by Alyssa Ramos It’s hard to know what to pack for a place you’ve never been to before, especially somewhere a lot different than your home. Sure, you can look up a generic packing list, but it’s a lot more useful to ask someone who has been there! Before my IVHQ South Africa trip, I contacted other bloggers in Cape Town (see Blogger Guides) to ask...
by Alyssa Ramos WEDNESDAY PM Wednesday was my fourth day in Muizenberg, South Africa, and the day that the unthinkable happened. After volunteering at Christian David Primary School, I hopped into Karl’s van along with the rest of the volunteers like usual, except for one that wasn’t usually there. Mr. TDH. He had mentioned that the IVHQ Surf Program...
WEDNESDAY VOLUNTEERING Rainbows are something that I haven’t seen in a while considering that it never rains in California. I had seen them plenty of times in Florida, even a double rainbow once in Greece, but the rainbow that I saw on Wednesday morning in Muizenberg, South Africa on the way to Christian David Primary School was unlike any rainbow I’ve...
TUESDAY Although I was noticeably dirty and smelled like a second grader, I didn’t bother changing or getting ready when we got back to the Albertyn House after volunteering because I was so damn cold. A few of us were talking about going to Boulders Beach to see the penguins, but couldn’t tell how the weather was going to pan out. Naturally the solution...
TUESDAY VOLUNTEERING Tuesday morning in Muizenberg, South Africa was even colder than Monday since the icy rain drizzle was still lingering from the downpour the night before. They really weren’t joking when they said bring things to layer. I put on a pair of leggings, skinny jeans, fuzzy socks, my new gangsta boots, a knitted head warming thing, a tank top, a...
Monday Afternoon Karl picked us up after volunteering at school and dropped us back off at the IVHQ volunteer house after dropping off a few others staying at different houses along the way. One of the older volunteers (and by older I mean in volunteer weeks, not age) offered to take us to Checkers – the main grocery store chain in Muizenberg, and although my...
Monday morning I woke up thirty minutes before my 7am alarm to the dark, freezing cold 2-person room that they had assigned me to. It was smaller than the two rooms on either side of it, but I was beyond happy to have it since the girls’ room had three bunk beds and six people in it. I had already done the whole living in the sorority house thing, and at twenty...
From the moment I walked through the doors of 37 Albertyn Road, I knew that choosing to volunteer through International Volunteer Headquarters (IVHQ) South Africa program was one of the greatest ideas I’ve ever had. After postponing the trip for almost a year due to the typical anxiety of time and money constraints, I realized there’s nothing else...
by Alyssa Ramos Although I’d never been there before, Cape Town seemed familiar, as if I’d visited it in a past life or a lucid dream. It might have been due to my extensive research, or my curious project to interview local Cape Town bloggers before arriving, but the map of the town was embedded in my mind like a subconscious thought. It took thirty...
Blogger Guides are a collection of interviews from top bloggers in different countries who I contacted via Twitter to help give me local/insider insight on things to do and see in each country I visit rather than only researching the area on the Internet. Bloggers know their cities inside and out, not just as residents, but as dedicated researchers and writers about...
