DO Go Chasing Waterfalls

The other day the John Mayer song, "Waiting on the World to Change" came on the radio. As I listened, I thought to myself, this is exactly why I'm studying abroad.

So you're probably wondering who is this John Mayer fan and why does he inspire her to travel to the southernmost region of Africa. Well, good evening/morning my name is Ashby and I will be your literary tour guide of the IES Abroad program to Cape Town for the semester. I hail from a tiny farming town in western Massachusetts and go to school in Charleston, SC. What's a small town girl doing living in a big town world (down south) you ask? You could say I like change and new experiences, precisely the reason I have decided to embark on an epic journey further down south, in fact, as far south as one can go before hitting an iceberg. Which brings us back to John Mayer. In his song "Waiting on the World to Change", John seems to be doing a lot of what I don't want to be doing. And that's waiting. Clearly. A lot of people wait around for experiences to come to them, when in reality, it’s the opposite. They say don't go chasing waterfalls, but I strongly disagree. So I'm ignoring main-stream musical advice, and chasing the waterfalls. Furthermore, I will be studying abroad in Cape Town for the 2016 spring semester with IES Abroad and could not be more stoked. As I prepare to say goodbye to snow and hello to sand, a riptide of emotions consume me. I am beyond excited for the adventures that await me but also nervous for the unknown. However, the unknown is one of the most thrilling parts of adventure.

South Africa’s rich culture, history, and breathtaking landscapes surpass most and I am relishing in the fact that I get to experience it. I am lucky enough to kick off my time abroad with my family in the Okavango Delta in Botswana, mingling among the local lechwe antelopes and chacma baboons. After fulfilling my daily dose of wildlife, it’s off to Cape Town, where I will begin the experience of a lifetime. So with that, I hope this blog will offer a first hand look into a semester abroad with IES Abroad in Cape Town, and an enlightening perspective of living in South Africa told through the eyes of a “nature lover, adventure seeker, and music enthusiast” (myself).