We just got finished with our first week in South Africa, and I must say, it is a lot different from what I expected. I had heard a lot of hype about the World Cup and stereotypes about Africa, but I was very impressed with all of the infrastructure and hustle-bustle of a big city, just like in the United States. The flight in and moving in process went very smoothly, and we didn’t experience a lot of jet lag. David’s manager Liam picked us up from the airport, and he also took us out with some people from Financial Services in a nearby neighborhood of Johannesburg. Sunday was our driving lesson, and I am feeling a lot better about driving on the left side of the road.
This was also our first week of work on the client site. I am assigned to the Industrial, Automotive, and Pharmaceuticals (IAP) division on a large glass manufacturing client. The team in total is really big, but we are all spread out over about five divisional locations plus the head office (where I am working). My mentor and manager have been really good about making sure I understand how the South African firm performs its testwork and completes workpapers (most of it is actually the same as the U.S.), and I feel like I am learning a lot. I will be on this client for four weeks, so I am looking forward to a sense of continuity regarding the both audit work and relationships with teams.
The highlight of this week was definitely our first excursion – a weekend trip to Cape Town. David spent a semester abroad at the University of Cape Town, so he got to serve as our quasi-tour guide for the trip. We visited the campus and met up with some of his South African friends for lunch, and in the afternoon we went up Table Mountain for great views of Green Point Stadium, Robben Island, and the ocean. I was surprised at how much wind there was – South Africans call it the “Cape Doctor” because it blows all of the pollution out of the city, and it was really refreshing after a week in Johannesburg. On Sunday I went shark diving (just in time for Shark Week on Discovery Channel!) in Hermanus, which was an amazing experience. I can only hope our other weekend trips are as good as this one.
