Internships in Cape Town with VACorps

I was originally attracted to Cape Town because of its rich human rights history and beautiful nature. I wanted to do an internship because I felt like it would be the best way to get a true understanding of Cape Town, its history, and the problems that it faces today. I wanted to be able to interact directly with Cape Town residents and have the most authentic experience possible. This was probably my favorite part of interning here - getting to know the people here. Being in Cape Town has definitely been the most transformative experience of my life. I was presented with so many incredible opportunities that I would not have anywhere else, and I am super thankful for everything that I have been able to do here and all of the wonderful people, both from VACorps and my internship, that I was able to meet. I think that 8 weeks was the perfect amount of time to be here for - it's not too long where I felt like I've exhausted all of the things to do here, but not too short where I feel like I was able to do everything that I wanted.

I came to Cape Town as part of my university course requirements which stated that I had to work for a period of 3 months in my related field. Alongside my desire to leave my home country, after discovering the community, opportunities, and support VACorps had to offer, I set my scopes on Cape Town. I loved the atmosphere of my work as they gave me a huge amount of responsibility that I would seldom get at home. In addition to this, the camaraderie I had with my colleagues was fantastic. A part of my experience that I will certainly look back on with fond memories will be the many many people from different cultures and backgrounds that I met during my time here. It certainly widens your scope and overall perspective of the world. I stayed for 3 months, however, found I could have possibly done another month or two following it. The VACorps staff are an exceptional bunch of people. All of whom go above and beyond the call of duty for any person that requires it during heir time in Cape Town. They are your friends as well as your guides and it really wouldn't be the same without each of them doing what they do!

I have had the most amazing time with VAC! I first chose Cape Town as my destination because I had never traveled abroad by myself and wanted to experience a very different culture and lifestyle. What I have learned, seen, and taken in during my stay at Cape Town has exceeded my expectations beyond everything. I have been greatly exposed to the people, customs, and rich history of a deeply complex nation.

The aspect I loved most about my trip was that I had the ability to focus not only on professional development, but also my development as a traveler, global scholar, and just plain individual. I have learned the value of curiosity and to ask questions about many different things. I would advise people to come for at least a full 6 weeks to truly take in all that Cape Town has to offer as there are so many different things to do and even as I leave I am aware that there are many areas and avenues that I was not able to explore.

Be open to doing different things during your stay here-from going outdoors and taking hikes to explore food markets to attending exhibits- you have to do it all! The thing I loved the most about Cape Town was the amount and variety of different people I met along my travels, not just in VAC but in many different places. I have realized that everyone has a story and if you are fortunate and wise, you will take all the time to listen!

I chose to travel to Cape Town to satisfy an internship requirement at my university. I have never traveled before, and I thought since my university offered an internship abroad opportunity, that I should go for it! I had a friend last year travel to South Africa and she loved it so much, it made me decide to come to Cape Town and see for myself! I feel that I was placed in the perfect internship and that it challenged me and taught me a lot about working in my field. I loved all of the weekly activities we did, and I feel that the activities were very well thought out.

I stayed in Cape Town for 3 months and for a while, I thought it was such a long time, but now, I wish I didn't have to go! I absolutely loved working at Alpha! It was difficult in the beginning while my class was getting familiar with having me in the classroom, but once they got used to me, things went so much more smoothly! I learned that in order to be successful at Alpha, you need to be patient, compassionate, willing to learn, and also ask questions as they arise. It is important to be aware that every learner has different challenges, and that you need to sometimes be creative with finding an appropriate method to overcome that obstacle. I also loved that I had the option to stay in a classroom, but also work with Occupational Therapy and Speech Therapy, which are both of interest to

I came to Cape Town just after my graduation, to do the one thing that I want to do most in life: wine. I always thought learning how to make wine is such a timeless, natural knowledge and acquiring natural knowledge is my personal passion. Here I mean learning straight from plants, natural processes, and animals remind us how everything is a mimicry of the pure existence, and it makes me feel more connected with the earth and therefore with myself. Luckily enough, that is what I managed to find down here. I worked with a natural winemaker, a true magician I would say, who lets the grapes be themselves and just helping them to express their identities in the form of wine, through adding a lot of passion and creativity to the bottle. I'll never forget how Mphumi's wine turned everyone tasting them, regardless of who they are, to humble humans enjoying what nature had given to us, and how a creative mind transformed it. I'll never stop being inspired by what I've witnessed during my internship here.
And the city of Cape Town, where you can meet with countless people from different walks of life, one of the most alive cities I've ever been to. In my experience, this city is not about buildings from hundreds of years ago; not because it doesn't have a history, it indeed has one of the most interesting history lines I've ever read, but still, this city is about today. You need to actively be alive to keep with the pace of this city, if you get too relaxed on the streets you'll probably attract some trouble, and if you get too tight you'll miss all the beauty and fun Cape Town has to offer. I love this mode of living.
Thanks a lot to VAC for making the journey even more amazing, by making us experience the city, country, and life here closer than we could've ever managed to. VAC staff have and will always be there to help you any way they can and share your journey, and they're awesome people to spend time with!

