Internships in Cape Town with VACorps

Initially, I was not sure what to expect from Cape Town and I was slightly intimidated to work in Khayelitsha. Looking back on my summer experience however, I am extremely thankful for the opportunity VAC provided me with. During my time in Site B CHC, I was able to learn a lot about the South African health care system, typical work environments along with medical experiences not offered in the United States. Outside of my internship, I tried my best to indulge myself in the South African culture by exploring Cape Town and everything it has to offer. After choosing a 7-week long internship I thought I would be ready to head home but after reflecting on my experience and all of the new friends I made, I would strongly recommend staying for as long as possible.

Before arriving in Cape Town, I planned out in my head step by step what to do when going through security and how to find my gate in the airports. I tend to plan out my days to the seconds. This image played through my head for weeks. Once arriving in Cape Town and being dropped off by Carmen (my advisor) at my home for the next seven weeks, I sat on my bed and had no idea what to do next. I remember having a feeling of being alone and lost, thinking I should have put more thought in my actual time in Cape Town asides from my arrival. Thankfully the next day was orientation and there, I met my best friends. I do not use that term lightly either. These girls quickly became my safe haven, they were genuine, adventurous, and loved me so well during my time in Cape Town. I learned the importance of having a community, especially when being pushed outside of my comfort zone. On the other hand, I received a better understanding of what it was like to spend alone time, as crazy as that sounds. I am a social bird and never take the time for myself. Cape Town challenged me in this way. It was the best opportunity for me to grow. I would also like to mention my internship as it brought me a lot of joy during my trip. I got the chance to intern under an Occupational Therapist at the Open Circle in Maitland. This is a home for adults with disabilities. I was able to learn how to assess and treat a resident, create purposeful activities, and hold individual OT sessions. My work was another area in which I personally grew because every day I was challenged to ask questions, be real, and be involved. I never thought a workplace could be so enjoyable and one of the hardest goodbyes. Coming from the girl that asked if Cape Town had coffee before arriving, you can say I was culture shocked at the beauty and development of this city. I absolutely fell in love with Cape Town. I will never forget the love, kindness, and courage Cape Town brought to my life. Join the VAC family, you will not regret it!

Completing an internship in SA through VAC has become a season in my life that I will never forget! The diversity and energy in this city are incredible-we never came up short on things to do and there are countless opportunities to plug yourself into and get you out of your comfort zone. From my three months here in SA, my experience has been one of contrasts-from fine dining in the city, to pasta kitchen meals with folks surviving on the streets, to South African braai's in the townships! There are countless opportunities for learning and growth and I have most definitely been changed because of it.

VAC was able to connect me with an organization that matched exactly what I had desired to learn/be a part of as well as elements that I didn't know I needed/wanted! This opportunity was one that is incredibly unique and offers fresh perspectives that are so applicable to bring back home with me.
The VAC staff are full of life and love for their city and their cultures and made SA a safe and welcoming place to call home for three months!

I wanted to do an internship in an English speaking African country and when I found out about VACorps I immediately applied because I always wanted to visit South Africa. It is a little scary to come to a city where you don't know anyone and it felt good to know that the VACorps family was there to guide me. What I loved the most was the combination of gaining work experience while discovering a new city. A beautiful city at that! I will miss the views of the mountain so very much! I found myself more adventurous than I thought, and there is so much to explore and do in the city. I could not have wished for a better place internship site. My site has the most positive working environment I've ever seen and the time I spent there made me grow so much!

The best part about Cape Town is that no matter what kind of person one is, Cape Town is suitable for them. What I loved most about living here was that every where I wanted to go was relatively close to Observatory. Whether it was the waterfront, camps bay, Old Biscuit Mill, winery’s, or surfing everything was just a quick walk or Uber ride away. The endless restaurants and thrift stores in Obs were great as well. But the best part for me was being able to walk to my internship in Obs and stop for breakfast along the way! My tips for future interns going to my same internship site would be to do o as much research as you can, even when you think you’ve found everything there is more. Be super patient and speak up when you are done with a specific task. My site within tourism was a perfect placement for someone looking for online marketing experience. This internship gave me a direction to go in and then allowed me to work and accomplish my project on my own. It also gave me experience working with another intern and allowed me to create mini tasks for her to do within projects. I enjoyed finding different platforms to register a marine eco tour and was able to market the tour in various different ways.

Completing an internship in SA through VAC has become a season in my life that I will never forget! The diversity and energy in this city are incredible-we never came up short on things to do and there are countless opportunities to plug yourself into and get you out of your comfort zone. From my three months here in SA, my experience has been one of contrasts-from fine dining in the city, to pasta kitchen meals with folks surviving on the streets, to South African braai's in the townships! There are countless opportunities for learning and growth and I have most definitely been changed because of it. VAC was able to connect me with an organization that matched exactly what I had desired to learn/be a part of as well as elements that I didn't know I needed/wanted! This opportunity was one that is incredibly unique and offers fresh perspectives that are so applicable to bring back home with me.

The VAC staff are full of life and love for their city and their cultures and made SA a safe and welcoming place to call home for three months! The VAC staff who lead my orientation were incredibly enthusiastic and warm! They made you excited to be in their country and treated you like family from the moment you arrived. Providing us with the hop on hop off tour was very helpful as it gives an idea of what is available to further explore. Riding the transit together was very helpful so that we could confidently take transit ourselves, and I really appreciated having a VAC staff accompany me to my first internship day so I knew that route was very helpful! Whenever I needed anything from VAC or had questions about anything, VAC staff were quick to respond to my needs! Coming into this internship, I am a 3rd-year undergraduate student. I have aspirations to become a Counselling Psychologist and desired to learn as much as I could from an organization that did just that! Taking on my own clients was incredibly eye-opening, challenging and rewarding for me. I was given the space to grown and make mistakes while being supported and encouraged along the way.

I chose Cape Town because I was always fascinated by the history and culture - and it did not disappoint! The program was helpful and there was always someone available to assist me if I needed anything. I would not recommend going to Cape Town without a program like VAC! Despite the fact that it was the winter, the weather was lovely and I was still able to do many outdoor activities. My internship sight was incredible and I had an amazing supervisor. It was an extremely meaningful and educational experience, and I will take away these lessons that I learned in my internship and in Cape Town as a whole into my career, education, and personal life moving forward! I did about six weeks and enjoyed it, though many people stay longer. The weekly activities are great and cover a lot of the bigger trips that I want to do, like Paarl/Spice Route, Muizenberg, Simon's Town, and Cape Point. I was a graduate student and there were several other graduate students and it was a meaningful work and social experience for a graduate student.

VAC staff have been beyond helpful during my first stay in SA and it would not be fair if I didn't give then credit for that. I will certainly be coming back due to my amazing experience. Thank you to everyone for all your hard work. special thanks to Kholi for always being responsive if I have any concerns. My internships, WLC and W2W with Kelly Stone have been so much more than my expectations. my only regret is that I couldn't stay longer. What I appreciated most about the VACorps program was:
The internship placement
Support and knowing I could call VAC staff if I needed anything
Weekly Activities
Culture Series
VACorps staff support
VACorps Online Guide
My tips for future interns going to my same internship site would be...
have no expectations, and just do the work and have fun