Nicole joined the VACorps program in May 2021 and participated in an education internship. She is studying towards BA in Education Studies and International affairs at the University of New Hampshire.

“My major requires me to participate in a minimum of 8 weeks of “international experience”. Most students choose to study abroad, but I prefer hands-on and service learning. I chose Cape Town as I wanted to teach and South Africa was one of the only international internships that offered to teach in English. Cape Town had so much to offer- even with COVID restrictions and a lockdown. Everyone was super welcoming and friendly. Although we primarily stuck to “touristy” things, I jumped at every opportunity to learn about the history and the townships, going to visit Kholi and the children at Bathande when I could. Additionally, I was able to learn about the immigrants from Zimbabwe from my internship which added another layer of perspective to the history and hardships within the borders of South Africa. The activities were so fun and the support from VACorps was amazing.

Originally, I was supposed to stay for the full 90 days but had to cut my trip a week short due to university needs and am very sad to leave. My recommendations to newcomers would be to always take up any offer to explore in Cape Town. Most importantly, learn how to balance your fun with your internship: Time management is key- you can still have lots of fun in Cape Town and with everyone else even if you work all day.”