“I arrived in Cape Town just as winter was coming to an end. In the first few nights, as I lay shivering in my bed wishing I had brought a blanket, I wondered whether I had made a terrible mistake and should have just gone to the Bahamas for a couple of months.
“Now, at the end of my time in South Africa, I know that coming to Cape Town has been one of the best decisions of my life. I came in the expectation of enjoying a host of new experiences: living in a new city, working for a human rights organisation, meeting new people. And while I have enjoyed all these things, it is the range of new experiences which has really taken me back. As a young man from London I have never had the chance to go hiking at the bottom of the road, go surfing at the end of the train line or go scuba-diving just over the mountain. Having such a range of activities on your doorstep is something which I hope I have not taken lightly; I have tried to do as much as possible in my time here. I don’t think I had a single lie-in at the weekend.
“I arrived expecting that my work would be my main focus and the principal thing which I would take away from my time here. I have to admit that I quickly became distracted by the city, and though I continued to enjoy my internship, it is the times that I have spent with the wonderful people I have met here which have affected me the most. I am now returning to the bleak English winter but the adjustment will be made easier by the happy memories I am packing in my bags.”
-Laurence, pictured at center.
Ethan joined the VACorps Program in January 2024 as part of his GAP year and participated in an internship at an eco tourism company.
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