My name is Naomi Acosta and I just got back from studying abroad in Cape Town, South Africa. My decision to study abroad was impulsive at the time that I did it. I knew I always wanted to study abroad but I never planned exactly when I was going to do it. I decided that I wanted to challenge myself and study abroad in a location that would be different from anything I have ever experienced.
I took a course, ‘Inside Africa’, in which I learned about African history and I knew that if I was going to study abroad it would be on the African continent. I decided on Cape Town because it was in an intriguing country, with many different people and I wanted to see the Mother City with
my own eyes.
I was super excited to get to Cape Town. I was counting down the days as well as enjoying my last few moments at home. Once I got there, I did not feel homesick, but I was occasionally sad once in awhile and I missed my home food, but other than that I was having a great time. It also helped that I knew my sister was going to visit me while I was away. The scariest thing for me was financially providing for myself. I was not able to work while I was abroad and I decided to study abroad at the very last minute. Unfortunately, I did not have the summer to save up for my trip, but what helped me was that the cost of my abroad institution was cheaper than my home school. Scholarships, loans and creating a GoFundMe page are all ways to get money for your trip. I lived off of my refund check and my tax returns.
I attended the top university in all of Africa, University of Cape Town. My campus was huge, home to 26,000 students, bigger than my home university so that was a new dynamic for me to get adjusted to. I had classes four days week they were referred to as ‘lectures’ and I had tutorials after my lectures. The classes were interesting but they were not my favorite. While I was abroad I lived in a house with two roommates, one was American and the other one was Dutch. UCT provided us with the information to find housing, there were many options and I chose based off of what I knew I could
afford.
Due to my finances I was not able to travel outside of South Africa but I still had an amazing time. My favorite part of my trip has to be the time that I went on a spring break trip to the Eastern Cape with my friends. I was able to see another side of South Africa and it was a breathtaking experience. I am also very happy with the friends that I made while I was abroad, they truly became my family and we all found comfort in one
another.
This summer I am replenishing the funds that I was happily wasted while I was away and I am mentally preparing for my last year as an undergrad. My college career is coming to an end and I am excited to see what the future holds for me.
