A Blog about Education Abroad

Author: elanaryklief

  • Michaela Spence at the University of Adelaide, Australia

    Michaela Spence at the University of Adelaide, Australia

    I was elated to hear that I had been chosen by the SU International Office to attend a Summer School course at the University of Adelaide. Travel presents a wonderful opportunity to learn from other cultures and develop one’s perspective of the world while having plenty of fun along the way, so I knew that my month in Australia would be a memorable experience.

    Pre-departure

    While it is easy to become preoccupied with impending exams before your departure, early preparation is essential for a stress-free application process. Flights tend to be cheaper if booked further in advance, and it is worth trying to find the best deal, as getting to Australia is quite pricey. Summer School students who will be studying for less than three months need only apply for an ordinary tourist visa, through the VFS Global Agency on Long Street in Cape Town. While applicants are encouraged to upload their application online on the Australian Home Affairs website, I would recommend rather submitting a paper application in person at the VFS office, as this enables you to choose the time and date of your appointment on the agency website, and have your biometrics taken during the appointment. If you apply through Home Affairs, you are given a pre-determined appointment time that might not suit your exam schedule! The agency is extremely busy, so book your appointment as soon as possible, provided that you have sufficient time to compile all of the required documents. While it is bound to be a bit of a mission, I found the visa application process to be straight-forward. It is an electronic visa, so you can keep your passport after the appointment, and my visa was granted within two weeks. Everyone at the International Office is very helpful; don’t hesitate to ask for assistance if you need it.

    Be aware that the Adelaide term dates differ significantly to Stellenbosch, so most of the Summer School courses run when the Stellies semester has already begun. Make arrangements to miss a couple of weeks of varsity in Stellenbosch or be careful to choose one of the earliest courses. Stellenbosch University is ahead of the game in more than one way, particularly when it comes to admin and setting course dates – Adelaide University only release the final Summer School course dates in the first week of December, by which time you are likely to have booked your flights and accommodation. Make sure that you book flexi-flights which can be changed, in case the dates of your course are altered. Remember to pack a travel plug adapter as well as a two-prong adapter to charge electronics, and make sure you have your student card with you, to qualify for the concession prices on the excellent public transport systems.

    I am fortunate to have old school friends living in Adelaide, so I chose to arrive a couple of weeks early to spend time with them and thoroughly explore the city and surrounding areas. Even if you don’t know anyone at your destination, I would recommend arriving early to make the most out of your journey before academics begin, and to recover from jetlag. The eight-hour time difference is no joke!

    Time in Adelaide

    As we descended towards Adelaide airport, the pilot commented on the spectacular view of the South Australian coastline. Gazing out of the window at the beauty of the fiery orange sunset, I couldn’t help but think of the rampant bush fires and the devastation that the country is experiencing. Fortunately, the city itself has thus far been safe, but in the surrounding hills the ground is black and charred. Something that struck me during my stay was the resilience of many people during this difficult time and their willingness to band together to support those who have lost everything to the fires, and those who are risking everything to fight the fires.

    Adelaide is a friendly, cosmopolitan city that has much to offer. During my time there, I went hiking in Waterfall Gulley, strolled along the River Torrens, and scaled Mount Lofty. I wandered the Botanic Gardens and snoozed on park lawns, looking up at the patterns that the branches of the Honey Locust trees made against the sky. I explored the outer-lying country settlements of the Barossa Valley, which is only a bus ride away. I visited the Whispering Wall and endlessly browsed second-hand bookshops. Adelaide boasts pristine, calm beaches which are well worth visiting, as long as you are on the look-out for jelly fish and sunburn! Watching the sunset from Semaphore Beach was one of the highlights of my stay. The Central Market in the city is an eclectic meeting place of cultures, as well as a good spot for student-friendly meal or grocery prices. I experienced an authentically Australian evening with newly made local friends and enjoyed the live music of buskers in the streets.