I chose to come to Cape Town to fulfill a university required off-campus internship. I had a friend who went through the VACorps program prior to me and she loved it. I also had a few friends visit for vacation purposes and highly recommended it. Honestly, coming to Cape Town was a rather scary decision for me, because it is so different in so many ways from the United States. I was super nervous from the get-go and kept getting warnings from fellow family and friends about safety. However, like most experiences in life, you cannot fully understand and appreciate a place until you are actually immersed in it. I am super grateful for my 3 months spent here because I feel like I have grown in leaps and bounds since before I left. Living in a foreign city has cultivated my independence, self-confidence, and overall courage to take a leap of faith! I completed an internship as a marketing and copywriting intern at Once Travel in the city of Cape Town. I really enjoyed working in the bustling city and my office space was amazing. My co-workers, supervisor, and the overall vibe of the office was perfect for me. It provided me with professional, employable experience combined with a laid-back attitude, which I definitely did not have before I came here! I will forever be grateful to the people at my internship site and the amazing friends I made through the VACorps program. My favorite part of the trip was going to Mozambique and Kruger! It was completely unforgettable and would recommend it to any intern going through VACorps- you will not regret it!

Moving to South Africa for 3 months was not something I deliberately set out to do; last summer when I started looking into studying abroad, I realised my school didn't have any options that I truly was interested in and began searching for alternatives. I stumbled upon some "Intern Abroad" companies and somehow came across VAC - and that's when I began to fall in love with the idea of venturing to Cape Town (especially after my 40 minute phone call with Oliver). Most of my friends decided to study abroad together in larger groups, all in Europe, but I didn't want to country hop every weekend and I didn't want to already know everyone prior to arriving. I wanted a unique experience that would make me a bit uncomfortable at times because when you go beyond your comfort zone, amazing things can happen. The experience I gained at my internship site was fantastic - I worked for Startupbootcamp AfriTech, a startup accelerator that assists FinTech startups across the continent in meeting investors, mentors, and potential partners, as well as Uprise.Africa, South Africa's first equity crowdfunding platform. The amount of responsibility and ownership I was given was a bit astonishing to me; as a 19 (now 20) year old, there was no concern or thought given to my age - all that mattered was the quality of the work I was doing. I loved my coworkers and already miss rocking up to work every morning.
I think that overall the best part of VAC and the best part about South Africa in general is meeting so many different people. In a program like VAC or using a company like Rent-A-Room for housing, you will meet people from literally all over (some of my best mates here are from the Netherlands and some live 40 minutes away from me back in the States) and honestly make some longtime friends (which is great if you love to travel!). I lived in 197 Lower Main, the house with 17 people, and I would definitely recommend living there if you want to feel like you're part of a family (fair warning, if you like it quiet then maybe a different house would suit you better). The trek to work was a bit far (I worked near the V&A Waterfront), but it was worth it - life in Obs is great; there's a variety of food options, bars, etc.
If you're coming to intern with VAC, maximise your time in Cape Town, in South Africa….there is so much to see and do and experience. I was only here for 3 months but I desperately wish it was longer. I also went on the MozKruger trip, which was INCREDIBLE. Mozambique is a hidden gem and the only way you will get to truly experience it is with the crew from VAC (I only say this because it would be so difficult and expensive without Sean & Jon (and Kim & Carmen!!!)…also, it wouldn't be as fun). 100% get scuba certified and dive as many times as possible in Mozambique - no one else will have the same experience as you. I have seen some amazing Instagram posts showing off weekend aways in Europe or astonishing Spring Break trips…but trust me, they can't compare to Mozambique (or Kruger!!! We saw baby elephants and rhinos and cheetahs…AHHHH so cool!)

if you want to have a different experience and are up for an adventure (and are good when it comes to going with the flow), then VAC is perfect for you.

I chose Cape Town because it was a place I wanted to be for a long time seeing it is so far, not only this but I wanted to immerse myself within the multitude of different cultures that would surround me. I decided to do an internship to gain further experience in my field of study; nursing. My internship at Heideveld health clinic has taught me so many different skills I would never have a chance to practice in the US. What I loved the most about Cape Town was meeting so many new people from all over the world, whether they were apart of VaCorps or not. This is one of the most beautiful countries I have ever been, and I was able to explore and adventure on top of learning new skills. I always loved how Cape Town provides endless adventures to take part in, such as hiking, surfing, etc. I've made so many lifelong friendships here which is what makes it so sad to leave. VaCorps did a great job in introducing each of the intern groups and setting up planned events. I loved how every Friday there was always something new and exciting planned out for us and more people to meet as we arrived at these excursions. Furthermore, after participating in the Mozambique trip, I was able to create more friendships with people I had yet to meet. Not only this but also I was able to adventure more and discover an entirely different part of Africa, the entire experience was surreal; from scuba diving to going on my first safari, there was never a dull day. I will definitely miss Cape Town and all it has to offer but I will be back soon! I am so grateful to have taken part in this opportunity to experience various different cultures and health care systems. I will be able to take this knowledge back to the US with me to further enhance my nursing studies. I am also so grateful for the VaCorps staff for making it so easy to adjust to the different lifestyle and few culture shocks.