Internships in Cape Town with VACorps

I decided to come to Cape Town because I wanted to challenge myself to acclimate to a new environment where I didn't know what to expect. I also wanted to learn more about myself through traveling and had never been this far by myself before.

I did my internship at an urban farm NGO, and I became a lot more confident in my ability to communicate, and I learned a lot about the origins of farming and sustainable practices. I think that I became a lot more comfortable asking questions, and having a good support system within my internship made me feel comfortable throughout the time I spent there.

Highlights of my time in the VACorps program include getting to live with other interns, making amazing friends, and spending time at my internship site. I loved how independent I could be throughout this whole experience and that I could make it my own. With each week, I was able to grow more confident and felt truly Capetonian! I also really enjoyed the garden route trip and getting to do fun activities like sky diving and bungee jumping. I think that coming to the program with set expectations isn't necessarily the best route to go because you will be pleasantly surprised if you keep an open mind throughout the entire experience in the VACorps program.

One of the things I love the most about Cape Town is the people. Everywhere I went (VAC staff, work, hike, restaurant, store, uber), everyone was always extremely welcoming and willing to have a conversation. Furthermore, there seems to be a culture of sharing and learning, which I greatly appreciate. People were always willing to listen to my thoughts, and they always had stories, opinions, or advice to give. This helps create a feeling of security, which led me to want to explore — I now understand how meaningful a single conversation can be.

I did my internship at a public clinic, and I was able to gain an understanding of the healthcare system of South Africa, what a public clinic looked like, where the resources were allocated, the thoughts of the people who work there, and the types of people who come in. I was able to experience or hear about aspects of communities I had never previously experienced or identified with, and my doing so was not viewed negatively, but as a positive thing. from New York, I was not used to this honesty and vulnerability between strangers; however, I will take this way of interacting home with me.

I will not forget all the amazing people I met and how their openness allowed me to create some of my best and most informative memories.

I am so thankful for my experience with VACorps. I chose Cape Town because I wanted to have an international intern experience with a company that cared about its interns. I had a desire to explore a city that I had never been to and work with people I had never met but knew I would flourish with. I really enjoyed everything I learned at my internship in the realm of data cleaning following research projects. I’ve been on the front end of research projects before not the back end so it gave me a lot of insight into all aspects of research in the public health world. I loved that I felt outside of my comfort zone but in the best way possible, I was so comfortable exploring Cape Town and learning while I was here. I will miss everything about Cape Town, the people, the other interns, the views, the mountains, the ocean, the food, and more. My time here in Cape Town has made me feel like Cape Town is my home and I was exactly where I was supposed to be. I was only here for 8 weeks and I wish I could extend my stay to a lifetime. VAC and Cape Town have given me lifelong friendships, unforgettable memories, and an incredible learning experience. If you are hesitant in any way about coming to Cape Town, just do it, come and see the beauty Cape Town and South Africa has to offer. It’s a city that felt like home instantly and I know it will for you too.

The VACorps staff, Kholi, and Kuselwa are the most wonderful, kind, and supportive individuals.  I am so grateful to them for facilitating this experience, and for all the support and love they gave while I was in Cape Town.  I could write a whole book about Cape Town, and my experiences in the VACorps program, but I could write a whole series about the beautiful people I met while I was here.  To all the kiddos and mothers at my internship site who I've loved and met, thank you. To Ms. Joslynn, my internship supervisor for being the definition of courageous, thank you. VACorps provides such a great opportunity to enjoy Cape Town and your internship, but the people that you meet give you a journey of love that if you indulge fully, you will never find anywhere else.

The past three months in Cape Town have been nothing short of excellent. I went in with an open mind, as the internship was a little out of my field of work. I learned a great deal through my time as an intern, the first being coding. I was very new to coding but through some self-taught and help from the company, I was able to be a lot more confident in my skills. Also, I was able to work closely with the owner of the company, which allowed me to see how an Entrepreneur mindset works day to day. The culture and natural beauty of Cape Town and surrounding areas are absolutely astonishing. This city is one of the greatest scenes for outdoor activities as you have the ocean and the mountains all around you, which makes for great surfing as well.

The VAC staff was so amazing to work with from the day I applied to the day I am leaving. They made me feel at home away from home. I truly believe Cape Town is the prettiest city in the World. There was so much to see and do! I did my internship at a public clinic in one of Cape Town’s townships. Coming here, I wanted to have the most hands-on experience possible. I wanted to find out if medicine was actually what I wanted to do, and if I was comfortable doing it. I feel like I really gained a better understanding of these things, and was able to accomplish what I wanted to out of this experience. I was able to form so many life-long friendships here with people from all different walks of life! Such an amazing opportunity and I would recommend VAC to anybody!

I chose Cape Town because a friend of mine was part of Vacorps and had a great experience. My internship was part of my degree and I would definitely recommend it as I learned a lot and probably more than in Switzerland. In Switzerland, it‘s quite hard to get into a Clinic and really work together with patients. But not only did I benefit from the professional knowledge in the clinic, but I also improved my English and I had to live on my own in a foreign country. I learned about the culture and also more about the African way of living. It was also really nice that my internship was flexible and that I could get a day off when I wanted to explore more of Cape Town. I‘m definitely going to miss the people. They are much more friendly and welcoming than back home! In total, I stayed for 6 months but only half of it I worked in my internship. The rest I will use to travel around South Africa. I would definitely advise people to come for more than 2 months to really get an insight into their daily life. The weekly activities were great and I saw places that would have been difficult to explore on my own. The staff was absolutely amazing and probably the best part about the Vacorps Program. They would help in every situation and that‘s really nice to know!

Cape Town is an amazing place with so much to do. For 8 weeks, I always had activities to do and places to see, and I was never bored or sitting around. It was an awesome experience all around. I met so many great people in South Africa as well. The other VACorps interns will be my friends for a long time, and we had so much fun together. I will never forget all the fun activities we did together on the weekend. The VACorps in-country team was perfect, and they did an awesome job of facilitating the program