After spending every winter in the snowy Midwest, I decided to take a tip from the birds and head south this winter for a semester abroad at the University of Cape Town in South Africa. As a small town Iowan, who had never left the central time zone or been on an airplane before heading to college, I have found my time in Cape Town to be quite a learning experience. Not to mention, the enrollment of UCT is 23,000, over twice the size of my hometown! However, I have yet to be overwhelmed and I have thoroughly enjoyed my stay in Cape Town thus far.
With the mountains and beaches each within thirty minutes of my apartment, my weekends have been filled with plenty of outdoor adventures. As midterm break is fast approaching, I have made plans to spend a week at Kruger National Park on a safari and a few days in Gaborone, Botswana, where other Grinnellians are currently studying. Likewise, over the Easter holiday, I will be spending a week with a group of friends camping and sand surfing in deserts of Namibia. I have had a blast this semester and would study abroad again if given the opportunity. However, spending the offseason thousands of miles away from my teammates has been difficult. I found an excellent gym that allows me to complete my workouts and email, Skype, and Facebook have made staying in contact with the team simple. Yet, the camaraderie developed during 6 am workouts, the competitive intensity of 7-on-7, and the constant presences of forty other guys working towards a common goal cannot be replicated by technology. Though I could stay in Cape Town forever, I am exciting to get back to Grinnell and spend the summer with my teammates, preparing for the 2011 season.
