Hello hello!
Time to write my first blog from Cape Town! I’m on the other side of the world now for 3 weeks and I already have done lots of things and starting to feel at home.
I actually regret that I didn’t start writing this blog earlier because now I can’t tell you exactly how my first few days went! But I’ll try my best to remember everything, I hope it’s gonna work out after last night out:)
So, back to three weeks ago! After a very sad good bye to all our friends and family, Tycho and I went through the customs, quickly bought some water and waited for the airplane. I expected that I would cry, but it didn’t even came near to it, I think I was just soo excited.
After a long long long flight of 12 hours we finally arrived at Cape Town International Airport. Whaaa, when we were walking into a big tube of glass from the airplane to the VISA check, we saw on our left a big group of people enthusiasticly waving, dancing and smiling at us - they had to be our host families! After an hour waiting in the VISA hall, we finally could go to them. Such a warm welcome, immediately big hugs and it felt like Hayley and I saw each other again after a few months, while it was actually just Facebook chatting… Said good bye to Tycho, switched my language button from Dutch to English and it felt like the adventure was really started.
On the way to their house, we were driving (on the left side of the road, crazy!) above the city and I got a wonderful first impression of Cape Town, a city of millions of lights. We talked and laughed in the car and when we arrived everyone went to bed because it was very late at night.
My host family consists of Steve (dad), Natalie (mom), Junior (nanny), Hayley (18), Genevieve (12) and little Gabriella of 2 years, she is the cutest and happiest ‘baby’ I’ve ever seen!
Next morning - monday - I joined Hayley to school, which was quite weird because I hadn’t sat behind a school desk in 4 months! She gave me a short tour through the (beautiful!) school and I met her friends. Luckily the rest of the week were school-free days, so I immediately had plenty of time to get to know the city which will be my home for the next nine months! On Tuesday Hayley took me, together with her friends Tarryn and Lauren, to the Waterfront, where you have sweeping views of the Atlantic Ocean, Table Bay Harbour, the City of Cape Town and Table Mountain! Also there is a big shopping centre which we of course used. They took me to Woolworths cafe and I drank a delicious Iced Coffee with a view of palm trees and ocean(!!). Woolworths is one of the biggest stores here in South Africa where you really can find absolutely anything your heart desires. I also tried billtong for the first time because I ‘definitely had to try it’, biltong is dried, cured meat. I actually still don’t know what to think of it,haha.
That night had a pleasant surprise waiting for us. Together with Hayley, Tycho, Callum (a gapper from New-Zealand) and Aaron (Tycho’s exchange) and his girlfriend- we went for dinner at Spur and after that we went… ice skating hahah. 3rd day in Cape Town and we’re going ice skating, like we are already missing the Netherlands. Though it was really really fun!
The following days we took a look at the waterpolo tournament at Wynberg Boys’ with Tycho and Callum, went to the cinema to watch The Intern, Steve bought a Simcard for me, so I can make calls in South Africa, and went out twice. This was very fun, Hayley’s friends came over and whoppa all of us in the Uber (this is a very safe taxi which takes us everywhere) to the club.
So this was my first week in Cape Town! I’m really enjoying the beautifulness of CT, the green landscape, the fact that all around you are this pretty mountains, the nice people and everything else. Of course it’s all a bit strange, because really everything is different than that in Holland! But I think the different culture is very interesting and I’m really enjoying learning to live my life in this new South African culture.
If you would like to see some action shots of my time in Cape Town, please feel free to click on the "Photos" option on the right-hand side!
In my next blog I’ll write about my first week at school and hostel.
Jeltje
On the way to their house, we were driving (on the left side of the road, crazy!) above the city and I got a wonderful first impression of Cape Town, a city of millions of lights. We talked and laughed in the car and when we arrived everyone went to bed because it was very late at night.
My host family consists of Steve (dad), Natalie (mom), Junior (nanny), Hayley (18), Genevieve (12) and little Gabriella of 2 years, she is the cutest and happiest ‘baby’ I’ve ever seen!
Next morning - monday - I joined Hayley to school, which was quite weird because I hadn’t sat behind a school desk in 4 months! She gave me a short tour through the (beautiful!) school and I met her friends. Luckily the rest of the week were school-free days, so I immediately had plenty of time to get to know the city which will be my home for the next nine months! On Tuesday Hayley took me, together with her friends Tarryn and Lauren, to the Waterfront, where you have sweeping views of the Atlantic Ocean, Table Bay Harbour, the City of Cape Town and Table Mountain! Also there is a big shopping centre which we of course used. They took me to Woolworths cafe and I drank a delicious Iced Coffee with a view of palm trees and ocean(!!). Woolworths is one of the biggest stores here in South Africa where you really can find absolutely anything your heart desires. I also tried billtong for the first time because I ‘definitely had to try it’, biltong is dried, cured meat. I actually still don’t know what to think of it,haha.
That night had a pleasant surprise waiting for us. Together with Hayley, Tycho, Callum (a gapper from New-Zealand) and Aaron (Tycho’s exchange) and his girlfriend- we went for dinner at Spur and after that we went… ice skating hahah. 3rd day in Cape Town and we’re going ice skating, like we are already missing the Netherlands. Though it was really really fun!
The following days we took a look at the waterpolo tournament at Wynberg Boys’ with Tycho and Callum, went to the cinema to watch The Intern, Steve bought a Simcard for me, so I can make calls in South Africa, and went out twice. This was very fun, Hayley’s friends came over and whoppa all of us in the Uber (this is a very safe taxi which takes us everywhere) to the club.
So this was my first week in Cape Town! I’m really enjoying the beautifulness of CT, the green landscape, the fact that all around you are this pretty mountains, the nice people and everything else. Of course it’s all a bit strange, because really everything is different than that in Holland! But I think the different culture is very interesting and I’m really enjoying learning to live my life in this new South African culture.
If you would like to see some action shots of my time in Cape Town, please feel free to click on the "Photos" option on the right-hand side!
In my next blog I’ll write about my first week at school and hostel.
Jeltje