Be Prepared

"So be prepared for the chance of a lifetime

Be prepared for sensational news

A shining new era

Is tiptoeing nearer"

A few days ago, it finally hit me. I was sitting in Christy's couch, passing the day watching mindless TV (probably the Bad Girls Club if I know myself well enough), when I suddenly had a strong feeling. Physically, it hit me. "Holy shit, I'm about to go to Africa!" In that moment, all the anticipation, excitement, fear, apprehension, hope, and sheer lack of knowledge about this next chapter in my life finally hit me. I have never been to Africa, I haven't ever been away from home for 5 months, I haven't even considered what it's like to be away from my best friends for that long. And yet, here I am, 5 days away from the most adventurous thing I've ever done.

Speaking of Africa, I have to consider why I even decided on Cape Town in the first place. First and foremost, my lack of fluency in a language aside from English severely limited my study abroad choices, namely down to the places I finally considered: Dublin, London, and Cape Town. Eventually, I realized that, while Dublin and London are incredible cities, I needed more than just the average study abroad semester. Cape Town is unlike any other city in the world; a modern, Euro-metropolis stuck on the edge of Africa. It had at one time among the highest standard of living in the world, along with among the lowest.

Academically, Cape Town has everything I want. Primarily, a chance to take courses outside the typical American model of education is something I've wanted to do since my days in the IB Programme, and to do this at the best university in Africa was an opportunity not worth passing up. To be able to go to University of Cape Town, one of the highest-rated universities worldwide, is an incredible opportunity, and I can't wait to actually test myself to succeed outside my educational comfort zone. Outside the classroom, though, is where I expect to get the most "education." Despite being a Sociology major, I can recognize that I am a relatively close-minded and sheltered person, and so to live outside of my comfort zone for 5 months is going to be perhaps the single greatest learning experience of my life. I plan on coming back to the US thinking not completely differently, but perhaps with a more accepting worldview.

Among the things I plan on doing in Cape Town are a selection of things you can do nowhere else. Hopefully, by writing these down I can actually force myself to do them, so please everyone hold me accountable to these! My "action goals" as I'll call them are:
1) Go on safari.
2) Go sharkdiving.
3) Go whale-watching.
4) Bungee jump off the world's highest commercial bungee jump.
 I'll add more to that later, but those are just four big plans I have already.


The hardest part of studying abroad is knowing what I'm leaving behind. These 5 weeks I've spent at home have left my appreciating how lucky I really am. I have an incredible, loving family that, though they may not understand why I decided to go to Africa, totally supported my decision. If it wasn't the support and understanding from my family (especially that I'll be much less accessible than I've ever been), I wouldn't be emotionally ready for this trip.

Most of all, the hardest part of going to Cape Town is not going to be language barriers, cultural barriers, or feelings of claustrophobia on a 15 hour plane ride. In fact, it's nothing about Cape Town itself that is going to be the hardest. I cannot bear to think about how much I'm going to be missing my friends. After having gone to DC this past weekend, both to say hello to friends who I hadn't seen in a semester, and to say goodbye to all those who have made my last two and a half years at GW the best time of my life, I am so much more appreciative of each and every friend I have. While I wish I could be in both places, both having my fun abroad, and hanging out with all of you in DC, thank you all for understanding my reasons for doing this, and for all your well-wishes. It'll be tough to go a semester without seeing my best friends, but I know that we are all strong enough friends that we can get through it.


So, there you have it. Five days from now I'll be on my own 24-hour Great Trek that, similarly to that of the Boers, ends with the unknown promises of what the future holds.