Katie Connan
United Kingdom, Europe

I knew that Cape Town would be good for me. Invaluable human rights experience? Check. Hiking? Check. Surfing? Check. Wine tasting? CHECK. I could go on. But what I didn’t know was how much. That I would cling to my bedroom door as I left, wailing that I loved it too much to let go, just like I felt for every other part of my life in this beautiful city.

My internship at SWEAT allowed me to exercise the legal research skills I had developed at university while also teaching me how to work in the completely unpredictable world of NGOs. To gain the trust of the women at SWEAT has been one of the most rewarding things ever and I will miss them all a lot.

I’ve learnt so much about South Africa and myself since I got here and it has only made me greedier to see more. However, out of all the personal goals that I’ve accomplished, I think my biggest achievement will be getting myself to my departure gate. (It is unknown at time of writing whether Katie actually got on the plane.)