E-mail: m.c.c.kersjes@tilburguniversity.edu
Study Program: bachelor
Exchange semester: second semester 2014
Academic year: 3
Host University: NWU potchefstroom
Country: South-Africa
I.
General Information
The university has three campuses, of which the NWU pukke is the most common one to go to for an
exchange. That one is situated in Potchefstroom, often shorted to Potch. Potch is like a small student
village, and it is very Afrikaans! It is not like Cape Town and Stellenbosch, almost no international people.
The local people are very friendly and interested in foreigners. I lived together with four other girls from the
Netherlands, Sweden, Switzerland and France and we were more or less the only people from overseas.
It made us feel very ‘special’ since everybody was interested in us and always willing to help etc.
We stayed at a house that was located perfectly, in the middle of the campus. Library is 1 minute walk. If
you walk outside campus (the campus is completely surrounded by fences and there are a few gates to
enter) you come across ‘the Bult’ where you can find a few shops, restaurants and bars. Also, on the
campus itself is a sort of pub which is called ‘ the draak’ and that is always nice place to chill and hang out!
Potch is not big but everything you need is there. It’s all walking distance! However, if you are located
outside campus, you should probably buy a bike, although it is not common there to cycle.
II.
Visa procedure, arrival, international office
South-Africa is not the easiest country to get a visa for. You really have to start on time! The South-Africa
embassy is located in the Hague and you have to visit it at least three times. The first time is to receive all
the documents that you have to full in. Make sure that you do that correctly! When I was in line to hand in
mine a lot of people where sent back because of missing documents/wrong data etc. Also, make sure that
you have enough cash with you to pay the deposit while you hand in your documents (I believe it’s around
800 euro’s, and it is not listed on the forms that you receive!). The third time you have to go there is to
collect your visa personally. It can take around 2/3 months to get it (although it took me a few weeks) but
just make sure that you start in time.
Next to that, my contact with the international office over there was very unclear and made me worry a bit.
You do not have to stress if you do not get a reply soon, that is just African time ;-). The lady that works
there is just very chaotic and above all, they are not efficient at all. I would advise you to arrive maximum a
week before your lectures start, that is more than enough.
My arrival itself was okay, I got picked up at the airport and dropped off at our house. If you start your
semester in winter time there, make sure you bring some warm clothes! Although it seems like South-Africa
is always warm, they do not have anything like central heating or something it can be very cold inside
sometimes.
Furthermore, there is no such thing as an introduction week or any introduction activity. There are also no
activities organized by the international office during the semester. At least, there was none when I got
there but I advised them to organize at least one welcome activity, so they might introduce that. It has it
charms to discover everything on your own or with your roommates. Also, the South-Africans are really nice
and they are always willing to help you so you will easily make friends!
III.
Housing
Tip: contact the international office to request a location on campus. The house over there is a bit old, but
it is located perfectly. The other houses are way more luxury but then you have to do anything by bike. You
will have your own room. Also, cleaning ladies and gardeners are a very common thing so you’ve got that
going for you, which is nice ;-).
IV.
Safety
You might have questions about safety. I can ensure that I stayed there half a year and nothing happened.
The only thing is, you should just be a bit more careful than in the Netherlands. I got advised to not walk
alone during nights and to not show off with valuable belongings like an Iphone etc. Things happen and the
crime rate is higher than in the Netherlands, but I did not have any bad experiences at all. Only, be extra
careful when you visit Johannesburg because that is truly a very unsafe city.
V.
Living costs
Mainly, it’s cheap! I paid around 180-200 euro’s a month for renting my room. Especially eating out and
drinks at bars are way cheaper then back home. A beer will cost you mostly around one euro and you can
have a main course for around 4-6 euro. However, groceries at supermarkets are usually around the same
price. Except for meat, which is cheaper in South-Africa.
VI.
Social Activities
Potch is really based on students so although it is small, there is always something to do. Most of students
stay in the so called ‘ Koshuizen’ which you can see as huge ‘dispuut’huizen, since there mostly stay at
least 100 people. They have no mixed koshuizen, only just man or just woman. They also have strict rules
because some are very traditional. You will meet a lot of locals! They will probably invite you to parties,
braais (south-african barbeque) or other activities. The only thing is, it is quite hard to get around since
there is absolutely no public transport. There are some minibuses driving around but we heard not to take
them because that’s quite unsafe. Luckily, the locals always want to give you a ride so no worries about
that.
VII.
Culture and language
As you can imagine, the culture is very different. Potchefstroom is very Afrikaans. It’s a truly hakuna matata
atmosphere, effiency is not something they use often. You have to take the African time in account, which
mainly means that you do not have to be in time. Also, you do not have to expect any quick help, they really
prefer to take their time. In the beginning it can be a bit annoying but you will get used to it very soon.
They braai A LOT. That’s like a South-African kind of barbecue which is more a social event since you
combine it with drinking. If people invite you to a braai, make sure you eat something in advance because
it can sometimes take quite a while before they actually start braaing ;-). Also, rugby is very important for
everybody. They support their team, the Springbokke, as much as possible. Further, you will probably get
involved in ‘sokkie’ which is a south-african traditional dance and literally everbody does that…
The people there are mostly religious (Christian) and sometimes they are a bit narrow-minded, although
they are really friendly and helpful. There are still a lot of people that are racist, which was one of the few
things I did not like about this exchange location. There is still quite a difference between black and white.
In the beginning, I had a lot of discussions about it, but I accepted it more or less in the end. Also, don’t be
surprised to find a lot of drinking and driving! It’s completely normal to do that. That are the only negative
things I can think of at the moment, because furthermore the culture is really relaxed.
South-Africa has 11 official registered languages. In Potch, Afrikaans is the main one. They also speak
English very well. The black people usually speak their mother tongue (for example zutu of zulu or setwana
etc) and English next to that. However, the university is ONLY Afrikaans. All your lectures will be translated
for you, which is quite funny. Afrikaans is similar to Dutch, so we are lucky for that. It is very easy to
understand. If you are interested in it, it is nice to take the course ‘Afrikaans vir Beginners’ to learn how to
speak and use it properly.
VIII.
Academic information
As written before, note that all courses are given in Afrikaans! They provide translation for you so it is mostly
not a problem. Overall, the level of education is lower than at Tilburg University. They have a participation
rate, which is around 50% of your end grade. So it is not the case that you can pass your courses without
doing anything, but it’s easier compared to the Netherlands. Teachers are very nice and even ‘proud’
sometimes that you took their class to follow so they are very willing to assist you if you have questions or
anything. It’s also quite flexible, if you have an exam on a Saturday when you actually are planning a
weekend trip, just go to the teacher so see if you can arrange something. It worked out for me several times!
Extra Tips:
- Rent a car for weekend trips! South-Africa is beautiful and very diverse so there is lots to see! It’s
nice to do some roadtripping. You need an international driver’s license to rent a car. It is very easy
to get one, so do it in advance
- Pin money in big amounts, because you pay an extra fee to take money from an ATM
- If you ever need a ride and there is no friend to help you out, you can call MAG tours as a taxi
service
- Bring some warm clothes for in wintertime
- Check your GGD for all the right vaccinations
- CHILL! Enjoy 