Cape Town is such a wonderful, vibrant city and will welcome you with open arms. If you are looking for somewhere to do an internship that gives you that home away from home feeling, I can't recommend this city enough! The VACorps weekly cultural events were so informative, fun, and gave you the opportunity to experience local music, dance, food, drinks, and much more. Additionally, the weekly excursions offered by VACorps give you the opportunity to get outside the city to explore and try activities with all the other interns.

I have been able to meet so many new people from around the world through this community and was set up with an incredible internship site. My time at a public health research project was an invaluable learning experience! Furthermore, I was able to make such meaningful connections with the team members working at the office and the community health clinics; and I am very much looking forward to staying in touch with everyone at my host site. My placement site made me feel as though my time there was valued and very much appreciated. My internship in Cape Town is something that I will fondly remember forever!

The reason I chose Cape Town for my internship abroad is that I fell in love with the city when I first came here with my family when I was 13. Since then I knew that I wanted to experience life in Cape Town. Now it has been 6 months since I come here and I can say that it has been one of the greatest experiences of my life. I met some amazing people within the program from all around the world and we explored the city together. I even bungee jumped which I would never previously have thought of doing before traveling here! It was one of the highlights of my time here, being able to overcome the fear was a very liberating experience.

I learned so much and had a lot of fun during my experience. I was able to know myself more and it is truly a great feeling to be able to call Cape Town my home. I believe I'll miss the everyday life at the Observatory the most. Also, Kholi and Kuselwa were like sisters to me here-- they were amazing, especially in organizing the weekly activities and teaching us their culture in South Africa. I would like to thank the VACorps team for simply being the best! I would definitely recommend the program to everyone.

It was the first time I was away from my home in Turkey for so long (6 months) and my first time in South Africa, but all I can say is it was everything I had hoped for and more entirely!

The internship opportunity I received helped me clarify my future professional goals. The experience additionally resulted in many network opportunities and perhaps future colleagues as well!

For living in Cape Town, it was an experience I'll never forget! The climate, multi-cultural structure of the society; things you can do in your free time, especially the people, who are extremely friendly towards you from day one, etc.

About VACorps, they are like that second family you hope you get when going into a foreign environment. The were always by your side, always supportive and caring towards your journey at every step.

I’m forever grateful to all who have greeted us like family, and can’t wait come to come back for a visit in the near future!

I found that my time here with VA Corps was not only deeply touching in terms of the people I met, the places I got to experience on a weekly basis, and the sense of community here in Cape Town that warmed my heart and soul. Taking a step outside with everyone at VAC and finding myself in a new neighborhood, and new city, and new country felt like a newfound sense of freedom and connection with the world that is unmatched. I cannot only say that my time doing an internship here changed my life trajectory but gave me a new outlook and sense of appreciation for life.

In late 2019 when I started my search for an internship location, I had no idea or the slightest inclination that I would end up in Cape Town. As I searched online, I came across the VACorps website and read about VACorps and the testimonials from the previous interns and I knew I had finally found my internship destination – Cape Town and with VACorps.

I started the internship application process and everything was running smoothly until Covid struck and then I had to put my internship on hold as the world went into lockdown. What I really appreciated even when everything was on hold is the effort that VAcorps staff and especially Loyiso put in keeping me updated on the progress he was making to find an internship site that would suit my interests.

Even though it took 2 years before I could finally travel to Cape Town and do my internship, it was well worth the wait, and I was definitely not disappointed. My internship site at the adolescent mental health clinic has been extremely fulfilling, and even though at times it was heartbreaking to listen to the difficult mental health issues of the patients, that is what the internship was about, and I learned a great deal. The staff at the site was very friendly and it took less than a day to feel at home. Sometimes the activities at the clinic required just shadowing the professionals but this was also a perfect way of observing and learning and soaking in the “silent experience” gathered.

I came to Cape Town only focused on completing a two-month internship, but I must admit the weekly activities organized by VACorps led me to see and appreciate that there is a lot more to the experience than just interning in Cape Town. The city is just beautiful and my two months felt a little short to appreciate everything that the city has to offer. So all I can say is that my internship period was just a ‘Cape Town appetizer’ and I will definitely come back for more when I have more time. But in the meantime a BIG BRAVO to VACorps for not being just an internship agency but for going beyond to integrate the interns into South Africa. The weekly activities, especially the visit to GAPA (Grandmothers Against Poverty and Aids) have led to my being ´adopted’ by the grannies and now I leave Cape Town as a ´grandchild’ of GAPA and so this gives me a good reason to come back to Cape Town. I will be collaborating with GAPA to set up a similar project back home. So thanks to VACorps for without you I wouldn’t have met those inspirational, strong women.

For anyone considering interning with VACorps, you will NOT regret that decision. The personal and professional experience gained will definitely leave a mark on your heart that will be with you forever. And for anyone coming to intern, come with an open mind, ready to embrace all there is to enjoy from nature to food, to massive shopping malls, and most of all to the very friendly people of South Africa. So for now, it is not goodbye Cape Town but see you again in the near future.

I jumped on the opportunity to come to Cape Town but honestly didn’t do too much preparation for my time here prior to arrival. With COVID uncertainties and difficulty finding a clinical partner to work with I didn’t want to get my hopes up too high. This experience has been so much more enriching than I could have imagined. I’ve lived abroad before but the community organization and cultural insights of VACorps were unlike anything else. I always enjoyed our Friday activities and although it was challenging to muster up the energy to go to the culture series after a long day at the clinic on Mondays, I always learned something new. VACorps played a huge role in how much I enjoyed Cape Town. This has been a week of challenging and emotional goodbyes. I can’t wait to come back in the future and share my love for Cape Town with others.

I had the opportunity through my graduate program to complete one of my physiotherapy internships abroad in Cape Town. My school partners with the VACorps and we were paired with various sites around Cape Town. This was an amazing place to do an internship - the people were so welcoming, the food was incredible, and there was so much to do after work and on the weekends between nature, markets, and nightlife. I will miss the energy and joy here in Cape Town the most, along with the food and access to nature. We really enjoyed being out on the weekends and would always make new friends as everyone is so friendly and welcoming.

I loved working at my internship site because we got to meet and collaborate with local physio students, and work with children with a variety of diagnoses and abilities. I was able to practice being independent with my physio treatment and challenged myself to try new interventions. It was a great learning experience and I will never forget my time there.

The VACorps staff was so welcoming and felt like family from the second we arrived. They were there for anything we needed and we always felt so supported. They are the kindest group of people and made every Friday activity so much fun!

I chose to complete an internship in Cape Town because I knew I wanted another opportunity to study abroad and learn about physiotherapy in another cultural setting after having the opportunity to do so in Uganda. When I learned that my DPT program works closely with the VACorps and that this was a possibility for one of my clinical rotations, I jumped at the chance. I have greatly enjoyed my time working at my internship site. The kids are incredibly kind and amazing to work with, and the staff at the school are supportive and invested in helping students learn. I will never forget the two fourth graders who took the time to teach me Afrikaans as they were learning it in school. The VACorps staff is great, and the activities are so much fun! It is an exciting way to explore Cape Town and the surrounding areas with other students. I am particularly grateful for the Monday night culture series because it introduced me to aspects of South African culture I would not have otherwise experienced.