Rachele happily learning more each and every day

This week has been one of my favorites so far! (I may end up saying that every week). Saturday we had a wine tasting tour and I really loved seeing the Stellenbosch area with amazing views. Sunday we went to see Lira at the Kirstenbosch Gardens! It was undoubtedly the most beautiful concert setting I have ever seen! I also loved it because this was an event that was very mixed in the people who were there! The previous day with the wine tasting, everyone tasting wine was white. At Kirstenbosch there was people of all colors and ages. That kind of mix of people, all in a good mood and ready to have a good time was exactly what I had pictured the rainbow nation of South Africa to be like.

Lira Concert at Kirstenbosch Gardens 

Interning at Two Oceans Aquarium is a dream. Waking up at 5 am is a small price to pay for working with an amazing group of people and to be able to work up close with wildlife. The people at the aquarium all love their job and are happy to be there. I was also happy to see that there is also a diverse group of people working at the aquarium. It really is like a big family there and I cannot wait to get to know everyone more.

I really enjoy the aquarium because there is always something to do! This week I helped out in the kitchen preparing food for the animals in the aquarium (not sure if I’ll ever stop smelling like squid!). Also this week I helped out a lot with the jellyfish in the aquarium. I learned how to clean their tanks in the morning before the aquarium opens and also how to feed them! One of my favorite things to do at the aquarium is to feed the starfish and the anemones. Often people don’t really see these creatures as living animals, but it’s amazing to see how active they become when food is in front of them! The starfish will pull the squid we prepared for them towards their mouth in the center of their body and the anemones will also become active and pull their food in as well.

I find lunchtime to be very long at the aquarium so one of my favorite things to do is to visit the sea turtles that are being rehabilitated. Currently there is a sea turtle named Sandy who came in due to being hit by a boat propeller. She loves having her shell brushed and that’s where I like to spend my down time.

I am enjoying Cape Town more and more and continuing to see the world around me in a new, better perspective. I continue to be very aware of my race in privilege. I have yet to see another white person on the minibus taxi’s I use to get to work in the morning and refreshingly, I am getting used to the feeling of being the odd one out.

I am continuing to learn in all aspects of this trip. My classes continue to teach me things that I would not have learned had I not come to Cape Town and the aquarium continues to teach me new and exciting things on the environment and marine life I am so passionate about.

Rachele looking out on the city of Cape Town