forward to participating in these clinics and getting a firsthand experience of the healthcare situation of most South Africans.

This past weekend, our house did a range of fun activities around Cape Town. Saturday morning we woke up early to head down to the Old Biscuit Mill, which is like a gourmet farmer’s market. There are cute delis and antique shops, but the most important part of it is the food stall building. As soon as you walk in, you can see dozens of stands set up with delicious, fresh food, ranging from pastries to Greek to charcuteries. I was in HEAVEN. I barely ate anything for lunch because I was so stuffed on samples from each of the vendors. We had to rush back to the house for another trip so we couldn’t stay for long, but I’ll be sure to head back on another Saturday. When we went back to Highstead we met up with the rest of our housemates to drive up to Signal Hill. Initially, we had intended on staying until sunset, but because the winds were so strong, we ended up leaving after an hour or so. When I say the winds were strong, I mean so strong that they will push you over if you stand too close to a ledge.  This was our first experience with the Capetonian wind called, the Southeaster, and is definitely not the last. The winds bring down the clouds that enshroud Table Mountain so that they roll downwards, appearing like a falling avalanche. The following day, we took a house trip to a place called Mzoli’s that’s well known for its large braais. Mzoli’s is in the middle of a township and is relatively inconspicuous, save the billowing smoke and delicious smells being pumped out of the tented establishment. We had to wait about 2 hours until all of our meat was done, but in the meantime we were able to walk outside to a couple stands that men had set up to sell knick knacks and crafts. Two men had competing tables of glasses that they had made from recycled liquor bottles, and I picked up a set of 4 Savannah Dry (alcoholic cider) drinking glasses for R20, i.e. $4. When it was time to eat, it was time to feast. A giant white plastic bin was dropped on the table, filled completely to the brim with meat. There was boerewors, chicken, mutton, and who knows what else, all piled in there and ready to eat. Everyone had to use their hands because there were no utensils, plates, or napkins (except a roll of toilet paper). There was also a bag of amazing bread that was being passed around made by being placed over steam so that it puffs up and stays moist. The bread is also covered with some curry to give it a bit of flavor. The whole braai took about 20 minutes to eat, but the anticipation really gets you in that savage mood to eat with your hands.

This weekend is our homestay in Ocean View and I’m generally looking forward to it. I do wish I had a day to relax a bit, but with only 100 days here I also really need to make the most of it. There is so much to do here and I’m a little stressed that I won’t be able to do all of it! I’m doing my best to organize everything into manageable outings that can be done in a day.