Inside Student Blogs Rachael Hartford 
Cape Town, Spring 2012
Rachael's Posts
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Walk Slower and Smile More (The Return Home)
One minute, I was climbing Table Mountain, enjoying the night view of Cape Town from Club ThirtyOne, and eating my weight in falafel at Old Biscuit Mill
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Last Week in Kaapstad
My friends and I were on a mission to finish crossing off our bucket lists and to recreate some of our favorite moments from our semester abroad.
Cape Town, Last Week, shark cage diving, South Africa, Table Mountain
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Volunteering in Cape Town
The opportunity to volunteer abroad was one of the major reasons why I chose to study abroad in Cape Town, South Africa this semester.
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Project Safe Space (Egoli, ZA) – Part 2
“Never underestimate the power of a small group of committed people to change the world.” -Margaret Mead.
Cape Town, Egoli, IES class, Project Safe Space, South Africa, Volunteering
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Project Safe Space (Egoli, ZA) – Part 1
Project Safe Space’s goal is to create a food pantry and library for the children of Egoli. While we may not be able to target nutrition and adult literacy, our best effort would be spent with the children and future of the community.
Cape Town, Egoli, IES class, Project Safe Space, South Africa, Volunteering
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Random Adventures, Excursions, and Recommendations
If you are considering studying abroad in Cape Town, I would definitely recommend any of the following jaunts (in addition to all of the other stuff, of course)!
Cape Town, recommendations, South Africa, Study Abroad, Travel
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Victoria Falls Trip! (And the story of Rachael surviving a hippo attack)
Our last big trip of the semester: Victoria Falls.
Cape Town, hippo, South Africa, Study Abroad, Travel, Victoria Falls, Zambia, Zimbabwe
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Robben Island
Robben Island is most famous for be a prison for political leaders and anti-apartheid activists during the apartheid era.
Cape Town, Mandela, Robben Island, South Africa, Study Abroad, Travel
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Stellenbosch: Wine and Cheetahs?
I know what you are thinking… wine and cheetahs sounds like an awful combination. But just hear me out…
Cape Town, cheetahs, South Africa, Stellenbosch, Study Abroad, Travel, Wine Tasting
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Spring Break Part 3: Mozambique
So, part three of spring break! Writing all of this out makes me realize what a long trip it was. We managed to pack quite a bit into those eight days. Here goes the third and final part…
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Spring Break Part 2: Jo’burg
Part two of spring break was just as amazing as the first. After the more adventurous safari part, it was nice to have a change of pace. Experiencing Soweto, Johannesburg (or “Jo’burg” as it is called by South Africans) was more about seeing the cultural side of the city inside a city.
Aparthed Museum, Cradle of Humankind, Johannesburg, Lebo, Quadding, South Africa, Soweto, World Cup Stadium
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Spring Break Part 1: Safari
Back in the States, spring break normally consists of going back home to relax, spend some time with the family, and catch up on the sleep that you missed out on during midterms. That was not the case this semester. To put it lightly… this was the most epic spring break I have ever had.
animals, Cape Town, Johannesburg, Kruger National Park, Safari, South Africa, Spring Break
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A New Perspective
As a part of the IES curriculum, all of us students are required to take a class through the institute that is focused on South Africa’s development. It is very interesting, and the fieldwork component makes it different from my UCT classes.
AIDS Hospice, Cape Flats, Cape Town, HIV/AIDS, Mitchell's Plain, South Africa
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Lion’s Head Hike
Classes are starting to get crazy now that it’s time for midterms; there is just so much to do! I neglected to blog about our hike up Lion’s Head a couple of weeks ago, which was incredible (to say the least).
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District 6
A couple of weeks ago, IES took all of us to the District 6 Museum. For those who may not be familiar with the history of the Sixth Municipal District of Cape Town (District 6), it is most famous for its forced removals that took place during the late 1960s and 1970s under the apartheid regime.
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Home-stay in Tambo Village (Part 2)
Townships here are very different from what I am used to back home. It is common for trash to line the streets and for people to live in informal settlements. However it is also common for people to reside in well kept, furnished houses within a fairly close vicinity. Mama Mpumie was very proud of her home.
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Home-stay in Tambo Village (Part 1)
A couple of weeks ago, my fellow IESers and I packed up our backpacks, hopped in the van, and headed off to our weekend home-stay in Tambo Village. I will be honest, I was a bit nervous. I did not know what to expect at all.
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Freshman All Over Again
My first week at UCT left me feeling like a freshman all over again. You remember the feeling… Even after orientation, you still feel lost.
Cape Town, classes, SHAWCO, South Africa, University of Cape Town
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Calm Before the Storm
This third and last week before the start of craziness and classes was spent relaxing. After a hectic registration, many of us were ready to enjoy our last full week of vacation before real life set in.
African Dance, Cape Town, classes, Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens, Old Biscuit Mill, Parliament, Rugby, South Africa, University of Cape Town
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Settling In
The trips IES organized for us were so much fun; they left us exhausted at the end of each day and more and more excited to see what the next day would bring. When all of the first week tours and trips were over with, it was time to start settling in to our new home.
Cape Town, classes, Orientation, registration, South Africa, Study Abroad, University of Cape Town
