Greetings from Cape Town!
Well, second semester has just begun at UCT (University of Cape Town) and I thought it time to send a brief update on my studies and time here in South Africa. First semester wrapped up in July and then we had about a months break. My studies in first semester went really well and I really enjoyed my courses! I transferred into the Justice and Transformation program, from straight Politics, which is still in the Politics department but slightly more specialized in post-conflict peace building with a focus on human rights and reconciliation. I was definitely ready for the break in July! 
I took the time to travel all over South Africa. I drove the famous Garden Route along the East coast, drove up through Swaziland to the North of South Africa and then back to Cape Town. I went to a couple national parks including, Kruger National Park. I saw 4 of the Big 5 (lion, elephant, rhino and buffalo) but missed out on leopard! In Addo Elephant National Park I got so close to elephants, I could have reached out my window and touched them! Was absolutely incredible! A highlight on the trip was the time I spent in the Eastern Cape, which is traditional Khoxa territory and the homelands of Steve Biko and Nelson Mandela. Known as the Wild Coast it was absolutely spectacular scenery, with a vibrant local culture! My car also broke down in Swaziland, while lost on a gravel road in a remote corner of the country, which turned into quite the adventure! I will have to save that story for when I am back in Whitehorse, but everything turned out fine thanks to the amazing hospitality of the Swazi people! In the end I drove over 5000kms, went to two countries and 7 provinces in South Africa.
Second semester started a couple weeks ago and I have jumped right back into my studies! This semester I am taking a law course on non-state collective violence. It focuses on the causes of consequences of violence, looking at things like protest, gangsterism, police responses to non-state violence and even violence associated to the poaching problem in South Africa. My other course is called, Traumatic Traces and is the study of trauma and memory. It will look in-depth at inter-generational trauma and I took this course specifically because of its relevance to the Canadian context in our process of reconciliation with First Nations people. Both courses are advanced Masters level courses, so keep me very busy! I also have my honours dissertation due at the end of October which I am writing on human rights abuses associated to the mining industry in the Eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo. My workload is very heavy this semester but also very enlightening!
I have also been very active as a volunteer with my host Rotary Club. I often attend their meetings, have been connected with their newly formed Rotaract Club and volunteer at local events. We organized a great street festival to celebrate Mandela Day and last weekend I was fortunate enough to be part of an event called One To One, for children and adults with intellectual disabilities. We facilitated games for participants and gave out prizes. It was a lot of fun! My host club continues to be very supportive and absolutely fantastic! I was able to join the club for a tour of South African Parliament, which was really interesting and especially relevant for my studies. I have also connected with the District Governor for South Africa, who is a fabulous young woman.
It is now spring in Cape Town and the days are slowly getting longer and warmer. I hope fall is treating everyone well and that you all had a lovely summer!