Week 2 - Personal Discovery

I am writing this blog in disbelief that we have been here for two weeks already! I’ve realised that sixteen weeks will in actual fact fly by, especially with the sunny weather we have been getting! This week has been very busy, with almost every day bringing a new activity so we were happy to be able to just chill by the pool when the weekend arrived.

Moving to South Africa has been a big change, especially when leaving family and friends at home, however I believe it is a change which has already helped us to re-discover who we are and what we stand for. The opportunity to learn from and interact with other cultures and people makes you question your own point of view and see life from another perspective. At this stage we are well adapted to our new lifestyle in PE. Living in a complex with over 90 international students has allowed us to make friends with people from all over the world, bringing a culturally diverse atmosphere to our experience, which I personally find very enriching!

We have embraced many local traditions including the South African braai (BBQ) which has quickly become the main method of cooking here in Annie’s Cove. Everything from burgers and chicken to vegetables and garlic bread are cooked most days on the braai. There is a great social aspect to cooking together in the open air as it gives everyone an opportunity to get to know each other. We have become good friends with many of the residents here along with the girls from Minnesota next door, and we have unlocked the door between our kitchens to create one flat. We often laugh at each other’s phrases and sayings which usually results in me breaking down my sentences into bite size pieces!

PE is renowned for its great waves and its warm Indian Ocean waters and so on Thursday myself, Lynsey and another friend went for surfing lessons along the beach front. I had never been surfing before and incredibly I got up first time – I was instantly hooked and we together booked five more lessons.

On Wednesday we went on a tour of PE organised by the University. The tour was personally very challenging as we seen firsthand the economic differences which divide the people here – a legacy from the Apartheid era. We were shown how the city used to be split into separate residential areas for white, black and coloured people. Although the Apartheid rule is over, segregation still exists in the form of economic circumstances. It was difficult to see how peoples living conditions can be so contrasting in the one city. We visited a museum in the township which explained the story of the freedom struggle. Possibly the most powerful image from that day is a room full of files containing the details of innocent people killed by the former regime with the label ‘Inquest Findings: No person Liable’. We also spoke with people who were directly involved in the struggle, some of whose stories were very compelling. In the township we visited a new initiative set up by some residents called Red Location Backpackers which is aiming to be proactive and innovative in the community by providing a unique African township experience offering accommodation for up to 120 people. It was personally very inspiring to see how people in that community were coming together to make a difference in an area where crime, unemployment and drug and alcohol abuse rates are so high.

I’m truly enjoying my time here, embracing both the new culture and lifestyle and making friends along the way. Ready for another action packed week!

Glenn

Week 1 - Cultural Mix

Cultural Mix

Our first week in South Africa has been packed with action! Everything from delayed and cancelled flights to meeting new people from all over the world and making new friends has made the first week in Port Elizabeth (or PE as the locals call it) a fantastic experience!

Our adventure was meant to begin with a flight from Dublin International airport to Abu Dhabi to Johannesburg and then on to PE. Instead due to fog in Abu Dhabi we ended up landing in Doha, Qatar (I know, where?) for a few hours first. After watching a few extra on flight movies we flew on to Abu Dhabi where chaos welcomed us in the airport as it had shut down for several hours. After waiting in total for about seven hours in manic queues, and taking full advantage of the free meal vouchers in between we were eventually provided with a hotel in Abu Dhabi for the night which I can only describe as awesome! After another night sleeping over in Johannesburg we finally reached Port Elizabeth and were introduced to our accommodation at Annie’s Cove.  Although our journey was long, we met some cool young South Africans in the airports who we hung out with throughout the trip.

Annie’s Cove is a real mix of cultures, playing home to students from all over the world, from Norway to Germany, to Botswana and the USA. There is also a number of South African students staying here making the off campus lifestyle diverse and culturally rich. We have already had the opportunity to experience some traditional Swedish food when some friends cooked us Swedish meatballs which were delicious! From the first day of our arrival at Annie’s Cove I knew that I was going to enjoy my time living here. PE is known as the ‘friendly city’ and my first week of living here has proven this to be true. PE is also known as the ‘windy city’ and the first few days of rain wind and overcast skies showed me that even Africa gets its occasional share of the ‘Irish climate’. Thankfully blue skies and sunny weather appeared shortly and the sun cream was in use! I have noticed quite a few cultural differences between Ireland and South Africa already. The most striking and possibly the best is the relaxed and easy going atmosphere and way of life. I’ve already adjusted myself to the idea of ‘African time’ where it is okay to be late, although I was fairly well practiced in this at home!

On Friday morning we travelled to the Tsitsikamma Valley for a weekend orientation with the other international students. This was a great opportunity to not only make friends with new people from all over the world but also share in other cultures. Explaining that in Ireland terms such as ‘craic’ did not in actual fact mean drugs and getting used to people using the word ‘pants’ rather than ‘trousers’ proved to be very entertaining. While learning from each other’s cultures we also got opportunities to experience some South African traditions and culture. After a South African meal we got a lesson in traditional African drumming, which created an incredible sound. A lecture on the history of South Africa turned out to be a fascinating insight into what has shaped the country into the ‘rainbow nation’ of today. We were taught how cultural, racial and political differences have been divisions of the past and how as a nation South Africa is working towards and more inclusive future. The story of the unsettled history between black, white and coloured people reminded me in many ways of the troubles of Northern Ireland between religions and political views.

 

The highlight of the weekend was of course zip lining through the Tsitsikamma Valley over incredible waterfalls. This was an adrenaline junkies dream and was a great way to make friends and have fun together. The views were amazing; unfortunately the photos do not do the scenery justice.

I hope you have enjoyed reading my first blog, and I’m sure that there will be plenty of exciting posts to come!

Glenn