Welcome to Our Blog

Welcome to Our Blog
As anyone who has participated in UConn's Education Abroad in Cape Town will tell you there are no words to adequately explain the depth of the experiences, no narratives to sufficiently describe the hospitality of the people, and no pictures to begin to capture the exquisite scenery. Therefore this blog is only intended to provide an unfolding story of the those co-educators who are traveling together as companions on this amazing journey. As Resident Director of this program since 2008 it is once again my privilege and honor to accompany another group of remarkable UConn students to this place I have come to know and love.
In peace, with hope,
Marita McComiskey, PhD
(marita4peace@gmail.com)

Friday, March 17, 2017

Claire knows she's really going to miss this place



Clair with her grandparents on their visit to Cape Town
Another week has flown by here in Cape Town- nothing new there though, I feel like our time here is quickly coming to an end. This past week, I had the pleasure of showing my family around the place I have come to know and love. On Monday we did the Cape of Good Hope and Boulder’s Beach tour (for my third time), but I wasn’t complaining because it doesn’t get any less beautiful. On Tuesday we hiked Table Mountain (for my second time, I was a pro). I did find it easier to get up this time knowing what to expect, but to say the least I was still winded when we got to the top. On Wednesday, my family came to visit me at Christel House! I was so excited to show them what I do everyday and to introduce them to the kids I have fallen in love with. I think all of them left a little teary eyed after seeing how much love these kids like to give, even to people who they don’t know. I found the same thing when I started working with the class. All of the learners immediately started to hug me and say I love you, after me only being there for 3 days. I think this is one of the things I am going to miss the most. Thursday was their last and final day, and we went to the Spice Route (beer, wine, chocolate tasting) and a really nice winery owned by South African golfer Ernie Els. It was super nice to have them around to be able to catch up, especially because of being treated to dinner every night, but it was also weird to be a tourist again in a sense. Although I was sad to see them go, I was also ready to get back to my day-to-day life. I was so fortunate to be able to see them, especially to see my grandparents, and I hope they enjoy Cape Town as much as I love it here.


Rav, Sara, & Claire
The weekend after they left, Sara, Rav and I went to a music festival called I Love Summer out in Kogel Bay, an hour outside of Cape Town. First off, the drive there was absolutely beautiful- we were basically driving on cliffs overlooking the Indian Ocean. When we got there, it was actually like we were being dropped off at camp right on the beach. There were food stations, camping areas, massage tables, a hairdresser and a huge stage for music. One thing I noticed about this music festival was that about 99% of the people attending were local white South Africans. This threw me off because at Ultra, I could tell that it was about 99% tourists. It was definitely a change of scenery and almost a little bit of culture shock I would say because over the past months of being here, I have mostly been surrounded by people of color and all of a sudden, an hour outside of Cape Town, I was among all white people. The weekend was really amazing- we met some really awesome locals and danced to some really cool house music. Ever since that weekend, I feel as though I have been so much happier. I’m not sure if it is because I had so much fun, the beauty we saw, or because the end of our trip is quickly approaching, but I can’t  help but smile and be happy when I am constantly surrounded by amazing people and amazing views…boy how I am going to miss this place!

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