This post is for all the future persons whom accepted an
internship to South Africa. I do not know if such a post like this already
exists but I wanted to make sure everyone is more prepared than I was for this
experience. If you have read any of my previous posts then you will know that I
was one of the wives and did not attend Notre Dame. I cannot give you much
information on the internship experience but I can give you the information you
need to know in case you bring a spouse as well, have family whom visit or just
want to know what it is like out here. The internship is held over summer
break, but unfortunately it is winter in Cape Town during this time period. The internship was 9 weeks starting the first week of June and ended the last week of July.
Getting to Cape Town
It’s a long ass flight and you will more than likely be on
at least 2 planes. I don’t know of anyone who took a direct flight ever, unless
you flew to Europe and stayed a few days or weeks first. In our group, 2 groups
flew to Johannesburg and then to Cape Town. This is the longest flight that I
know of; I believe it was around 15 hours from NYC. I flew from Chicago with my
husband and we went to London and had a 12 hour layover. If you do something
like this you have to go out and see the city. I think my husband and I spent
around $100 total for this which included money for the train, lunch and
dinner. London is not cheap and we wanted to do more but were exhausted from
the first flight. The last person in our group I think flew from NYC to
somewhere in Europe, possibly Romania where he is from and stayed there for a
week or so then flew to Cape Town.
Weather
When you arrive it will be the end of fall and will soon be
winter. The locals say July is the coldest month and so far this is true. The
season here is comparable to spring in the Midwest. The locals will often be
dressed as if it was the dead of winter in the U.S. with parkas, hats, scarves
and boots. The one thing I regret is not bringing warm enough clothes. It gets
cold at night and it is really windy here on occasion which will make it feel
colder. If you are a person whom is always hot I’d recommend a warm sweatshirt
with a hood and/or a hat. If you are a person whom is always cold like me you
will want to bring a light coat, hat and possibly some mittens. I bought a coat
while here which has been great but there have been occasions where my ears are
cold and my fingers as well depending on the activity or where you are at. It
also rains here- think of winter in northern California and that is what you
will see. So bring an umbrella and possibly some rain boots. You might also
want to consider buying a space heater- they do not have heat in these
buildings. These were pretty cheap and you get one for less than $20. This was
one of the best purchases we all made. On the flip side, there has also been
some very warm days where the temperature has reached the upper 70’s but most
of the time it is in the 60’s and upper 50’s. Some mornings it has been in the
40’s.
Electrical Outlets
The apartment we live in must not know how to provide
electrical outlets. There were only 4 in our room total and every single one is
being used by the lights, TV or coffee maker. So when you arrive you are going
to want to go to either Clicks or Pick N Pay and buy a power strip. I bought
one that has 3 and probably could have gotten one more as we have to unplug my husband’s
computer each time to use the microwave. You also will need to buy an adapter
for your American electronics. Fortunately for me all of my devices are two prongs
and I had no problem finding one. My husband however has a three prong for his
computer and ended up buying two adapters just to plug his in. It also might
not be a bad idea to bring a small one from the US and then with the
adapter you can plug your computer,
phone, ipad, kindle, or whatever else you brought in all at once.
Money
I bank with Wells Fargo and pay a $5 fee to take money out,
and the limit is 3000 Rand at a time from the ATM. This equals about $280 so
the dollar is pretty good out here. If you bring cash there will be a fee to
convert it which for us ranged from R60-R72 each time. It would be better for
you to convert it all at once as you will pay less in fees in the long run. You
will get less for your money however if you convert it at the airport. Wait
until you get to the apartments as there is an exchange on the 2nd
floor. Don’t bother with doing this at the banks- they will not help you if you
are not a member. There is also not a safe in the rooms so be careful with your
money. I have lost some money while here and unfortunately I do not know if it
happened in my room or while out.
Laundry
They have many laundry services out here but no laundry
mats. You are paying someone to do your laundry for you and the price is based
on either the weight of your clothes or how many loads you have. Being that
there are two of us, we often have two loads. You have two options- take you
laundry yourself down the street to one of the local services or drop it off at
the main desk here at the apartment. If you drop it off at the main desk you
just need to fill out a form stating how many of each item you have. BUT,
everything is done for you which I like. I can have my husband drop it off in
the morning on his way to work and it will be done the same day. The price is
generally R59 per load. They will also provide you with hangers if you request
to have certain clothes ironed and placed on a hanger. This is a good way to gain
extra hangers. We actually brought hangers with us which was a good decision. I
only brought like 8 or 9 but it was just the right amount.
Internet
It can be hard to find good internet services out here. It
is not free at the apartment and costs R70 for 1 gig. It also can go in and out
a lot and while we have been here they have switched programs and have reset
the router often. Truth coffee offers 1 gig for R60 and its maybe around 8 blocks
away off of Buitenkant. There is another coffee shop (Aniyor) off of Hans Strijdom
between Long street and Adderly that provides free wifi continuously. This can
be a rarity as many places that offer free wifi will either cut you off after
60 minutes or will only offer so many megabytes free. Often I bring my phone
with me every time we go out and use that opportunity to upload pictures so I’m
not wasting all of my data I paid for at the apartment.
This has been one of the most challenging things for me. I am not a foodie, I am not adventurous and I absolutely hate seafood. But if you like new things and you love seafood you will absolutely love the food here. Restaurant menus have a limited selection for things I will eat (no I do not want wildebeest, ostrich, springbok, calamari, prawns, etc.) and they everything takes forever. Expect dinner to last 2-3 hours each time you go out. The grocery stores are difficult as well. The selection is much smaller compared to the US and I have come to realize that I cannot cook. As much as I can "cook" in the US, without all those ready made ingredients I do not know squat. The pans in the apartment are not non stick and so I often cause panic in the halls as people will knock on the door wondering where the fire is (no smoke alarms). One thing I brought which has been handy on occasion; Crystal Light and one of those liquid flavor water enhancers by minute maid. If you don't ask for tap water you will pay for it, and there is no such thing as free refills. Things I wish I had brought; ready rice or potatoes and some easy mac for lunch.
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