Cape Town is beautiful and full of life, and I’m enjoying each day here, while I intern at a community health clinic. While I’ve lived abroad in many countries, Cape Town is the first time that I’ve lived in the center of a big city, with adventures easily accessible at almost any moment. I’m loving exploring the city after work, hiking in the mountains on weekends, and cooking dinner at night with my roommates. The cafes and markets nearby are lovely, and the concept of creating a home for myself in a new city has overwhelmed me with excitement for the chance to do it again in an entirely different city in the fall. How truly lucky I am to adventure in two beautiful cities on two separate continents, where each will be my home for several months.
This past week my Spanish study visa was finally approved! After two long months of waiting, during which I obtained an emergency second duplicate passport to allow me to travel to South Africa, it would be an understatement to say that I’m relieved that my passport is in the hands of my parents. I’ve now been in Cape Town for four weeks, and it feels incomprehensible that had I not googled “emergency second passport” I would just now be arriving in this country.
At the health clinic in Cape Town I spend days observing medical professionals or working on patient education projects. It’s learning by observation; very different from academic learning, and the knowledge feels quite tangible. I’m nevertheless looking forward to classes in Sevilla, where I anticipate that academics will be engaging and quite unlike the learning environment that I’m used to in the United States (not to mention that classes will be in Spanish.)
This past week I spent 25 minutes composing an email in Spanish. I needed to contact someone from Spanish Studies Abroad, and I knew that the time had come for me to write in my second language. The challenge, however, is that I’ve never used Spanish in any sort of academic environment, which makes me a bit nervous for classes in Spain. I spent my lunch break at the clinic composing a message, carefully thinking over each sentence, and hoping that the grammar would end up alright. Because I learned Spanish by immersion, and never formally learned any grammar rules, I rely entirely on intuition when I speak or write in the language. I finally sent the email off, fingers crossed. I promptly received a response, which opened with a compliment about my writing Spanish; while it was a relief to be complimented, I’m wary of how much effort went into such a short email! I remain nervous, but slightly more confident that I’ll be able to manage my University of Sevilla classes.
My excitement for my semester in Sevilla is only matched by my excitement for the rest of my time in Cape Town. For now, I’m living each day as it comes, exploring what I can before I turn my sights to a new place of adventure.
