This is my first experience studying abroad and I am already having the best time exploring a new environment while making memories with new friends. It has been fascinating to see the differences in the way of life and structures of businesses in Cape Town and the United States. After spending over 24 hours of flight time, we arrived in Cape Town and enjoyed a walk through Green Point Park and the V&A Waterfront. I was surprised to see how large and developed the city was. An interesting concept of South Africa?s growing business sector is its need to use sustainable techniques. We have experienced load-shedding every day, a 2-3 hour period of no electricity within a certain zone of the city. Electricity and water conservation are important in Cape Town because they lack the resources to support the large and growing population. We spoke with the owner of a coffee shop in the township who shared that his biggest struggle is working around load-shedding. Currently, he is saving to purchase solar panels so that he can have his own source of power during the grid shutdowns. When we arrived at the team house, we were joined by a businessman named Tebogo and his wife and daughter. They spoke about the structure and internal struggles of the business sector. With a huge and growing population comes the need for jobs. They have been creating jobs for those who have completed high school education programs but they run into new challenges with the mental health of their employees. The township was a huge eye-opener for us. I really enjoyed seeing how much the people of Cape Town value community and make sacrifices to support each other. I am very excited to learn more about business and economic growth in Cape Town. Lastly, I would like to thank CIBS for this amazing opportunity.
