The final weeks leading up to my departure to Antwerp were jam-packed, exciting and emotional. At first it seemed like the Visa application was the most difficult part of the process, but I soon discovered that packing was. Packing for 6 months with a limited weight of 33kg can be challenging. Not knowing what necessities your room will be equipped with on your arrival was rather scary. My tip would be to always pack less and remember that almost everything you need can be bought or borrowed.
And so the day of my departure finally arrived. The fact that I was leaving for six months had not sunk in until I was sitting at the boarding terminal. It was emotional saying bye to my family, but I had forgotten the power of technology (Skype) and how it can shorten distances! After a long flight I finally arrived in Brussels where I took a train to Antwerp. From there I could have walked to my accommodation but my bags were far too heavy and so I took a cab.
The cab took me straight to my landlord (which happened to be right next to my residence) and there he explained to me all the do and don’ts of the Rodestraat 36/2 building and gave me the keys to my room (22) . My room is great and it had two pillows and a duvet when I arrived. I would recommend packing in a small sleeping bag as a lot of my other exchange friends did not have any bedding in their rooms when they arrived. One of the greatest things about my current situation is that I am extremely well located. I stay: less than a 5 minute walk away from Stadscampus and the library, 10 minutes from the grocer, 10 minutes from central station and the bus station and then a stone’s throw away from many pubs.
For the first week all the new exchange students were kept busy with a whole lot of well organised campus orientation as well as social orientation activities. The university is very exchange student friendly and the members of the International Office are very helpful and quick to respond to all queries. Registration was quick and easy, we were all given our student cards and a form with our login details for the university networks. So far my experience of classes here are very similar to that of Stellenbosch University.
Antwerp is part of the Flemish district of Belgium. Flemish is very similar to Afrikaans and thus fairly understandable at most times. Thus language is not an issue but the cold weather took a while to get used to. Overall I think that I have settled in quickly and comfortably. The most exciting part of my exchange is that I am part of a group of 200 exchange students this year. I have met the most interesting people from all corners of the world and made friendships that will last beyond my exchange.
Experience at the host University:
I decided to choose courses that were new to me and not offered at Stellenbosch University. I enrolled in three courses namely: Business in the European Union, Competitive Strategy and Transport Economics. Classes for each course were once a week and for two hours. The teaching style is very similar to that of Stellenbosch University with the lecturer uploading slides onto the university database-Blackboard (the equivalent of our Webstudies) before each class. My favourite subject was most definitely Business in the European Union as I learnt a lot more than just about the business of the EU but also the geography of the EU. I also learnt a lot of things regarding European laws which helped me immensely during my weekend travels. The Competitve Strategy course consisted of a lot of group work which can sometimes be very challenging especially since majority of your group will consist of complete strangers.
Co-ordinating 5 people’s schedules and establishing a final document in one language (English) can be very frustrating at times. Thank goodness for technology (Google Docs, Google Translate and Dropbox). I learnt a lot of interesting cultural lessons from my group meetings such as the fact that Italian students are ALWAYS late, German students are EXTREMELY precise and American students know exactly how to cheat the system. Similarly to Stellenbosch University the University of Antwerpen also considers plagiarism a serious offense but uses the APA referencing method rather than the Harvard referencing method which Stellenbosch uses. However in the first three weeks of the semester all exchange students are obliged to follow a Heuristics course which elaborates on plagiarism and explains how to apply the APA referencing method. The Transport Economics course was also very interesting because of the fact that the city of Antwerpen is home to the second largest port in Europe.
Textbooks for each course were really expensive but there were many ways to get around purchasing them. The library stocks more than one copy of each courses textbook which can be borrowed. Some of the course textbooks were available online. And if you are quick to contact your lecturers, then they are more than willing to lend you a copy of the textbook. I would say that the student culture at the University of Antwerpen is very similar to Stellenbosch University student culture with the cafeteria’s and lawns filled with students during lunch hour and the library overflowing during the exam period. For most of the courses no tests are written in order to require predicate for the exams. Exams are written by all students. Classes end a week before the first exams are scheduled and the exam procedure is identical to that of Stellenbosch’s. Antwerpen University manages to integrate exchange students comfortably and quickly into the local student culture and university framework. Antwerpen University felt like home within a month and I will miss it. All lecturers and staff were extremely friendly and helpful.
Return:
Returning to South Africa and Stellenbosch University will be a very bitter sweet experience. During my six months in Antwerpen I have built life-lasting relationships. Without a doubt the most valuable part of my exchange is the friends that I made and I will miss them dearly. I feel as if my six months in Antwerpen was not really reality as it exceeded all my expectations and it secluded me from all the problems happening back home in South Africa. Not once did I feel like I was in a life threatening experience when walking alone at night and not once did I fear that any of my belongings would be stolen.
I do however look forward to returning to Stellenbosch University as I am now ready to finish my thesis and graduate so that I can start searching for a job and enter the working world. I did apply for many internships in Europe during my stay in Belgium, but each time I was turned down not because of my academic record but because of my passport. A major difference between South Africans and Belgians is that South Africans spend more hours working compared to Belgians. For instance on Sunday’s major shops and grocers are completely closed in Belgium. And during the week most shops only open at 10:00 am. Also there are no car guards and you pack your own grocery bags at the grocer. Yet Belgium still strives as an economy. In my opinion this highlights a major problem in South Africa – the way in which jobs are created.
I am excited to return home not only to see my friends and family but also to appreciate the landscapes and weather of Cape Town. If only all South Africans could realize how fortunate we are and the amount of potential our country holds with regards to space! I would definitely call myself a proud South African but I do still find myself wishing I did not have to deregister my residency permit. If I had the opportunity to stay longer in Europe I would definitely make use of it, but I would never stop defending my country. In six months I managed to visit ten countries and made memories that I will always treasure. I will never forget this experience and I highly recommend it to all postgraduate students whom have the privilege of offering up some time to explore the world. I learnt a lot about myself and my ability to take on new challenges and adventures. I feel like I am now ready to tackle the real world and the challenges it will throw at me. I am extremely grateful for tis life changing opportunity that Stellenbosch University and my parents granted me. I hope to be successful enough in my career so that I can visit Antwerpen again in my lifetime.
Dankjewel Antwerpen een tot ziens!