    The Summer School course which I attended was Advanced Australian Constitutional Law. It allowed me to expand my international legal perspective and to conduct a comparative analysis between jurisdictions. The seminars were presented by several renowned professors, as well as some guest lecturers who are experts in their respective fields. It was interesting to hear from High Court barristers who are involved in current cases which will have significant implications for Australia’s implied freedom of speech, and to learn from former judges who witnessed the country’s Constitutional crisis which spanned the previous century. The course was very participation-orientated, and it was structured to facilitate a great deal of discussion and debate amongst the students. As well as writing three assigned essays, I was required to choose a topic for a research thesis, and to present my research proposal to the rest of the class. I opted to discuss the lack of an environmental protection clause in the Australian Constitution, and to explore to what extent this lack of direct environmental protection fails to align with contemporary Australian values. Approaching this research from my home Constitutional perspective provided interesting insight. The South African Constitution is relatively new, and it entitles all people to a protected environment which is not harmful to their well-being. In contrast, the Australian Constitution was drafted long ago in 1901. Thus, many important rights are missing from its provisions and have to be indirectly implied by the courts. Attending the course has augmented my understanding of the law, both in my home legal system and in the international sphere.

    Returning to South Africa

    I have traveled extensively in my life, yet touching down on South African soil never fails to instill in me a sense of immense gratitude to be returning to the land I call home. However, one can easily become disillusioned with the state of our country. Driving back to Stellenbosch, I am once again confronted with despicable inequality. It is undeniable that South Africa is rife with issues which desperately need to be addressed.

    Upon reflection, spending time with people from different walks of life in Australia has reaffirmed for me the knowledge that the grass really isn’t always greener on the other side. All nations face difficulties. South Africa’s difficulties and past injustices are extreme; they will never disappear. I hope that this, rather than driving people away, will make people want to stay and be a part of progress. I met someone on the aeroplane who was returning home to South Africa for the first time in nine years. When Table Mountain appeared in the distance, he had tears in his eyes.

    Should the opportunity present itself, I look forward to continuing to explore the world. But I know that South Africa will always be the place that I call home. Our natural environment is exquisite and diverse, our people are lively and resilient, and our culture is a wonderfully dynamic, growing amalgamation of vibrancy. South Africa has soul.

  • Marion Kretzschmar at Reutlingen University, Germany

    Marion Kretzschmar at Reutlingen University, Germany

    In December 2017, which was the end of my third year of my bachelor’s degree program in Industrial Engineering, I started to conduct some research about Stellenbosch’s partner universities in Germany.  My dream was to either complete my full masters at a German university or at least attend one semester.  Throughout my research, I coincidentally stumbled across Reutlingen University.  This university works in close collaboration with the Industrial Engineering department, offering a relatively unique opportunity for the master’s students:  a double degree program.  The Digital Industrial Management and Engineering master’s program is an exchange program where students have the opportunity to attend three semesters at their home university and one semester as an exchange student at the host university (German students would come to University Stellenbosch and the South African students would go to Reutlingen University).  In my view, this was a WIN-WIN situation, as I would be able to commence an exchange semester, while also receiving an additional master’s degree from a European university as well as one from Stellenbosch.

    Pre-departure

    Fortunately, I have a European Passport, which spared me from the tedious Visa application process.  Since I am also an international student at Stellenbosch, I was relatively well prepared regarding the application and registration process in a foreign country.   With help from our German study coordinator from Reutlingen, the application process was relatively simple.  He also put us South Africans in contact with the Reutlingen International Office (RIO), who contacted us regarding the accommodation.  We were lucky enough to apply for the student dormitories, situated directly on the campus grounds.

