All moved in!

I could not be happier about my new home for the next four and a half months in Cape Town. My house is by far the nicest housing I have ever lived in while in college. I live with 27 other American students in my program and two resident advisors, Martina and Buhle. It might sound overwhelming, but we are split into three separate houses that are all on the same property.

There are 12 of us total in the “A” house, which is by far the best house. We have hardwood floors all over the house, a huge kitchen, dining room and living room. Everyone has a single room and I lucked out by having the best room in the house, according to my housemates.

I live on the third floor, which is the attic and looks like it has been recently remodeled. The attic is the only area in the house with wall-to-wall carpeting. In my room, I have a wardrobe, desk, bed, bookcase and two skylights. I brought a duvet cover and throw blanket from home and have already hung up many photos of my loveable friends and family. If you look out my skylights, you can see the entire UCT campus and Table Mountain.

My house is about a 15-minute walk to campus and we are right around the corner from Main Street where I can go to the grocery store, pharmacy and a couple cafes with good food and free wireless.

The security for our house is intense, but should make everyone at home feel at ease about me. CIEE really takes care of us here. There is an electric fence around the property and a security guard who sits in little part of the front of the house from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. everyday. To get into the house, we have to use a tag sensor to open the gate, a key to open the security door, a key to open the front door and another key to open our individual bedrooms. I feel safe here to say the least.

Aside from how great the physical house is, the people are also awesome. I really am happy to be living with all of my housemates! I happened to meet several of them before moving in during orientation, but I have met more people since then and can tell that we will all become great friends. Our house already feels like a home with a fun-loving family.