A Blog about Education Abroad

Tag: semester exchange

  • Skye Breeze Petser at Xiamen University, China

    Skye Breeze Petser at Xiamen University, China

    Skye Breeze Petser

    Chinese Hons Student

    Semester Exchange in the Second Semester, 2023 at Xiamen University

     

    Pre-departure:

     

    I won’t sugarcoat it, the months leading up to my departure were rough. There were a lot of problems with my registration to the host university, but I was lucky enough to fight through it all with a fellow classmate who had also chosen Xiamen University. I had chosen Xiamen over the more popular choice of Beijing because I wanted to be closer to the sea and not directly in the middle of a busy and massive city (I’m not much of a city person). I did, however, find out that I would be on Xiang’an campus and not Siming campus which needs to be stated. The visa application was a process because we had to wait for our acceptance documents to arrive from China, but they had been sent through the post and only arrived two weeks before we left during a taxi strike. My nerves were shot by the time I was sitting on the plane. Between booking flights, getting my visa and online registration I was ready to make the most out of my exchange. It was my first time leaving the country and I was so excited to experience what was to come. 

    Skye with a fellow Hons student from Stellies.

    Experience at the Host University:

     

    Unlike the months before I arrived, my experience in China was amazing. I will say the registration and the first few weeks was difficult for us all. I had to run around with fellow students, during a typhoon, to finalise our registration and various other odds and ends. We were trying to get our student cards, SIM cards and bank cards sorted while also figuring out exactly what was going on. 

    Something that I had to get used to in China was the fact that you use an app called Alipay to pay for everything. Many people also use WeChat pay, but a lot of us exchange students couldn’t access WeChat pay, though this wasn’t a problem because you can get by with using Alipay. China also has tons of apps. There is an app for everything, such as buying electricity and using the washing machines in the dorms, selecting food while at a restaurant or even for public transport. 

    It took some getting used to how things worked in China, but it was worth it. Using the metro system or the buses to travel around made transport convenient and affordable. I was able to travel with friends wherever we wanted to go, and it would always cost us around R5 to R20. My friends couldn’t understand why I was so excited about being able to use public transport, but it was amazing to see the possibilities of what could be in my own country. 

    The actual experiences I had at Xiamen University were endless. I met the most amazing people there, from the girls living in my dorm (which only cost me around R1000 for the semester), to the fellow students in my classes, to the Chinese students I met through various activities like archery and even to the workers at my favourite little tea shop which was a five-minute walk from my dorm. The people around me made my experience what it was – sure, I attended classes and did every language elective provided, but I learned so much more outside of the classroom than I did inside.

     

    Skye at Nanputuo Temple

     

    I was able to improve my speaking and listening skills in Chinese by talking to locals, as well as learn so much about Chinese culture that I would never have learned from a textbook. I was invited by a close Chinese friend to stay in her family’s home in Quzhou to celebrate her birthday with her while experiencing more intimate parts of Chinese culture. I celebrated birthdays, Christmas and New Years with different nationalities who shared their own traditions and customs. We tried new foods at the street food market outside the campus’s West Gate or Dong Men. We were smoked out of our dorms by a fire drill at 6am and went for karaoke at night. There were Halli Galli tournaments with shop workers as spectators, picture wars where we became like the paparazzi, as well as becoming Santa Claus while giving foreign friends advent calendars and presents for their first-time celebrating Christmas. I even played badminton in the middle of the pavement for three hours against some friends who needed a break from work. I will never forget that I had all of these adventures while laughing so hard that my stomach hurt.

     

    Return to Stellenbosch:

     

    I’ve been back in South Africa exactly two weeks now and my time in China feels like a dream. To be honest, the actual academic part of my exchange barely crosses my mind. What I remember are the people and the things that we did and saw during those five months. The lessons I learned and the parts of myself that I discovered will forever live in my heart. Going on an exchange means getting uncomfortable and trying new things. I would never have experienced half of what I did or met the amazing people I did if I hadn’t taken opportunities and tried new things. My future has opened up and I’m excited to see where I will go. I know that I’m only better off for having gone on this exchange. One day I will return to China but for now the future is a blank canvas.