    Once I was accepted, I started conducting my research about the university.  One disadvantage was that the program we enrolled for is a very small degree program, and therefore only limited information could be found on the university website.  However, the German study coordinator was very helpful and helped a lot with all the arrangements in Germany.  He also informed me about all the different documents I need for the registration process at the university at the beginning of the Semester.  Surprisingly enough, even though Germany is a first world country, no documents are accepted in a digital format, only as a hard copy.  Luckily, throughout my past five years at University Stellenbosch, I have found it to be very useful to keep a digital backup of all documents, but also a file containing all the hard copies of all the documents that might be required by the university.  Through this, I was able to handle all unplanned and unforeseen situations successfully and seamlessly.

    The admin part aside – now the actual travel arrangements had to be done.  Since I was not entirely sure when my semester in Germany would start nor end, I only booked a one-way ticket to Germany.  I was lucky, and for me, it worked out relatively well regarding the pricing and time, but I would recommend to all the future exchange students to rather book a return ticket and also do it far in advance as it will, most likely, turn out cheaper.  It now seems like a girly thing to say – but packing turned out to be rather challenging.  One piece of advice – don’t bother to pack too much of your South African wardrobe – you won’t be able to use them.  Rather buy a nice winter jacket and a pair of boots in Germany, as they are geared for such temperature drops.

    Experience at the Host University:

    As I mentioned earlier, I am an international student at Stellenbosch as well, so I am used to being far away from home.  Therefore, the far distance from home did not bother me at all.  An additional advantage was that I also speak German fluently, so I did not experience any language barriers at all.  When I arrived in Reutlingen for the first time, thanks to google maps, I found the university very easily, without experiencing any problems.  I have arranged a meeting with the study coordinator in advance, who assisted me with the registration process as well as the key collections for the dormitories.  He showed me around the campus and also informed me about the different courses I will need to attend in order to meet the prerequisites of the program.

    Stating with the accommodation, I lived in a relatively new and modern building, directly on campus.  I shared a kitchen and two bathrooms with five other international students, two of them being the other South Africans attending the same course as me in Reutlingen.  We did a lot of different activities together, such as hiking, visiting different Christmas markets, or attending various events organized for the international students.  The university did not only offer events for international students, but also for the local students to join.  This made it very easy to meet new people.

    The academic courses that I attended were mainly focused on the new topic Industry 4.0 – digitisation, digitalisation, and digital transformation.  The classes were relatively small, ranging from five to twelve people per session.  Because I was enrolled in a double degree program, I was put in contact with one of the German professors, who became the co-supervisor of my master’s thesis.  He assisted me with my research project.  The courses were very interesting and informative as the subject matter is directly related to my research topic.

    As expected, because of the exceptionally well-functioning public transport system, traveling has been made very easy.  I have purchased the Naldo semester ticket, which is a ticket you purchase once-off and can travel throughout the surrounding areas without additional costs.  For longer distances, I would recommend Flixbus or BlaBlaCar.  Reutlingen has the advantage that it is situated relatively convenient – Stuttgart and Heidelberg are very close, and Munich is not too far away either.  Furthermore, Switzerland, as well as Austria, are also travel destinations, I would recommend to everyone, especially if you would like to have the full winter wonderland experience.  There are a few shops and pubs to visit in Tübingen, which is only 10 minutes by train and has a great nightlife.  It reminded me a lot about Stellenbosch, as it is also a rather smaller city and very student oriented as the whole city mainly consists out of the university.

    Return to Stellenbosch:

    Once I came back to South Africa, I had to make use of my car again in order to get somewhere further away.  The accessibility of long-distance locations is definitely made so much easier in Germany with public transport.  However, I have missed our beautiful Stellenbosch, the fact that all shops and clubs are within walking distance away from the university and my flat, my friends, our campus and also the beautiful Winelands and mountains.  I am grateful that I had the opportunity to go to a foreign country, meet new friends, widen my network, and also experience some kind of personal growth as well.  I have learned to be more open towards meeting new people and also not being too shy to ask for help if needed.

