Derik at UNCC

Pre-departure:

Following your dreams is not something that just happens, as one might assume. Following your dreams comes with a lot of individual challenges and obstacles along the way. This is definitely how I would explain my pre-departure experience. There was nothing easy about it and nothing went the way I thought it would, but I would not trade this experience for anything and I would encourage anyone who wants to do this, to just go for it, no matter how challenging it might be! When I first started with the process of applying for this Exchange program it was encouraged with a lot of enthusiasm from everyone involved. As an Education student, I am the first one to ever go on exchange, and this presented the first few obstacles. However, with the help of the International Office in Stellenbosch and also the amazing help from the International Office in Charlotte, I was able to have my classes match up with the requirements set by the Faculty of Education. Applying for my visa was something else that concerned me before I left, but this was the easiest part. The application was really straightforward and easy to understand and once I went to my appointment the interviewer was really friendly and helpful.

Duration in Charlotte:

I left South Africa on the 26th of December, to be here for orientation, which started the 2nd of January. The first weekend I was at the University of North Carolina – Charlotte, I spent my time getting to know the other exchange students and familiarizing myself with campus. Our official orientation program started the 5th of January. We had information sessions during the day to help us know where to find the things we need and how we can contact the different people in charge on campus. My first month here was quite an experience. It was a lot of learning, in terms of how to move around off campus. UNCC is not directly inside Charlotte and to get downtown you need to take a bus from campus. It took a few tries to do this successfully and actually get to where we wanted to go.

However, this is a learning curve, which one eventually gets the hang of, and once you know how to use the transportation here, everything becomes easier. The majority of my first month here was spent trying to find the best grocery stores and just adapting to the different lifestyle here. Thankfully – South Africa and America is a lot more similar than people realize, or would like to admit, making the transition and settling in much easier and smoother than it could have been.

Academically this was a great experience. The way your classes are set up, depending on your degree, usually prevents you from having more than 3 or 4 classes a day. A lot of times students will have night classes, due to the amount of times a class is offered throughout the week. I thrived academically and learned a lot from being there. I learned from some of the best and am very excited to see how I will be able to use the knowledge I acquired there, here. The way that UNCC presents their classes are similar to Stellenbosch, the only differences are that classes can be at night and that some classes are 2 hours and 45 minutes. The usual lengths of classes are 1 hour and 15 minutes, but then you will have that class twice a week. If you have a 2 hour and 45 minute class, you will only attend that class once a week.

Re-Entry:

Leaving Charlotte was really difficult. I made wonderful friends there and I was able to settle down and establish a temporary home. So, coming back to South Africa was a challenge. This however was not my first time re-entering the country after being away for more than 6 months. I believe however, that this time around it was easier. I knew that my family was here waiting for me and I was excited with the prospect of coming back and graduating in the near future.
My experience abroad changed the way that I look at life in South Africa. I have come to the conclusion that South Africa has so much potential and that we can be great, but we as a country are not making use of that at all. I would say that this is the “culture shock” and difference on returning to South Africa.
My exchange experience definitely created a desire in me to move back and settle down permanently in the USA. I am hoping that I would be able to go back for a longer exchange and somehow find a way to stay in America.