  • Karl Voigt at University of Antwerpen, Belgium

    Karl Voigt at University of Antwerpen, Belgium

    Karl Voigt 

    BEng Electric and Electronic 

    Semester Exchange in the Second Semester, 2023 at University of Antwerpen

     

    Pre-departure:

     

    I’m an Electrical and Electronic Engineering student that undertook a semester exchange to the University of Antwerpen in Belgium in the middle of my third year. This was an amazing experience, and I don’t regret going even for a second. However, before committing to a semester exchange, there are a few things to consider. The amount of research and paperwork required to be able to go on this exchange was not only surprising but also a bit overwhelming. While I am luckily enough to have gone to Europe before and was thus aware of some of the intricacies of the visa application process, applying for a student visa has extra requirements.  

    Before applying for a visa, a Police Clearance Certificate (PCC) is needed from SAPS to certify that you do not have a criminal record. However, Belgium also requires that this document be Apostilled by DIRCO. I would highly recommend that you apply for the PCC even before you are accepted for the exchange as current waiting times at both SAPS and DIRCO have become extremely long. If it was not for another student being in the same position as me and going to the Criminal Records Centre in Pretoria in person to explain the situation, I would not have been able to apply for a visa in time. Make sure that you have all the required documents for the visa application process. While it can all seem daunting at first, most visa offices have checklists that you can use to ensure that everything is in order before your appointment.  

    Housing is another important aspect to sort out before your departure. UAntwerpen had the option of applying for housing through the university and I would recommend this option whenever possible. I received placement in a student house. In Belgium this works slightly different than the university dorms in Stellenbosch. The student houses are privately owned and smaller than the dorms we are used to. My dorm had shared kitchens and bathrooms, but individual rooms and was overall quite modern and well equipped. Unfortunately, as with many universities, the engineering campus was separate from the main campus and situated far outside the city centre. While there are housing options closer to this campus, I preferred to be situated closer to the city centre where all the hustle and bustle is. This allowed me to experience more of the culture and make friends from different campuses. 

     

    Karl with friends in one of the dorms

    Experience at the Host University:

    I carefully chose the University of Antwerp due to the courses they had on offer in English to exchange students. While the faculty of engineering was much smaller than Stellenbosch’s, the courses were engaging, and it allowed me to experience different teaching styles and learning environments. Due to the exchange adding an additional year to my engineering studies, I had a lot of freedom regarding my choice of modules. I ended up taking a module about mobile communications, doing a masters module focused on Low Power IOT as well as doing a bachelors project. Both the bachelors project and Low Power IOT module were mostly project based and this allowed me to gain practical insights and skills. 

    The exchange isn’t just a great academic opportunity, but also an amazing way to experience new places, cultures and people. Through my studies I made friends with some locals, but my closest friends were those who stayed in the student house with me. Most of the students in the student house were also on exchange, mostly from other European countries due to the Erasmus exchange program. I can now proudly say that I have close friends in many countries, ranging from Italy to Poland and even China. This allowed me to not only learn about the culture of Belgium itself, but also about all the countries people came from. PS: Belgium might be the inventor of fries, but personally I still prefer some Steers chips (or BP chips late at night).

     

              Pictures from Karl’s travels.

     

    There is no way around it, Europe and especially Belgium is very expensive. Most European countries require some form of proof of financial means to apply for a visa. The easiest way to do this is by opening a blocked account with your host university. You pay the money needed to cover your living expenses into this account beforehand and then once a month the university pays into your European bank account (I would recommend Revolut or Wise as an easy way to open a European bank account). Each country has its own amount that it sees as sufficient to cover your expenses. In my experience, this amount is enough to cover everything from food to rent. 

    I would however recommend that you save some money to use for travelling. Never in your life again will you be able to take a quick 2-hour bus ride to visit Amsterdam or take a train to Paris for a weekend. This ease of travel to so many different cities and countries (thanks to the Schengen visa) made this exchange an unforgettable experience that broadens your horizons. 

     

    Return to Stellenbosch:

     

    Upon returning to South Africa, I had to make sure that I notified the City of Antwerpen of my move abroad. I also had to cancel my medical insurance and Belgium sim card. As part of the engineering exchange, I also need to complete 600 hours of work experience in my industry. This means that the first semester I will be working and then only resuming my studies where I left off in the second semester. It is best to organize this work experience long in advance to avoid any stressful situations upon your return. 

     

  • Monique Brynard at University of Oslo, Norway

    Monique Brynard at University of Oslo, Norway

    Monique Brynard

    MA Social Anthropology

    Semester Exchange in the First Semester, 2023 at University of Oslo

     

    Pre-departure:

    Having missed out on some of “uni life” during the pandemic, I knew that I wanted to go on a semester abroad exchange. Through a process of elimination, I worked through the list of universities that I could visit. I quickly realized that I wanted to go somewhere where I had never been before, somewhere faraway and very different to all that I know. I decided on the University of Oslo in Norway.  

