Pre-departure

I've never made a blog before, and to be completely honest, I think blogs can sometimes be lame. But I wanted to find an easy way to keep in touch with my family and friends as I face what is to surely be one of the best experiences of my life. Hopefully I will actually keep up with this blog (but I am making no promises!), so I'll be able to tell you about all of my adventures and post pictures along the way.

As many of you know, I decided to spend my semester abroad in Cape Town, South Africa. I opted to travel here rather than somewhere in Europe, which is what most people do during their semester abroad. I thought it would be a once-in-a-lifetime chance to live here, and it has also been one of my dreams to travel somewhere in Africa. An added bonus is that there is a soccer field located in a nearby township, Khayelitsha. This is a memorial for a soccer player from the Philadelphia area, Chris Campbell who unfortunately died before his senior year of college at Franklin and Marshall. With this field and its foundation (CTC Ten Foundtion), education about HIV/AIDS and violence prevention have been given to the community. This also gives people in the community a safe place to go to, as well as a positive activity, particularly for teens who would otherwise be getting into crimes on the streets.  It has been very successful so far, and I am hoping to help out in some way. What could be more perfect for me? I get to combine South Africa with kids and soccer!

Here is a link for the field:
Chris Campbell Center

I don't know much about geography or anything (that's what Chad is for), but I can tell you that it is one of the southernmost points in South Africa. Here's a map so you can really get the picture (haha)....

Yup, that's where I'll be... all the way down on the bottom left corner. I will be attending the University of Cape Town, located right by the world-famous Table Mountain! Here's a picture of one of the main buildings at the university, with Table Mountain right in the backdrop... Pretty amazing. Not much else I can say about that!

I will be flying out of DC next Sunday, January 23rd. As I spend my last week (and 2 days, to be exact) at home preparing, my excitement and nervousness will surely grow by the day. I am definitely a homebody, and I will miss my family more than they realize. I will be in South Africa until June 12th. It's pretty scary being so far from home for such a long period of time, and I wish my family could be there to experience it with me.

I'll try to post on here once I get to Cape Town and am settled in a bit! Wish me luck on the LOOOONNNNGGGG plane ride ahead of me!