Marco Polo Study Abroad Report Study Programme
At the University of Groningen, I study European Languages and Cultures with a focus on English as well as European Politics and Society. For my exchange, I decided to go to South Africa to get a more non-Eurocentric perspective on university education. At the University of Pretoria, I took courses in South African History (The Rise and Fall of Segregation and Apartheid), International Relations (Foreign Policy and Diplomacy), Anthropology (Power and Wealth). All of these courses were very interesting and gave me a lot of new knowledge about South African an African
understandings of politics and economics. They were taught in lectures and some had seminars as well. Attendance was mandatory and counted towards my final marks. In terms of assessment, there were tests; assignments (research papers); and final exams. If you are used to the workload at the RUG, the semester at the UP is very manageable and will allow you to also focus on other things outside of university. Lecturers were very understanding and helpful if you encounter problems during the semester and provided you with assistance. If you missed a few classes because you went travelling, they will most likely show understanding for that too since you were an exchange student.
Language
South Africa has eleven official languages which are Zulu, Xhosa, Southern Sotho, Northern Sotho, Tsonga, Afrikaans, Tswana, Swati, Venda, Ndebele, and English. Despite all these languages, main communicative language is English so you will not encounter any problems. Moreover, you will hear loads of different accents due to the aforementioned amount of mother tongues. At the University of Pretoria, a lot of things are also handled in Afrikaans due to the institution’s history but only a small minority understands that language. If you speak Dutch, Afrikaans is easy to understand.
Finance and Other Conditions
Generally speaking, the costs of living are lower in South Africa than in the Netherlands. However, it also depends on what you do in your everyday life. In comparison to the Netherlands, eating out and ordering food is much cheaper as well as some clothing stores. Doing groceries in one of the fancier supermarkets will cost the same or even more than in the Netherlands. I spent most of my money on food, uber (vital to get from A to B), travelling, and going out. Going on trips can be quite pricey because of the cost of renting a car and accommodation so it is best to save some money before going to South Africa. When it comes to other conditions, it is important to mention that South Africa is the country with the most inequality in the world so you will see people that are very wealthy and areas with an extremely high standard of living and at the same time see very poor people that have to fight every day to survive. Coming from Europe gives you an immense privilege because of your socio-economic background as well as due to the mere fact that you have the Euro as a currency which is much stronger than the South African Rand. So be aware of your economic privilege and reflect on your position in South Africa’s society.
Preparation and contacts with the faculty before, during, and after your stay
When preparing for an exchange in South Africa, the most important aspect is getting your visa. I had a lot of problems with the visa procedure so be sure to start early with getting all the needed documents. The South African embassy in the Netherlands is very busy so making an appointment
at least two months before you leave is advisable. I wish that the faculty would have provided more information and more assistance with the visa procedure. I had trouble with getting all the documents from my host university and was not informed in advance how difficult it is to obtain a study permit in South Africa. Other than that, the faculty provided the opportunity to take part in a webinar that informed students about what to expect in South Africa. During my stay in South Africa, I had contact faculty to change my learning agreement which went smoothly. Moreover, the faculty provided sufficient information on how to handle things once I got back to the Netherlands and was always accessible when I had questions.
Housing
I lived in a student residence with other exchange students which was a lot of fun and made making new friends very easy. The residence consisted of multiple houses, a laundry house, a tv room, a small swimming pool and areas to relax outside. We were fifteen girls in our house which was divided into two floors with a kitchen and two bathrooms on each floor. Everyone had their own room with a single bed, a sink, a closet, a desk and chair. In addition to that, linen and pillows were provided. There was also a heater in case it got cold at night. The standard of living was good and we even had a cleaner that came in on weekdays which made our lives even easier. If you do not like noisy houses, then I would suggest living somewhere privately since student residences can be quite loud. The residence is protected by guards and has a fingerprint system to enter the premises.
Culture
It is very difficult to describe the “South African” culture in such a short report like this. As mentioned before, there are more than 10 different official languages and even more unofficial languages. Hence, there are also as many different cultures. Generally speaking, South Africans are more laid back than Europeans and are quite open to making new friends. One thing that is almost universally seen as South African is a so-called “braai” which is a barbecue with friends and family, music, drinks, and just about having good time. Furthermore, people overall try to overcome racial divides and fulfil the country’s idea of a “rainbow” nation but due to the gravity of South Africa’s history this is still facing difficulties. The society is still often divided based on one’s ethnicity and therewith socio-economic backgrounds. As a visitor, I was surprised how much of an influence Apartheid still has on South Africa’s present society and quickly realised that equality is a goal that will not be fulfilled in the near future.
Free time
In my free time, I mostly met up with the new friends I made. I also spent a lot of time at home with the other exchange students. We had a nice public swimming pool just around the corner from our residence and went there regularly. Moreover, we went to karaoke every Tuesday, often went to the cinema and visited the university’s gym sometimes. In Pretoria, there are some cool markets to go to that offer a variety of food and drinks. Other than that, I really enjoyed spending my time at the University of Pretoria’s campus as there are many cafes and very good places to eat at.
Travelling
During your exchange at the University of Pretoria you will have plenty of time to travel.
Immediately after arriving, a lot of exchange students and myself already went on our first trip to
the Drakensberg which is one of the most famous mountains to hike. We rented cars and booked a hostel and just went on our way. After that, I travelled to Byde River Canyon and Durban for a weekend each. The longest trip whilst in South Africa was during our September recess and we drove along the Cape Coast from East London all the way to Cape Town. South Africa has an abundance of beautiful nature and breath-taking views, sometimes so beautiful that it seems unreal. The location of Pretoria also allowed me to go to Johannesburg regularly due to its proximity. Additionally, I went to Botswana whilst being on exchange as its capital is only a six- hour bus ride away. After my exchange, I went on a huge Africa tour with a friend I met in Pretoria and we went to Swaziland, Mozambique, Malawi, Tanzania, and Zanzibar. We did everything with minibuses which was super adventurous and one of the best experiences I ever had. As becomes clear, travelling was the highlight of my exchange semester in South Africa!
