Cape Town Greetings

Hi everyone!  My name is Jenn and I am a graduate student at the Columbia University School of Social Work in New York City.  I arrived in Cape Town, South Africa this past Sunday to begin my CWWL Gender & Public Policy Fellowship with the FW de Klerk Foundation.  The mission of the Foundation is to uphold the Constitution, work towards harmonious relations in multicultural societies, promote peaceful and negotiated resolutions of disputes, and to mobilize resources for underprivileged children.  More information on the Foundation can be found here: http://www.fwdeklerk.org/.  I begin working next week, so will discuss the details of my specific project with Mr. David Steward, the Executive Director and my supervisor, at that time.

Until then, I will explore Cape Town!  It is winter here so the weather is quite chilly and temperamental: one minute it will be bright and sunny, and the next minute there will be torrential rain.  However, I have been bundling up with warm layers and waterproof gear, and have been adventuring on.  Today I walked to the V&A Waterfront and then, at my roommate's suggestion, took a City Bus Tour.  Although views of Table Mountain were obscured by heavy rainclouds, I was able to get a good overview of the city.  Tomorrow, I look forward to discovering the nooks and crannies of the city by foot.

I have attached a couple of pictures below of my apartment and the city. 

This is my room in the apartment that I share with Marion, a Dutch student at the University of Cape Town, and Thati, a South African young professional.  The apartment is located in Green Point, right behind the World Cup stadium and directly in front of the rump of Lion's Head.  It is a nice area, close to the waterfront.  So far, the living arrangement has been great - I have already had interesting conversations with my flatmates about apartheid, welfare states, and gender roles, and we are planning hikes and other fun outings.

This is a view of Cape Town from Table Mountain.  Despite the overcast, the city is beautiful.

I look forward to hearing about all of your experiences as well!