EF Stories: Katharina from Germany in EF Cape Town

Safari in the magical wilderness of Africa? Watching breathtaking sunsets from Lions Head? And all of this together with friends from all over the world?

Now you can imagine my language trip to beautiful Cape Town, which I was fortunate enough to make in April 2021 in the middle of the Corona pandemic. And I deliberately say "fortunately" - because I am more than happy that I was able to escape the lockdown in Germany and spend two wonderful weeks in South Africa. ✨🌎

But from the beginning: I'm Kati, 21 and an EF fan! After my EF language year in Santa Barbara, California in 2019, I was thrilled and knew that this would not be my last trip with EF.

✈ Last Minute to Cape Town

At the beginning of March 2021, almost exactly one year after Corona broke out, I decided to book a language trip relatively spontaneously. My wanderlust, which was growing due to the long time of staying at home, wanted to be satisfied.

So it was "Kati goes EF Cape Town" for me - a long-awaited wish came true. Cape Town has always been a place of longing for me and after all the influencers had eaten their way through Cape Town's most delicious restaurants, Cape Town was at the top of my bucket list. 🤳🏼😍

😷 Relaxed travel during Corona.

I'm sure you're wondering what it was like to travel during Corona, especially outside of Europe. And I have to say: I have never traveled so relaxed. The plane that took me to another continent within eleven hours was deserted.

So I was finally able to experience what it felt like to fly without my legs falling asleep, but with plenty of space. Simply wonderful! But the best thing was: I didn't travel alone, but met my now good friend Lara at Düsseldorf airport. Together we started our adventure "Cape Town" full of excitement.

🏠 Living like a Local

I had made a conscious decision to live with a host family during my stay - even though the dormitory looked very tempting. In retrospect, however, I am very happy that I got to know the culture and way of life through the eyes of locals.

Because of Cape Town's reputation as a hip, modern & up-and-coming city at the foot of Table Mountain is only one side of the coin. Together with my host mom Miomena and my French roommate Julie, we lived in the hip neighborhood Boo-Kap, where you can really experience the vibes of the colorful Cape Town. Speaking of "colorful" Cape Town: Boo-Kap welcomes you with brightly painted house facades and is THE Insta-Spot par excellence - self-tested 😉.

🏫 Learn English in a different way

The EF school in Cape Town is bright and centrally located right on Kloft Street, where you can test your way through various restaurants. My personal tip: Kloft Street House! 🤩

In the middle of a green garden you can enjoy the best drinks and delicious food at a good price. But back to school: After the classification of my language level and the allocation into a class, I met my teacher and South African Eduard directly on the first day of school, who welcomed me directly into the class with his funny and open manner.

The lessons were very versatile due to the mix of reading, listening, writing & speaking. Especially the language skills were promoted through group work and discussions about social topics of South Africa in the class. Because everyone had the same language level, one automatically got rid of the fear of making mistakes - which was a big difference to any English lessons I've had in Germany. ✍🏼👨🏼‍🏫

🦓 Exploring Cape Town

Besides school, EF offers many organized activities to get to know the country & its people. My personal highlight was the three-day weekend trip across South Africa including safari and canoe trip in Tsitsikamma National Park. The nature of South Africa is unique and magical at the same time - you just have to experience it yourself! 📸

Besides the weekend trips, there are also other diverse activities before and after school. I was able to watch the most beautiful sunset from Lions Head after a one-hour hike and I tried to catch the best wave during a surf lesson at Muizenberg. 🏄🏼‍♀️ Try it out!

👭 Friendships for life

If you're worried that you won't make any friends or have any fun, I can reassure you. Through the many activities and the joint lessons, you will make friends in no time, so that you can enjoy your EF trip even more intensively - and thus you will not only take home many beautiful memories & photos, but also friendships for life.

So let's go out into the world! It's waiting to be conquered by you! 🌎✈