First week in Port Alfred
Door: Janita van Gelder
Blijf op de hoogte en volg Janita
08 Mei 2017 | Zuid-Afrika, Port Alfred
Exactly one week ago I arrived in this beautiful country, South-Africa! After a trip of almost 22 hours, including two stops, I arrived in Port Alfred. This is the city where Stenden South-Africa is located and where I will live for the upcoming 9 weeks to follow the minor Humanitarian Management II.
This first week was full of new experiences and meeting new people. This started already at the airport. After saying goodbye to my family and friends on Friday, I left to Schiphol airport on Saturday afternoon. Here I met a friend of mine and together we traveled via München and Johannesburg to Port Elizabeth. For both of us, it was the first time we traveled outside Europe and we were quite surprised by the size of the airplane and all the free food. On the go, we ran into other Stenden students who were also on their way to Port Elisabeth. Here, we were picked up by Stenden employees and brought to Port Alfred.
During my stay I’m living in a house near the beach with 6 other students. From here, we have a beautiful view over the sea and there is a swimming pool nearby. It is getting winter over here but when the sun is out, the weather is lovely. At least, I didn’t brought my bikini for nothing. In the house there are 2 bathrooms (one with a bath, yeah!) and a spacious kitchen, however dinner is provided by school.
From the house, it takes a 10-minute walk to the campus. On Monday an introduction day was organized for all new students and on Tuesday the lessons started. I’m in a class with Dutch and American students. The minor Humanitarian Management II includes fieldwork and therefore we went to the township on Thursday. I’ve seen townships before and knew what to expect, however it is confronting to see how some people are forced to live because of a lack of financial resources. For the fieldwork, I’m linked to a project named the computer center. This center gives people the opportunity to learn computer skills such as writing e-mails, using the internet and Microsoft programs like Word and Excel. My role in this project is not clear yet, however I’m looking forward to contribute.
Besides following lessons and doing fieldwork, there is plenty of time to explore the beauty of this country and having a good time with the other students. This first week we’ve checked out the cafés and restaurants in the neighborhood. So far, C’est La Vie is my favorite hotspot. It is very cozy and the ladies working there are very hearty. Furthermore, we tried the barbecue which is in our backyard and we went to the cinema when the weather was lousy. The cinema was the smallest I’ve ever seen, but really nice though. We were able to flavor our own popcorn, which made it even better. On Friday, a graduation party was organized for all graduates and students from Stenden. The parties over here start earlier than the parties in the Netherlands; mostly at 10 PM. Before the graduation party we’ve visited a house party in one of the biggest houses I’ve ever seen and the owner of the house owned the fattest dogs I’ve ever seen! It was a good party though! Last Sunday we started the day with a champagne breakfast at Sun International Hotel. Since the weather was really good, we stayed at the hotel for the whole day and made use of their swimming pool, which was really nice.
For upcoming weekend a trip to Hogsback is planned. During this trip we will stay in the Amatola mountains. We are planning to do a combo-tour, including hiking, mountain biking and abseiling. Looking forward to it! I’ll keep you posted.
This first week was full of new experiences and meeting new people. This started already at the airport. After saying goodbye to my family and friends on Friday, I left to Schiphol airport on Saturday afternoon. Here I met a friend of mine and together we traveled via München and Johannesburg to Port Elizabeth. For both of us, it was the first time we traveled outside Europe and we were quite surprised by the size of the airplane and all the free food. On the go, we ran into other Stenden students who were also on their way to Port Elisabeth. Here, we were picked up by Stenden employees and brought to Port Alfred.
During my stay I’m living in a house near the beach with 6 other students. From here, we have a beautiful view over the sea and there is a swimming pool nearby. It is getting winter over here but when the sun is out, the weather is lovely. At least, I didn’t brought my bikini for nothing. In the house there are 2 bathrooms (one with a bath, yeah!) and a spacious kitchen, however dinner is provided by school.
From the house, it takes a 10-minute walk to the campus. On Monday an introduction day was organized for all new students and on Tuesday the lessons started. I’m in a class with Dutch and American students. The minor Humanitarian Management II includes fieldwork and therefore we went to the township on Thursday. I’ve seen townships before and knew what to expect, however it is confronting to see how some people are forced to live because of a lack of financial resources. For the fieldwork, I’m linked to a project named the computer center. This center gives people the opportunity to learn computer skills such as writing e-mails, using the internet and Microsoft programs like Word and Excel. My role in this project is not clear yet, however I’m looking forward to contribute.
Besides following lessons and doing fieldwork, there is plenty of time to explore the beauty of this country and having a good time with the other students. This first week we’ve checked out the cafés and restaurants in the neighborhood. So far, C’est La Vie is my favorite hotspot. It is very cozy and the ladies working there are very hearty. Furthermore, we tried the barbecue which is in our backyard and we went to the cinema when the weather was lousy. The cinema was the smallest I’ve ever seen, but really nice though. We were able to flavor our own popcorn, which made it even better. On Friday, a graduation party was organized for all graduates and students from Stenden. The parties over here start earlier than the parties in the Netherlands; mostly at 10 PM. Before the graduation party we’ve visited a house party in one of the biggest houses I’ve ever seen and the owner of the house owned the fattest dogs I’ve ever seen! It was a good party though! Last Sunday we started the day with a champagne breakfast at Sun International Hotel. Since the weather was really good, we stayed at the hotel for the whole day and made use of their swimming pool, which was really nice.
For upcoming weekend a trip to Hogsback is planned. During this trip we will stay in the Amatola mountains. We are planning to do a combo-tour, including hiking, mountain biking and abseiling. Looking forward to it! I’ll keep you posted.
Reageer op dit reisverslag
Je kunt nu ook Smileys gebruiken. Via de toolbar, toetsenbord of door eerst : te typen en dan een woord bijvoorbeeld :smiley
