Internship Placement FINALIZED

Perhaps it went without notice, but I have been pretty hushed about discussing my internship placement.  I have now worked everything out with the coordinator and the new NGO, so I feel (more) free to disclose everything that has happened.

At the outset of my trip to Cape Town, I was under the impression that I would be working at this thuper creative-looking arts/culture center in Langa Township called Guga S'Thebe.  A Google search I did prior to the program got me way to excited about the prospects of working there - should have known something would go wrong...

When I arrived in the airport and our internship coordinator picked us up, I asked what Guga would be like.  He said that I would be working under an actor from the area.  This made me even more ridiculously excited.

I didn't really bring up the subject further until this past week on Tuesday, when we were to begin our tours of the various internships.  We visited the workplaces of all but my roomie's NGO (Molo Songololo - Xhosa for HELLO CATERPILLAR!  It's too cute, eh?).  The tour included visits to Black Sash, a Red Cross Hospital, Place of Hope (A Shelter for Battered Women), The Cape Argus (newspaper), Izikho Museums/South African Heritage Foundation, Olive Leaf Foundation, Cape Town Refugee Center, Christel House, and Tafelsig Community Health Clinic.  Basically at every single location, I was incredibly jealous of everyone's internships, though both health-related locations were tough, since at the first we went through the pediatric burn unit and at the second were taken through the emergency room and TB clinic.  I got the impression that everyone's work would be very challenging.

On Wednesday, I came to find out that my internship would actually be in a primary school outside of Kayelitsha, and that my supervisor with Guga S'Thebe was only loosely associated with the center.  After the entire group was awed by the performances (including poetry, dance, and singing) at the primary school, we were equally sketched-out by my supervisor.  I did not feel I could comfortably complete 3 months with that character.

After much discussion over the weekend, and the possibility being thrown out that my roomie would join me at my internship to ease my discomfort (which would have been ludicrous after we beheld the sight of awesome Molo Songololo on Thursday), the coordinator suggested the possibility of working with Christel House.

Today I stayed at home reading and hanging out with my TA and another student, when about mid-way through I got a call from the coordinator.  He said that the internship would work out, and that I would be helping coordinate a musical theatre production at Christel House!  It seems like an incredible school with real results, so I can't wait to start there tomorrow.  I was so excited that I had to post (again!).  Keep in touch and remember to send me your addresses!