Long time no see. But finally I found the time to let you know how my stay in South Africa turned out after the first week. Why only now? Well, read it for yourself.
Last time, I promised to introduce you to another very important word in the South African culture: braai. The first time a South African tried to explain to me what a braai is, it seemed pretty clear to me. Basically, a braai is nothing but a barbecue. But, dear me! Stupid European! I also had to learn that South Africans don’t agree with this comparison. I have to admit: Americans and Europeans probably wouldn’t barbecue on a half barrel, in Winter. “Yeah right, Winter in South Africa”, you might think. But more on that later. South Africa even loves its braai enough to write a song about it: The National Braai Day Anthem.
After my first two weeks in Stellenbosch, I startet to get used to my new life. To Stellenbosch University (with its beautiful campus but tough classes), the “Eikestad Mall” (basically my second home as I had to buy all the things that didn’t fit into my suitcase) and Academia (my actual new home). Academia Residence would be my home for almost 5 months but I didn’t know at this point how much more I would find here: true friends, unforgettable memories and the beginning of the journey of a lifetime.
As a German, it seemed weird to me to stay in a fenced area at first. But once you passed the security gate, this student residence proved to be exactly like the rest of Stellenbosch: Academia consists of lots of white little houses, even more green areas, a student center, the Academia hall and a little necessity shop. Each block has different kinds of apartments; mine consisted of three floors with one living room and four kitchens per floor. The kitchens were shared by two people each, which makes (yes, you counted correctly) eight students per living room. Although my room was tiny and very basic – I had a single bed, a closet, a desk, a chair and a cupboard -, I at least had my own bathroom. To be honest: you can live in prettier and cheaper residences in Stellenbosch. But after my time in Academia I would’t change a thing. Living in Academia means meeting new people every day, never getting the chance to be homesick and being close to everything that’s going on in Stellenbosch. By bike, it never took me longer than 10 minutes to get anywhere.
But August was not only the month I got to know Stellenbosch, it was also the month I started to explore its surroundings. We decided to make our first trip to Cape Town, so we rented a car and spent the whole day walking around Long Street (a must see for every girl that loves affordable boutiques – and for every guy that loves partying. Or the other way around). One day is by far not enough to see and do everything Cape Town has to offer. One advice at this point: Stellenbosch tends to be a bubble. It is very tempting to live your life in Stellenbosch and forget about all the beauty that surrounds it. After your first month, classes and duties will catch up with you, so use every spare second in the beginning to see and feel South Africa.
The university organizes trips to “must sees” in the area, which makes it easy to see things before you know your way around. But don’t be sad if you’re too late (yes, these trips are usually booked out fastly) because you will definitely see all the important places, no matter what. I joined two of these trips: the first one was a day trip to the legendary Cape of Good Hope and to Boulders Beach. Did you know that penguins live in the Western Cape? I didn’t. But I’ve never been closer to a penguin before. On the second trip we went to Robben Island, the island Nelson Mandela was imprisoned on for many, many years. Lots of history and a must see, in my eyes, if one wants to understand the Apartheid history a little bit better.
But I’m running off the track. What else happened? During the “Grape Day Out” (you HAVE to get tickets!) I experienced how South Africa loves its wine. Even at 10 a.m. in the morning. But I also learned to love hiking, as “Academia Adventures” took us on my first hike ever. Stellenbosch is surrounded by mountains – Stellenbosch Mountain and Jonkersheuk are only two possible destinations. Last but not least, August was also the month of the “International Food Evening”. Students from all over the world get the chance to present their local food during this university competition. This year, we tied in with our national soccer team by winning the first place with “Käsespätzle” and so on.
But sometimes pictures speak louder than words…
P.S.: Just so you know, a South African winter is not what you expect it to be. During the day you still get temperatures up to 25°C – just as you would expect it from an African winter. But once the sun goes down, the temperatures drop by 20 degrees. And the sun goes down at six p.m. So, would you be tough enough for a braai in winter?
After surviving the first month, we all ended up being uber busy, whether it was course work, society business or just London in general.
After surviving the first month, we all ended up being uber busy, whether it was course work, society business or just London in general. October and November was filled with great activities and the time just rushed away, we barely managed to stand still for a moment and catch our breath.
The end of October was filled with not one but two great events, just days apart. On the 26th quite a few students attended the Spy Challenge, an event organized by Aisling, Lauren and Max together with Activefootprint Limited.
Our journey began at London Bridge and we got our very own sightseeing tour, not only did we see the most famous sights of London, but we also learned their connection to the secret world of spies.
Once the tour was finished, most of us went to a Pub close by, to let the impressions fade away. Overall an unique experience to sightseeing in London!
On the 30th October a group of MHMK students decided to take a different approach to London, we went out after dark, to capture the beauty of a lightened up London. Our first stop was the famous graffiti tunnel close to Waterloo Station, even Banksy started out there. We even managed to see some artists at work and the group was impressed with the skills that we witnessed.
Once it was dark enough, we explored the area around the London Eye and the House of Parliaments, capturing everything, that seemed interesting. Our trip was accompanied by some great tunes, thanks to the street musicians and we had to stop for a while, to fully enjoy their art.
When we felt, like we’ve taken pictures of everything around us, a few of us decided to head home, while the rest went out to reach the last goal – Primrose Hill.
Primrose Hill is a park only a walk away (a longer walk, so to speak) from Camden, once you climbed up the hill, you’ll get greeted by the best view, central London has to offer. Unfortunately we did not manage to fully capture the beauty of the view, but the image will give you a taste of the real deal. This was our last location, we walked a good 12km this day and were tired and happy once we reached Swiss Cottage.
The last big trip, at least in this blog entry, happened on the 11th of November. This was also the first deadline we had, many of us dreaded the handing in of the first essay, but luckily our trip to Hogwarts eased our minds.
Ever since we arrived in Greenwich, we’ve dubbed it our own personal Hogwarts, but with the Leavesden studios so close, we finally managed to actually see Hogwarts. The 11th was also the first day of Hogwarts in Snow, which meant the Great Hall was decorated for the upcoming season and shined in new splendour.
Once we walked through the great hall (most of us thought that the hall would be far bigger, funny how films influence our perception) and had a closer look at all the nice christmas decoration, the christmas pudding even lightened up on fire, we walked straight past the props for the 4th film, the great christmas ball scene, only to walk right into Hogwarts.
From the common rooms to the classrooms and the Professor’s offices, everything was there, even the kitchen of the Burrow.
The potion’s lab and Umbridge’s office were pretty impressive, then we walked right, past the Ministery of Magic, to see the outdoor props and drink some butterbeer.
The second building held one of the most magical places for us, the Diagon Alley. Pictures cannot capture the magic of the place, walking across all the stores that we’ve seen in the films, it was quite impressive. For a moment we all felt, as if the Harry Potter world was actually real.
The last room showed us the one place, we all wanted to attend, once we were eleven years old. Hogwarts. The castle itself looked majestic, even in it’s small form and we walked around it, taking in every bridge and corner, amazed by how detailed it was and how realistic it looked.
Once we left Hogwarts, we were able to spend a fortune in the gift shop, but after that it was time to say Goodbye. This trip was my favourite one and I am sure most students will agree. The magic of Harry Potter was truly captured in these halls.
