Life at UCT

Howzit? (the South African equivalent to “what’s up?” with the traditional response being “sharp sharp,” which I assume is equivalent to our “not much,” but is certainly up for interpretation). Life continues to be wonderful here, but I am ready to start a daily routine. Last Friday, we registered for classes at UCT – a very inefficient process in my opinion, although we were told to keep an open mind. It was a day full of waiting in various lines – about 5 or 6 in total (I think the school is in major need of online registering, but the administration doesn’t seem too keen on making that switch anytime soon – it really boggles my mind). Anyhow, we were prepared for the worst, having been told that the process would take the entire day – luckily, I was done in about 3 hours. It wasn’t terrible, but definitely inefficient and a waste of paper. We were fortunate enough to only have to register with other semester abroad students (all 20,000+ other UCT students will have to register on the same day – I can’t even imagine how long that will take!). On a positive note, the campus is gorgeous – there are beautiful buildings covered in ivy, which are set on the side of the mountain – I will definitely be in shape after this trip as the walks to campus are uphill and the campus is huge! I think that Columbia is beautiful, but it doesn’t even compare to this.

Classes will begin on Friday, when professors will hand out the syllabus and course readers. Actual lectures begin next week. Scheduling is a bit different here – there are 10 45-minute periods each day and classes meet either 3, 4, or 5 days a week. Therefore, you cannot have more than one class at the same period because lectures would overlap – I still cannot figure out how they make all of the classes fit into this timetable, but it must work. I think that I will find it much easier to sit through a 45-minute lecture, but I am dreading having classes on Fridays – Barnard has certainly spoiled me. Right now, I registered for Xhosa (a language spoken mainly by blacks, which uses different clicks), Afrikkans (a mainly white South African language), Natural Resource Economics, and The Making of the Modern World Economy. The classes I wanted to take fall in periods 1-4, which means that I will be done with classes everyday by noon (although I start at 8am daily)! I am planning on my afternoons being filled by volunteering and clubs (I’m hoping to participate in the Mountain and Ski Club, Surf Club, and Habitat for Humanity). I can’t wait to get involved and meet other African students!

The past couple days were rather quiet around here as a bunch of people left to travel for our long weekend before classes start. As I didn’t get my act together in time, I decided to use the time to explore more of Cape Town – I am beginning to know my way around the downtown area, which is about a 15-minute ride from my house. Public transportation is certainly not the best here as a result of Apartheid, and so the best method during the day is to catch a van along the main roads into which they squeeze (very, very tightly) about 20 people and which stops according to each person’s needs. The drivers, who are notorious for their crazy driving, hire a man (also crazy) who sits in the back and whistles out to people, making every attempt to pack as many people as possible into the vehicle– it is unlike anything I’ve ever witnessed before – but it is very cheap as we pay less than $2.00 roundtrip. I don’t think this method of transportation would pass in the States. Anyhow, this week I explored Company’s Gardens, a beautiful garden originally built by the Dutch in the heart of the city, the former Slave Lodge, the Planetarium and South African (Natural History) Museum (a disappointment as it seemed out of date), and the District Six Museum, which was my favorite for the week. District Six was once a thriving area of the city, which was demolished during the Apartheid when it was declared a Whites-Only neighborhood – the museum commemorates the families who were removed from their homes and forced into the townships – certainly a very interesting and moving exhibit. I ended the long weekend (which was actually Tuesday) with a relaxing day on the beautiful beach at Muizenburg – a beach known for its surfing, its “warm” water (the difference in water temperatures is so drastic on different sides of the peninsula), and for its rows of colorful beach huts lining the sand in brightly painted reds, yellows, greens, and blues. I am being so spoiled by the absolute beauty of my surroundings everywhere I go – speaking of which, I hope to post pictures for everyone this coming week! Cheers!