Siobhan may never go home!

Terri, Kate, Siobhan, Dana, Leanne

 My first impression of South Africa was that it is actually AFRICA. I know that sounds weird but the air honestly even smells different, almost spicy. The buildings are all made of stone and painted pastel colors, with deep-set widows and decorative molding. It actually reminds me so much of Ireland (again, sound so weird) and if it weren't for the sunshine I could have sworn I was in a Dublin suburb. The way the houses look, the beautiful scenery, and the fact that the cars drive on the left side of the road make it feel just like a summer in Ireland. I think this has kinda given me an advantage here because I don't have as much to adapt to. Having a pay as you so cell phone, needing to go to internet cafes to go on Facebook; none of this is new to me. I think this is a good thing. But obviously there are also a million things I need to get used to, the most difficult being the need to always be aware of what's going on. So different from UConn, where I feel so safe and  never even think about safety. Here, you have to lock every door and window, walk in groups, etc.

I think one of the funniest and most different experiences I've had thus far was riding the minibus taxis. Minibus taxis are white vans with a driver and a designated screamer who hangs out the window yelling "WHERE ARE YOU GOING??? GET IN THE VAN!!!" and you pay like 5 rand (which is less than a dollar in the U.S.) and the van makes all these stops and you get off whenever you need to. I mean one of the first things we learn as children is NEVER GET IN A WHITE VAN WITH A STRANGE MAN. And yet, in Cape Town, if a man tells you to get in the van, you get in the van. So on our practice run we learned:

1.  In a van that seats 7 comfortably and 9 uncomfortably, at least 15 will be squeezed in the van.
2.  You will then drive at least 70 miles an hour down a small road full of pedestrians (no joke) swerving like a maniac.
3.  There seems to be some sort of competition between drivers to pick up the most people so they legitimately swerve in front of each other and cut each other up and practically run over the people they are trying to pick up before the other van can. It is beyond terrifying
4.   I don’t know if this is only true for the van I was in, but either the guy has NO IDEA how to drive a stick shift or his transmission is wrecked because the entire time I thought the van was going to blow up 
5. Also, house music is a huge deal here and the van was absolutely blasting techno and it was hilarious and I feel like my commute to work is going to be one of my favorite parts of the day.

Overall, this past week has been the most fun I've ever had. Not only that, but it's made me think about so much, most importantly how unfair it is that I get to stay in a beautiful house with a pool while millions of people are forced to live in tin shacks in the townships. As sad as it makes me to see that, I know I am going to learn so much here and hopefully be able to be sympathetic and maybe even empathetic on a whole new level. I guess what I'm trying to say is I LOVE SOUTH AFRICA AND I'M NEVER COMING HOME.