New Start in South Africa!

It was Wednesday, 9^th July 2014, when I first stood on the African ground. As a student of the French University Sciences Po, I have to spend my third year of the Bachelor degree abroad. Since I follow the program focused on Africa, this continent is going to be my home for the next year. I chose Stellenbosch in South Africa for the final destination of my African adventure. It has been almost four weeks I have been staying in this lovely town and everything and everybody around me ensure me about the rightness of my choice – undoubtedly a very rich year full of unique experiences and meetings is waiting for me.

What am I going to do during following eleven months, do you ask? I am exchange student in the Stellenbosch University – one of the best South African Universities where I am going to spend two semesters . During the summer holidays (that is to say in December and January) I am going to Cameroon to do an internship within the NGO called Kedjom Keku (I will write something more about it later). Thus, I am going to discover during the following year two completely different African countries about which I am going to tell you.
 

I would like to discover the most facets of the South African life as possible during my stay in this country. That is one of the reasons why I decided to participate in VCE – the Voluntary Community Engagement Programme organized by the university within which (mainly international) students go to the primary school in the local township Kayamandi every Friday and teach children – well, it’s not really teaching, the children are about six year old so our task consists rather in playing with them and communicating with them. Thus, apart the student life where I encounter rather people from the richer part of the population, I should discover also other side of the South African reality.

I have so much to say but I don’t want to put everything into one article – it would be too long and unreadable. Thus, today I will note just few points in order to foreshadow the content of the following articles and thus the things that have struck me the most so far. So, here they are:

            Inequalities and contrasts: rich / poor, black / white – the spatial segregation within the city

This topic is very broad and I will mention it again and again undoubtedly in following articles. You can see big contrasts everywhere. At one moment you think that you live in paradise: people (surprisingly the most of them are white) are sitting at cafés talking with their friends with a beautiful view on mountains (and much more beautiful things)… But then you walk just few streets aside and you will see lot of beggars and homeless people and poorer people in general (who are surprisingly mainly black).
 
Well, it’s a complex issue linked to the recent history… so to be continued.

(Un)security

A dream life behind the bars? – Indeed, the bars are everywhere: on windows, doors… first you can feel like in prison but finally you get used to it…

Also, you can’t walk alone at night as people are used to do in Europe. No, only in groups. And this even though the security agents are almost everywhere in the city ensuring the security. But don't worry about me, Stellenbosch is one of the safest place in South Africa ;)

The security issue is pretty interesting... some article about it will follow.

Eleven official languages

South African culture is the mix of the multiple different cultures. Even the Constitution ensure the place for eleven official languages. The Stellenbosch University is bilingual: English and Afrikaans. Walking throughout the streets of Stellenbosch, we can thus hear English, Afrikaans or isiXhosa – three languages widely spoken in the Western Cape (it is the province where Stellenbosch is situated).
  
Beautiful nature

The nature is really amazing. Everywhere around Stellenbosch are mountains, the squirrels climbing on the trees in the city centre (or doing a slalom between the cars) are a normal thing here and the Atlantic is very close… it’s a perfect place for hiking and nature lovers.

Friendly people

The most of the people I’ve met so far were very kind and friendly – whatever their background has been – from students up to security agents and policemen.

Great university campus and student life

Studying here is a pleasure, the campus is beautiful and there is everything one needs: there are lot of computers that students can use, a student centre with lot of restaurants, shops, banks, poste and even a cinema (just like a shopping mall), a stadium, gym, huge library and so on… 

Also, there is a huge range of student societies that one can join. For example, I have joined a hiking society thanks to which I spent an amazing weekend in the mountains near to the town Hermanus.

Delicious wine

The Stellenbosch wine is one of the best South African wines and it is really delicious and for very good prices! There are many wine farms that offer the wine tasting around Stellenbosch. I have not had the opportunity to do it yet but it’s on my schedule already ;)

Braai

The Afrikaans word for the barbecue that all even non-Afrikaans speaking people know – international students included. Actually this word is used by everybody even when speaking English (or even when I speak French with my French friend). It’s the most favourite activity together with watching the rugby matches of the South African people.

To conclude this first article that is supposed to give you just a short overview of my first remarks, I have to share with you one remark we have done with my international friends: everything is reversed here. First, the seasons. It’s winter now. And when we entered one bar last Saturday, there were even a snow (ok, only a fake one made up from the polystyrene) inside and a Christmas tree! But actually you realize that it is winter only inside the buildings – the most of the time it is warmer outside than inside… and so while in Europe during the winter you go inside to get warmer, here you prefer to spend the most of your time outside. Then, the road. The South African drive on the left like in the UK. 

Anyway, everything around me makes me thing that I have really chosen the best destination I could for my third year abroad – a beautiful country that offers plenty of exciting activities to do but that also has to face lot of challenges yet. Thus, it seems that I will really enjoy it but as well learn a lot.