     

  • Melissa Crouch At Polytechnique Montreal, Canada

    Melissa Crouch At Polytechnique Montreal, Canada

    My Polytechnique winter internship experience

    By Melissa Crouch (MEng, Civil)

    Pre-departure (April – December 2019)

    My pre-departure experience started with my study leader asking me if I was interested in going to do an internship in Montréal at the end of my masters. Thinking I had to go directly into the workplace, I said no. Fortunately for me, my study leader is persistent and a month or so later he asked again. Realising this was a once in a lifetime opportunity and that boring ol’ work can wait, I said yes! I waited for the applications to open and started to apply. There was, however, one minor barrier, I was technically finishing my masters in 2019 and the internship was for 2020. I was lucky to have many people working to get me to Montréal and through some technicalities we made a plan and my application was submitted, and a couple months later accepted. I was so excited to be able to leave the continent of Africa for the first time and to experience what it really meant to be freezing. The Montréal pre-departure logistics were slightly easier for me as I have a British passport and so I did not need a visa which meant no consulate drama for me.

    Due to some other university connections in Sheffield, England, I had the opportunity to go visit England on my way to Montréal. This meant I left 5 weeks earlier than expected. I finished my masters, all other university work I needed to do and got home with 12 days to sort out all the minor last minute logistics. There is so much you don’t think about when travelling internationally for the first time – travel cards, money, health insurance, international sim cards, suitcases, backpacks and so much more. Getting my laptop that was in for repairs and a new phone (which got stollen 4 days before leaving) less than 24 hours before I was flying out was definitely cutting it fine. I decided to travel for 2 months in the USA and Europe after my internship, this meant I had to pack for two seasons. I definitely do not help the female stereotype when it comes to overpacking. However, with many hours of packing December 7 came and I was ready to leave for England. I spent my first Christmas away from home, spending it with a bunch of South African expats. We made a very traditional South African Christmas lunch, with malva pudding to end, which made it feel a little more like home.

    After some time at the university of Sheffield and then a small holiday in London over Christmas and New Years it was the beginning of January and I was ready to go minus another 20 something degrees to snowy Montréal. I did some serious repacking and ending up with one less suitcase (I originally had 2 suitcases and a backpack – this is not advisable when trying to travel alone). My flight to Montréal was fairly uneventful except that I managed to catch a cold. Even though I didn’t need a visa to enter Montréal, I needed to go through immigration as I was considered a worker in Montréal and needed to get a visitor’s record so I could get paid. Montréal immigration is not quite as bad as you see on boarder security, however, it was a long process with much waiting. I suggest if someone is going to pick you up from the airport, they should wait at least an hour and a half after your flight lands just for the immigration process. The only benefit of waiting so long in immigration was that my bags were the only ones left on the conveyor belt when I eventually got to picking them up!

    My first impression of Montréal was WHITE! There was snow everywhere, having only seen snow once as a young child this was a first-time experience and boy was it a crazy one. I walked out of the airport to meet the host of the Airbnb, where I stayed for my time in Montréal, who was so graciously fetching me from the airport to be greeted with -15˚C, another first. My five-minute wait bundled up in every layer I owned showed me what I was in store for over the next 3 months.

    My first weekend settling in was one shock to say the least. I had a caught a cold and so getting food and figuring out the lay of the land proved a challenge. I was so blessed to have an extremely hospitable Airbnb host who gave me medication and took me around town showing me everything I needed, really helping me feel more at home.

    What I got up to during my internship

    I started off my internship with an orientation day which was incredibly useful as we got shown around the whole building and got useful tips on budgeting, where to go grocery shopping, the best places to visit and so much more. Another benefit was meeting all the other interns which was comforting when seeing a familiar face around.

    After sorting out the prerequisite admin and meeting of my supervisor, who was great, I started with my work. The work I had to do required me to collaborate with the City of Montréal (the municipality). It turns out even municipalities in first world countries work with the same efficiency as South African municipalities. Relying on other people to help with data collection proved to be a tedious and frustrating process. I did, however, get to collect data all over the Island which allowed me to see parts of Montréal I would never have gone to see. The houses in Montréal are, in general, smaller than South African houses but are beautiful as they are often old and thus made of stone or designed in a very quaint manner.

