Pre-departure:
As soon as I found out that I was accepted for the summer school, I started preparing. I was about to write exams also so I made sure that I got everything out-of-the-way first so that I could fully focus on my exams. To go to Germany you need a Schengen tourist Visa. On this website (https://www.visa-germany.co.za/) they have provided a document with everything you will need for the visa application. If you aren’t sure of what they mean, you can always call the centre. It’s always better to contact the specific centre that you will be applying at because maybe they do things differently in each centre. I did mine in Cape Town and I only spent about 15 minutes there. It was very easy because I had all the documents and I had called them many times before my appointment to make sure that I had everything I needed for the application.
I really wish that someone had told me this but, since the university only provided 13 nights accommodation, you could actually just book an AirBnB or something for one more week if you wanted to spend an extra week in Germany and just include the confirmation page in your application. No extra forms needs to be filled.
For Germany, you need to set your visa appointment at least three weeks before the departure date.
Right after the university offers you the travel bursary, you’re all on your own. You need to pay the fees to the University in Germany if that is required. Tip: It is cheaper to do it via your bank than via Bidvest (I learned that the hard way). If your bank does not transfer to international accounts, then ask your someone who has an account at ABSA, Nedbank etc. to do it for you.
It is advised that you have at least €100 cash when travelling in case you have troubles with the ATM’s that side. You can change the currency at Bidvest or any other bank. I’m not sure which one is the cheapest but if you have time you can just ask around for quotations. I’d advise you to save as much as possible because you will want to go shopping in Germany. When things are on sale that side, they are on SALE. I also found that with a lot of the shops that we have here in South Africa, like H&M etc. the ones in Germany are a bit cheaper when you convert it to Rand.
The travel insurance company that I used was the HanseMerkur they are really affordable and it was very easy to get it, everything was done online. If you have troubles or are confused about something then you can call the company. It is a German company though so the telephone bill will be high.
Do not forget to weigh your bag before you leave, you do not want to pay extra when at the airport.
Experience at the Host University:
At the Bayreuth University summer school I studied African Studies for two weeks. We had classes from 08:00 until 17:00 everyday for the week and from 10:00 until 16:00 for the second week. That is why it’s advised to go there for an extra week if you want to explore the country, you won’t have much time during the two weeks of classes.
The courses were great and very casual. The classes were small, we were about 20 students I think. In the first week we learnt about Cuba and Brazil and their relation to Africa. Our lecturer was Dr. Geoffroy de Laforcade, a professor of Latin American and Caribbean History at Norfolk State University, Virginia in the United States. In the second week we had: African popular culture – the entanglements of the everyday and our lecturer for that was Mrs. Karin Barber from the University of Birmingham.
Both the lecturers were amazing and they created a very comfortable space for discussions. There were a lot of debates, people from all over the world were in one class and it was interesting to actually listen and see how everyone thinks. It was also interesting to hear how everyone had different viewpoints because of where they came from.
Brazil and South Africa have a lot in common and Cuba and South Africa have quite a history so it was really great to learn more about that.
During the weekend we went to Berlin and it was amazing. Bayreuth University is actually a bit more like Stellenbosch University, because it is also a small town. So going to Berlin was a breath of fresh air because it’s a big city and everyone there is just so free-spirited and doing life in what I call the right way. The night-time was amazing, I didn’t really go to a club, but I heard that they have pretty good clubs. I also had a doner kebab while I was there, L-I-F-E, it was better than the ones in Bayreuth. Everything is just better in the city.
Bayreuth is very beautiful and it’s quite a wealthy town, it looks very posh and green. There is a public swimming pool right next to the hostel we lived in so that was a plus. I’m really glad that we did a summer school and not a winter school.
In Berlin we had a tour guide who told us about the history of the places we went to, that was great, we got to know Berlin a lot better.
Stellenbosch University and the University are quite similar in terms of the fact that they are both in a small town and quite a large chunk of the population of the town are students. But it felt different there because the space was more welcoming than Stellenbosch. And it’s not that people spoke to me a lot, but the simple fact that everyone minded their own business and you I wasn’t looked at as if I didn’t belong. Europe is definitely a few steps ahead of South Africa when it comes to racial integration.
Returning to Stellenbosch:
Returning home was a bit sad, but exciting. I had experienced leaving Africa for the first time and I have heard that traveling overseas changed your viewpoint and makes you see things a lot more differently than you did before. I couldn’t wait to experience that.
I do have some sort of changed mindset of the way I see South Africa. We still have a long way to go. I noticed that in Germany they are very green. People don’t like buying plastics when grocery shopping so they either have their own grocery bags or they just take things without the plastic. Here in SA we’re not there yet.
I also realized that there’s no place like Africa. We might still need to do a lot in terms of having a clean and neat continent and development, but Africa is very special. The cultures, the colours, the languages and just the way of life. I got to appreciate my country a lot more.
I feel like Europe is a lot more welcoming of other cultures than South Africa though. I feel like a Zimbabwean can be a Zimbabwean in Europe and form a Zimbabwean community or have a Zimbabwean wedding for example, without any fear of xenophobic attacks. I feel like everyone has the freedom to be who they are in Europe.
Going abroad has definitely cemented my future travel plans. I had always wanted to continue my studies abroad but I was just not sure if I was going to “fit in” or like it there. Now I know and I’m very excited about the future. I also want to travel more, there is so much a person can gain from travelling.
I now know how life in much more developed countries is like and so when continuing with my future plans I can apply what I saw there and do some things the way they do that side.