Cape Town = The Bomb

Sorry I haven’t kept my blog up to date; you know how life gets.  The last few weeks have flown by faster than ever! The weather hasn’t been the best but I have still managed to make the most of it. One Monday after work Brandon, Jan (my German friend that is interning at the DA), and I decided to go to the beach. We ended up climbing down tons of steps to find this amazing and secluded beach. It is in Camps Bay and is surrounded by trees and rocks, it really is awesome!! We ended up just hanging out for a while and loved it so much we went back Friday night just to play around. The water is usually FREEZING but Friday night it was perfect. We were all running around and having a great time!  Saturday the weather was rainy and cold but it was our friends last day so we decided to take a drive to Hout Bay. It was soooo cool looking, boats and mountains surrounded the beach. There was even a castle up on the hill.

Over the last few weeks everyone has been hearing about occupy Wall Street and how it is spreading around the globe and sure enough it hit Cape Town. It was lead by a 16 year old that is still in high school and appeared in the Gardens near parliament. Brandon and I wanted to see what Cape Town had to protest about and wanted to see the differences between Wall Street and Cape Town. All I have to say is they are both crazy but Cape Town was all over the place. There was a 30 minute debate about what a sign should read… it was pretty entertaining to watch.

With the weekends always being fun I would think I would have to pay the price with work being a little boring… BUT nope! Interning with the DA never gets boring! Sitting in the research office has been an experience. I am kept up to date on the world events and more importantly all South Africa’s events. I haven’t been assigned any more research projects on my own but hope to acquire some in the near future. I will keep you posted!

Also, since South Africa does not celebrate Halloween Brandon and I decided to take a little weekend holiday and go on a safari!! It is this weekend and I couldn’t be more excited! It starts with a horseback safari!!! I will be sure to take picture after picture and blog all about it when I return.

Hope all is well!! Cheers!

Right side of Camps Beach

Left side of Camps Beach

Hout Bay



Hout Bay



We tried to get to the castle but I guess someone really lives there

 





Living the Dream

The last month and a half has been like a dream; everyday I wake up to the beach right out my window and go to work with an amazing party. I have been able to see and do things that I could never have imagined. I recommend an international internship to EVERYONE! Going to the University of Utah and having a program like the HIP is one of the best opportunities I have been given.

This last week was one of the best; I went to Coldplay! That’s right! Coldplay! I saw them at the Cape Town stadium. The stadium is a block away from mine and Brandon’s apartment and it is HUGE! I have never seen so many people in one place, it was great! Brandon and I even met some American’s that were sitting right behind us and we ended up exchanging contact information and going out to Long Street after (its like New Orleans in Africa). The night was seriously an experience I will never forget!

The weekend was also something I will never forget. I finally got into the ocean and used my body board; so much fun!! Saturday was insane; Brandon and I climbed Table Mountain. It was the hardest thing I have ever done!! The hike was intense! I felt like I was back in SLC rock climbing but this time I had no gear. It was crazy but once we got to the top it was breath taking! One of the most fulfilling experiences I have had.

As for interning with the DA; I am still meeting new people daily, helping with administration tasks, and continuing helping the DA Youth Director with the Youth Unemployment research.

Cape Town has been too good to me! Hope you all enjoy the pictures and are having fun in the cold!

Cheers!

Last Couple of Weeks

Time is flying by here is Cape Town! I have been going on adventure after adventure and learning more and more about South Africa and the Democratic Alliance. My time in the office has been relatively the same since I started; meeting new people, working on admin tasks, and attending press conferences. The DA Youth Director did ask for my help in the research of entrepreneurship and ways the government can help to encourage participation. The main goal is to create jobs and get the youth moving in the right direction. It is insane to think that 72% of the youth in South Africa is unemployed. The research project with the DA Youth is quite the task but obviously something needs to be done and I am happy to help. Inside of work I always enjoy the press conferences. The most recent I attended was to announce Lindiwe Mazibuko, DA Spokespersons, campaign against current DA Parliamentary Leader, Athol Trollip. Every two and a half years there are internal elections and October 27^th I will be able to see the elections. I will let you know how it goes. Interning with the DA really is never a disappointment, they keep me busy learning all about South African politics; its GREAT!

Once I am home from work in parliament I start in on the fun stuff; exploring! About two weeks ago the weather was not too great so Brandon and I stayed inside and went to a comedy show called Monkey Nuts. It was very funny!!! I had a hard time understanding all the accents but what I could understand was great. We also were shown by a local one of the only places to get Mexican food, Fat Cactus. It was pretty good for South Africa but nothing compares to the States Mexican food. For example I was served chips (French fries) with my burrito. After our funny night of comedy and Mexican food we went to Clifton beach the next afternoon. The weather was beautiful and the beach was full of excitement. The water was still very cold but the sun and sand were awesome. On the beach it is fun to just hang out because you get people coming around selling souvenirs, drinks, and ice cream.

After our lazy weekend on the beach the last weekend was awesome! Brandon and I went with our new friends to Muizenberg beach to swim and play American football. We got to the beach and it was FREAZING, pretty disappointing but we still played football and had lunch on the beach. There was also a shark sighting so even if it was nice there was no way I was going to get into the water!! Over the weekend we also went to MONKEY TOWN!!! Monkey Town is a zoo full of crazy monkeys. My favorite part of the day was when this little baby monkey stuck his arm out of the fence and held onto my finger. It was so cute; just like a little baby haha

Hope I caught everyone up with my adventures and internship! This week is going to be a good one; we have nice weather and COLDPLAY!!!!!!

Hope all is well! Cheers!



At the Beach by my Home



Now I am really part of the team!!!

Love these little guys

Baby Monkey that held my hand

Mmmmmm

Pizza ?