First Week at UCT

So I officially started classes at University of Cape Town last monday. It’s nice to get back in a routine, but I did enjoy all the time I had to explore the city. Registration for classes was a little annoying, its all done manually, on paper, and in person, which is very different from the online registration that I am used to. Two of the classes I was registered for didn’t actually exist. I was told that could happen, but I wasn’t expecting it to happen to me, for two of my classes. After that it pretty much took me all week to figure out my schedule. The scheduling is also different here. Some classes are everyday and others just a few, but there’s not set blocked schedules like at UVM, where every Monday class is also on Wednesday and Friday, and Tuesday classes on Thursday. Here it seems to be pretty random. Also most classes have tutorials, which are like a work period or lab that is at a different time than the class.
There’s only a few higher level math classes that are this semester that I can take, since most of them are full year courses. I am taking Numerical Methods, which will be challenging but fun. Its three days a week at 8 AM, and there’s a tutorial for 3 hours Friday afternoons, which is very unfortunate. I am taking a Xhosa class, which is a South African language, and it is everyday, with an additional hour tutorial and hour language lab. I wont get any direct credits for it but I think it’ll be really interesting to learn it. I am also taking a statistics for business class which will count toward my minor.  It’s Monday through Thursday with an optional tutorial on friday. My professors seem great so far, the lectures are pretty big which is new to me, so I don’t really get to know the professors. I did get to chat with my statistics professor, he’s very awkward but a really nice guy. He was born in California but is South African. The campus is very international and very diverse. There seems to be people from every nationality and culture. I have met people from Norway, Holland, Portugal, and all over Africa who come to UCT for their outstanding academics. It is also a very attractive campus and it’s a lot of fun to sit on campus and people watch. There are steps in the middle of campus called the Jammie stairs and its packed with students hanging out in between classes chatting with friends, doing homework, eating lunch, or just enjoying the view of the city below with a parade of students walking past.
Students are also really friendly here, and its easy to strike up a conversation with anyone around you. I have noticed though that the white South Africans are a little less friendly than most of the other cultures and races. I’m not sure why this is but others have noticed it too. I have met some nice white South Africans, so there are definitely exceptions. It was a long week, but I’m sure the semester will fly by, even though I wish it wouldn’t. We ended the week with an amazing hike up Table Mountain. It was strenuous and hot, but the view from the top was incredible. It’s actually one of the new 7 Wonders of the World. We were all exhausted so after our naps we went to a bar in Observatory, which is an area popular with students. It’s not as safe as Rosebank or Rondebosch, which is where I live and UCT is, respectively, but it was a lot of fun. Today we tried to go shopping in the city, but forgot that everywhere is closed on Sundays, so we just got milkshakes and walked around the Company Gardens, which was beautiful.
 I think school could be a little difficult here, and I plan on doing well, but I am also here to explore and experience the country, so I’ll have to find a nice balance.

How's this for a 10 minute tan?

Sobonana! (See you!)