Hi from South Africa! This is my first blog post for my summer internship in Cape Town. My internship starts tomorrow and I wanted to begin by talking about the amazing and hectic last couple weeks I have had. Before I left for my trip, it was a rush to get everything together. I got my typhoid pills, bought adapters, etc. Thankfully I was fully packed on time with virtually everything I needed. I said goodbye to my family and shipped off to Paris.

Rather than spend an hour in the Paris airport, I decided to spend a few days in Paris (and interestingly, a night in Antwerp, Belgium as well) before I went all the way to Cape Town. These few days were an amazing experience, and I am so glad I was able to share them with my former au pair, Jorge. While the specifics of this trip are beyond the scope of this blog, when I return to the US I hope to share these memories with family, friends, etc.

The flight to South Africa was long, 10 hours to Johannesburg and another 2 to Cape Town. On the first plane, I had a wonderful chat with a South African women who is living in London and we discussed racism, the Syrian refugee crisis, South African politics and of course, climate change (for anyone reading this who doesn’t know, I talk a lot about climate change). Once I got to South Africa, I was surprised that virtually everyone spoke English. Cape Town has been amazing so far. The accommodations are cozy (read: cramped) but the water is safe to drink, the food is amazing and the people here are very cool. Our house holds just over 20 people, but only 9 are from the University of Kentucky. Many of the other house guests are from cool places like Holland, Brazil, Belgium and Uganda. I have settled in very well, and the short walk to an upscale mall with groceries, a pharmacy and lots of stores and restaurants has been very convenient.

My first couple days have been very busy and extremely fun. The first day I went to the mall and then a local brewery. The next day, my girlfriend Kendall arrived and we went out to lunch with our advisor, Jim, and I had the best Portobello burger I’ve ever had. After that I went shopping with Kendall, bought a South African phone to text and call domestically and then went out to a great little restaurant down the street called Nurona. The next morning was the most fun I have had thus far, we woke up really early (5 am for me) to catch an Uber to Lions Head. This is the shortest of the three peaks of Cape Town and it is very beautiful! You have to literally climb the last section and when you are at the top you can see the ocean, the entire city, and the other two mountains of Cape Town, Table Mountain and Devil’s Peak. We also found a beautiful cave on the side of the mountain that was very good for pictures. All of the photos included here were taken at various points on this hike.

While I have had a busy few days, there is so much more I can’t wait to do. I hope to visit the water front, see penguins at Boulder’s Beach, go on a safari, swim with sharks and so much more. Cape Town is an amazing city with so many cool things to do. I also want to visit important historical sites in Cape Town. There are many museums and other places documenting the history of apartheid and relating to the lives and work of Desmond Tutu and Nelson Mandela, among others.

In terms of my internship, I don’t know exactly what to expect. For those who don’t know, I will be working with Beyond Expectation Environmental Project (BEEP) which is an environmental education non-governmental organization (NGO) which uses experiential education to show disadvantaged South African youth the importance of environmental protection. The organization mostly does after care programs, day hikes, and weekend camping trips to Table Mountain.

I am very excited to be working with BEEP. I can’t wait to work with the kids, learn more about environmental issues in South Africa and learn what it’s like to work with an international NGO. I also love hiking and camping and I am so glad to be able to work in such an outdoors-y environment while I’m in Cape Town. It is winter here now, but it is warm enough to be comfortable in shorts some days. I’m unsure of whether I will be able to go on the weekend camping trips because I only work from Tuesdays to Fridays, but I hope to at least go on one trip.

For my NRE class during this trip (for which I am writing this blog), I also have to write a 4000 word essay. I hope to write this about the intersection of South African youth and climate change. My desire is to write an analysis on the effects of climate change on youth in South Africa and the current involvement of South African youth in climate activism. I hope to tie this into my internship by arguing that a lack of formal environmental education has prevented a large level of youth engagement on environmental issues in general, and on climate change in particular. I believe I could tie this into BEEP by talking to students and/or teachers to understand how BEEP creates awareness, concern and action around environmental issues, specifically climate change. Unfortunately, I’m not sure if I will be able to do this primary research with BEEP.

There are a couple things I am worried about. My job description was very vague, so I’m not certain I will be working with the kids or going on hikes. It’s possible I could be doing administrative work, but that is unlikely. I’m also unsure of whether I will be able to do the research I want to do. It may be difficult to do research on children and I don’t know what permits or permission I need to obtain. I will need to talk with the BEEP director and look more into research laws in South Africa. Despite these fears, there is a lot to be excited about for my internship. Overall, I think it will be an amazing experience and I believe I will learn a lot. Check back in the next couple weeks for further updates on my Cape Town experience!