Pre-departure:
The preparation for the exchange program was a lot of effort, but once I returned it all seemed like minor detail. It is worth it! My stay at TU Delft was only 3 months and not the usual 6-month exchange. The shorter stay is possible because subjects are taken in a quarter of a year and not a semester. It is possible to stay for 2 quarters, most international students did it that way. I chose the shorter exchange, because I wanted to return and work on my thesis.
The short stay also allowed me to obtain a Schengen Visa. This Visa allowed me 90 days in the Schengen area, my stay in The Netherlands was 88 days in the end. The Dutch embassy has a very good website, all information required for the visa application can be found there. For the Schengen Visa I was required to present proof of accommodation for the full stay and an amount of cash in an account per day. This was quite a challenge as this amount was about R 57 000 in the end.
Rent in The Netherlands is quite expensive, anywhere from 400 to 600 Euro for a bachelor’s flat. It was also difficult to find a place for only 3 months. Most of the other students used a service called DAWU, but most of them were unhappy. Some of them didn’t have warm water for the first month due to construction (it was winter!). In the end, I decided to do volunteer work at the hostel in town, doing some cleaning and desk work for my stay. It worked very well for me as I could spend my evenings working on my thesis and manning the front desk. I would not recommend this if you wish to travel a lot or have a lot of work at the university.
I took 2 big check in bags with me and my laptop backpack as hand luggage. The 2 check in bags were definitely too much, I packed a lot of clothes that did not even leave my bag during my stay. It was cold and wet in February, but nothing too bad for a Stellenbosch student. I do not think gumboots and ski underwear is necessary. A pair of sturdy walking boots was all footwear I took with me and it was perfect.
I purchased my flight ticket and travel insurance from the Flight Centre in Eikestad mall. It was very quick and simple. I flew with Emirates and had a stopover in Dubai to and from Amsterdam. The stopover was 7 hours on the way to Amsterdam, which is not fun at all! On the return journey, it was only 2 hours.
The university does provide a shuttle service for arriving students on the designated date of arrival. I arrived a few days earlier and had to get to Delft on my own. At the airport, I followed the signs to the train office, where I asked the very friendly lady to help me. I purchased a OV Chipcard for 7,5 Euro and loaded credits on this card. This allowed me to get on and off any train in The Netherlands. The lady printed a map of which trains I should take to get to Delft. It was very simple and they are always willing to help.
Experience at Tu Delft:
TU Delft is a very impressive university by any standards. The communications from the university made the first week very easy for all the international students. The introduction program during this first week was well-developed, it was clearly not their first rodeo. This first week allows you to meet a lot of new people from all over the word and it is not to be missed. The first week of orientation was also a lot of fun. I was working on the group project with five international students from four continents!
I was initially taking 3 courses focused on geotechnical and pavement engineering. After attending the courses for the first week, seeing how they could help me with my thesis, I decided to change my subjects. I went to see one of the professors in the pavement department to find out if I could arrange a temporary study leader to help me with my thesis. The professor was very friendly and was more than willing to help. I arranged that he and my study leader come into contact to come to an agreement concerning the matter. The 2 profs ended up knowing each other quite well and arranging this change was made very easy.
I spent the next 2 months working very hard on my thesis with the new professor and attending the masters subject. The subjects at TU Delft are focused on understanding and using what was learned during class in practical projects. Luckily there was no exam time for me, but the projects for the subject was quite time-consuming. It was very nice not to have to write an exam! The thesis work and the additional projects were all done from the university library or the pavement labs (some software was only available on the computers in the lab). The laboratory facilities are fantastic, the PhD students were very willing to give me a few tours of the different studies they were doing.
It was quite a walk to get to the university, taking 20 to 30 minutes each way. Therefore, getting a bike would help a lot. There is a small company in Delft, called Swapfiets, who rent bikes to exchange students for 10 Euro a month. This was definitely the cheapest option and with the least risk, no selling a bike when you are done, they simply pick it up.
While staying in Delft I made contact with one of the town’s rugby clubs; RC Delft. I went to watch one game and drink a beer, before I knew it I was on the field with them.
The rugby was not on the South African standard, but the “gees” was amazing. The day before I left the Netherlands I went with the rugby club’s end of season Amsterdam day, which is a very unique experience to say the least.
Return to Stellenbosch:
Before leaving Delft, I made sure that everything was in order with the international office. In certain cases, there are documents that need to be filled in before you leave the host university. I also made an appointment with my part-time study leader to discuss further ideas and to say goodbye. I made a plan to have a few farewell beverages with the friends I have made and on the last day I went to see all the little things I still wanted to do.
The return journey was simple enough, exactly the same process as before just in the other direction. Once again, I took 4 copies of every travel document with me, one in each of my bags and one on me. Arriving in South Africa was a mixture of nostalgia and exhaustion 29 hours later. It was very good to be back home and to speak Afrikaans again. The first night was straight to the braai! The weather was perfect for the first two weeks, which was more than I had in the Netherlands (that’s what you get for going in winter).
It was good to be back, but it did feel like I have missed out on a lot of activities and the happenings with my friends. Some things changed in the time I was away and it took a few weeks until everything felt back to normal. Once I was settled with the friends and the girlfriend, things quickly went forth as if I was never away.
Once I settled in back home, I really started to miss the Netherlands and the friends I made there. It is a fantastic country with the friendliest people. The Dutch are known to be a rude nation, but I think that is a misunderstanding. They simply tell the truth and do not beat around the bush. That is one of the best lessons I learned from my time in Delft.
Being able to go on a three-month exchange, rather than a six-month exchange, was the main factor allowing me to go to Delft. This was due to time I had to spend on my thesis back home and financial considerations. However, I do feel that this was not enough time to fully experience the country and its people. To future exchange students I would definitely recommend pushing for the six-month exchange. This is a great opportunity for academic and emotional growth and I am very grateful to everyone who made it possible.