Program Reviews

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.

My experience with VACorps in Cape Town has been nothing short of amazing. From the outset, the VACorps team did an excellent job of welcoming me and helping me feel comfortable in this new environment.

I also really enjoyed my time at a local TV station and am extremely happy that ended up working out. I am really glad I worked an in-person job and was part of a social and friendly team, and was granted a lot of freedom and trust at my job. I will surely miss interacting with my coworkers. I really enjoyed the VACorps group and the activities provided a nice structure and a way to socialize with others. I stayed for 2 and a half months and would say that it's a fairly good amount of time. There is certainly a lot I feel I didn't get to do, and my advice to others would be to make a sort of bucket list of Cape Town things to do.

I chose VACorps because I wanted to travel somewhere far and very different and live like a local. Once I arrived in Cape Town I felt truly welcome. During the 2 months I lived here I found community through conversations with Uber drivers, business owners, restaurant employees, and other locals. Learning about Cape Town and South Africa through the perspective of everyday people and not a tour guide was a special and unique experience.

My internship at a radio station was another completely unique experience. Even without prior radio experience or having taken a single college course, I was trusted to represent the station in interviews with politicians, artists, and important businesspeople. That trust gave me the confidence to be creative and stick to my gut. I presented on a radio show every weekday and wrote and ran my own show on Saturdays. I filmed and edited videos for their social media, scheduled interviews, wrote scripts, and played my guitar live on air.

I learned so much through all of these tasks, but my relationships with my colleagues at the station were the most meaningful. The casual work environment gave me plenty of time to get to know the staff. I learned about the very different upbringings that all of them had. However, I ended up being surprised at how much we had in common often fostered through a mutual love of music. Ultimately, I am happy to call many of them my close friends. Leaving Cape Town and the radio station has been hard because I've loved it so much. I know I will return someday.

The last 2.5 months in Cape Town have been some of the best of my life. I’ve done lots of exploring— penguins, gardens, hiking, and plenty of beaches. Plus I have made such special friends. The people I’ve met through VACorps are some that I know I will keep in touch with for the rest of my life, and Cape Town has been such an amazing place to explore. There’s nowhere like it. I really settled into a routine of interning, working out at the gym, and then seeing more of Cape Town after, which made it easy to enjoy my internship while also being adventurous. I never want to leave Cape Town and am so sad that I only have 2 weeks left here, but I couldn’t be more grateful for the experience so far. VACorps did a phenomenal job of organizing activities, always being helpful if any issue arose, and cultivating a true sense of community unique to other programs I’ve heard of in the area.

Originally, I was nervous about coming to Cape Town. I had never been so far from home but it’s been the best decision I've ever made!

Cape Town itself is beautiful. In the last two months, it’s become my favorite place I’ve traveled to since it has everything: beautiful beaches, mountains, the ocean, amazing food, friendly people and there is always something to do. Though living so far from my home in Chicago, I’ve truly made a new home here.

I’ve been in Cape Town for two months and I wish I could stay longer. If I could do it again, I would most likely choose to stay for three months. The VACorp staff has been very helpful in making our time in Cape Town the best it can be. They’ve created the perfect combination of independence while also having support from the staff whenever needed night or day. The activities hosted by the program are always really fun and we are always doing new things. The turnout rates for the activities are high which speaks highly to the program community.

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!

VACorps was an amazing program. I am so grateful for this experience. It provided me with a new perspective of South Africa, dissolving all assumptions I previously had. The danger and poverty here are real, however, it’s nothing to be afraid of or something that discourages people from coming here. This is a beautiful place full of so many fun things and adventures. I really appreciated all of the Friday activities they took us on. During this experience, I’ve learned and become more confident in being 100% myself. I’ve made so many great relationships here with these kids. I stayed for 2 months, and I think people would enjoy 3 months here easily. I would definitely recommend any gappers to take part of this program.

I chose to travel to South Africa to do an internship in Cape Town because of how amazing this city is. You can find everything here, beaches, city life, and mountains. There is always something to do, see, and partake in. I loved that through VaCorps I had an organized group and community when I arrived, but I still was able to be independent and live freely. My time here has been absolutely amazing and I have learned so much about myself and the world in these past two months. Cannot recommend coming here with VACorps more!!

I chose Cape Town as my place to intern during my gap year because I wanted something different from my mundane 9-5 life back home. I wanted to experience people and places unlike what I have seen and get a better perspective on the world I live in. In my time in Cape Town, I learned who I could really be, facing challenges and living independently. Whether taking a walk to clear my mind in the beautiful sea point to taking on seemingly indomitable mountains there was always something to reflect on with myself and my surroundings.

My goal before arriving in Cape Town was to gain independence and confidence in an uncomfortable environment and find a home away from home. I definitely achieved this.