Before coming to South Africa I had all these ideas and pictures in mind, but little did I know how much of an amazing and beautiful place Cape Town truly is. I remember the first day waking up and looking out my window to see mountains on one side, and the ocean from the rooftop. It was by far the most beautiful place I have traveled to in my life.

Throughout my stay, Mugged became a usual and the sites of Cape Town became my adventure along with child life as my job. I felt more than welcomed during my stay by all the individuals involved in connect123, and by the end of the month, it actually started to feel like a home. I began to know my way around as well as feeling more comfortable, but my time in Cape Town fell way to short.

Red Cross War Memorial Children’s Hospital was the place where we piloted Child Life on various units, including mine on the surgery ward. It was difficult to adapt at first to such a diverse setting as well as a diverse population in which I had no previous experience with before. However, the experience there has taught me so much more about myself, Child Life and how to value even the smallest things. I feel confident that we made an impact on all the staff, families, and children’s lives just in that one month, and am hopeful that one day the child life program there will be able to expand even more.

As for my experience in general, it was just something that is unexplainable until you go there. I learned a lot within my hospital experiences, as well as got to enjoy just being in Cape Town. I think the highlights of my trip, were going on the safari, bungee jumping, and the feeling I got when I reached the top of Table Mountain. It’s absolutely beautiful there, and I hope one day I will be able to return for a more extended amount of time.