    The best part of the internship, however, was not the work, it was exploring the city of Montréal. The university had set me up with another student who had been on an exchange to Stellenbosch a couple of years prior to my exchange whom I became friends with. We ate lunch together, explored the campus and often went out and ate one of the many delicacies that Montréal had to offer. Most importantly was my first ever Poutine experience, it truly is the perfect comfort food for the winter. I also made friends with my Brazillian brother and sister housemates whom I spent most weekend exploring Montréal with. We went ice skating, explored the underground city, the old port and so many other areas of the city. Obviously, solo adventures were common with walks up Mont Royal and many days spent getting lost in the streets of the city. The cold often hindered long outside adventures, but with the correct clothes a few hours outside was easily doable.

    I wouldn’t be doing the reader justice if I didn’t make a comment on some of the differences between Montréal and South Africa. Firstly, the cost of living and food was surprisingly comparable to South Africa; being a money wise person I was able to easily live off of the small allowance we were given by the university. However, eating out is particularly expensive in comparison to what we are used to in South Africa. In terms of the weather, having never travelled before and having grown up in Durban this was truly a completely new experience for me. I personally loved the snow and walking around when it was -5˚C and lightly snowing was incredible. However, simple tasks like taking out the rubbish or walking to the shops quickly required layers upon layers and heavy shoes. I also found it hard to be outside for hours on end as I got too cold even with all the layers. I also slipped on the ice a number of times which left a few bruises. Even with loving the snow, I personally don’t understand why someone would want to live in a country where they have to dig out their car every time they want to use it and can very easily get snowed into their house. One of the great things about Montréal is that it is extremely safe. There was never a time where I felt I had to look over my shoulder or worry about where I was going or if I needed someone to walk with me which was a nice relief from the stresses of SA.

    The hardest adjustment, however, for me was the language barrier. Montréal makes up one of the biggest French speaking populations in Canada. I was aware of this fact going into the exchange and I had spent some time getting to the know the basics of French, however, everything I read told me not to worry because everyone spoke English. Even though, it is true that most people in Montréal speak English, due to historic, cultural and pollical turmoil many people are averse to speaking English. It is also extremely hard to find signs in English, due to language laws in Quebec. The combination of the constant bombardment with French and no English signs made navigating Montréal an extremely frustrating and lonely experience. By the end of my time there I was excited to leave French Canada and head to the English areas where I wasn’t looked at skew for not being able to speak French.

    Post Internship

    As I previously stated, I had planned to travel after my internship. Therefore, during my time in Canada I had set up my travel plans, I was going to Vancouver, Victoria and Niagara Falls and then to the USA travelling through to Disney World. During my time in Canada I had also acquired a job in Ireland and had to adjust the end of my travel plans such that I could start my job. Having paid for my flights and most of my accommodation I was exciting about my future travels. However, it started to become abundantly clear through February and March that this virus that had been taking over China was starting to take over the world. After many long phone calls with my parents at the end of March it was decided that I needed to cut my time in Montréal short and get home ASAP. Within 36 hours of deciding I needed to come home I was on one of 3 very empty flights to Johannesburg, which couldn’t have been sooner as Mr Ramaphosa had just announced that the nation wide lockdown would start in 3 days. My last flight to Durban had been cancelled but fortunately my sister was travelling home from Potchefstroom and came and fetched me on the way. After 48 hours of travelling I arrived home a day before the nationwide lockdown, a blessing that took a couple of months to realise. The adjustment to life back home was to some degree easier than I had expected, I supposed facing a global pandemic changes your perspective considerably. I was grateful to be home and safe and with my family. Over time it set in that I was missing all the many travel plans that I was so excited about which was upsetting, however, knowing what everyone is facing with the pandemic I am still grateful to be safe and home, travels can happen another time.