    Upon receiving my nomination for the exchange from Stellenbosch University (SU) and then later receiving my acceptance from the University of Oslo (UiO), I began to plan my trip. I applied for accommodation, checked the semester dates, booked my flights and sorted out my visa application. I made sure to buy a long, down jacket, and some thermal base layers. In the weeks leading up to my departure, I soaked up some extra sunlight and ate plenty of red meat and biltong! I knew that it was going to be a challenge to be all by myself in a foreign (and extremely expensive) place, and I planned carefully so that I would be as prepared as possible.

     

    Experience at the Host University:

     

    I arrived a few days before my orientation program at UiO started, so that I could settle into my new home and find my feet. After a long day of traveling, picking up my keys from campus and getting lost multiple times, I walked into my new apartment. Soon enough, I decided to see if I could get myself some of the basics, as my apartment was pretty much empty. Off to IKEA I went, for my first encounter with the Norwegian currency.  

    The next day, there was some mild sunlight, and I was feeling better. I went straight to my appointment with the police to apply for residence card. I was pleasantly surprised at how friendly the police were! I visited the roof of the Opera house to get an overview of the new city which I would come to love. Later that evening, I attended a Welcome Event hosted by UiO. After the excitement had worn off and the small talk got too much, I successfully found my way home. Bright and early the next morning, I found myself in a very long queue for a secondhand market hosted by the university, where each student was permitted to take one item for free. A pan (with a lid) it was for me! Over the course of the semester, I would be astonished at how many free things I would get. I did find it a bit ironic, how pretty much any household item, clothes, shoes and even food was given away free of charge, but everything that was for sale in Norway was ridiculously expensive. 

     

    Night sky in Norway

    It was a cool summer (almost equivalent to a Cape Town winter!), but I quickly fell in love with the shady campus, state of the art buildings, dense forest areas surrounding the city, vast lakes, fjords and islands, as well as the cute blue trams that could be hopped onto every few minutes at any point in the city. The language was beginning to soften on my ear, and I had gotten used to the initial shock on people’s faces when they heard that I had come all the way from the very tip of Africa!  

    Although everyone was friendly and the university environment was highly professional, I found it exhausting to make actual friends. The Norwegians kept their distance at the beginning and of the 4000 other international exchange students at UiO, it seemed as if everyone was scrambling to meet as many new people as possible. However, after a few weeks, I did make some solid friends with whom I travelled both within Norway and abroad and with whom I will continue to stay in contact with, as we shared such a special and unique time in our lives. I tried my best to make friends with those who were very different to me, as I find it much more interesting that way.

     

    During my time in abroad, I maximized each and every day. I struggled to get into a routine, because I was constantly exploring, meeting friends and getting to know all the corners of my new world. On a personal level, I would say that I grew exponentially. I had to navigate my way through creating a brand-new support system, seeing the sights, keeping up with university work, taking care of myself properly (finding groceries in Norwegian proved to be more difficult than expected!) as well as managing my finances.  

     

    A Forest in Norway

     

    Although I had initially been under the impression that I would receive funding from SU, as well as an external bursary for living expenses, that was not the case. Once I had already accepted my offer at UiO and completed most of the admin around my trip, I found out that the external bursary was no longer available for the partnership between UiO and SU. This complicated my plans, but I was fortunate enough to still be able to go, although it meant that I had to live on a tight budget. The funding from SU just about covered my flights and accommodation, so the rest I had to fund myself. Out of the whole experience, I would say that this was one of the lowlights, and for anyone planning on doing a semester abroad, I would suggest that you ensure that the funding advertised by SU is still available before commencing with travel plans.

     

    Return to Stellenbosch:

     

    When the day of my departure eventually arrived, I was heartbroken. I was sad to leave a city that had become my home, perhaps never to return. I was sad to say goodbye to those that I had come to love over the course of a few short months, but I am certain that at some point in our lives we will make plans to meet again. And then will speak of the reminiscences of the time that we were so incredibly luckily to share, when our paths crossed in a beautiful Scandinavian city. This city will forever have my heart, with its ferries and islands and midnight sun. And merely a few weeks later, its frosty forests, cabins and cinnamon rolls, fairy lights and dark, dark blue skies.  

      View from the public transport