WALKING ON A DREAM - a South African Experience
‘It always seems impossible, until its done.’’ Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela
General information
E-mail:
Study Program:
Exchange semester:
Academic year:
Host University:
Country:
a.oukhiar@tilburguniversity.edu
MSc Organisation Studies
Jan – June 2015
2014-2015
Stellenbosch University
South Africa (Western Cape)
University
Stellenbosch University is one of the main three Universities in the Western Cape region. With
approximately a 40-minute drive removed from the hub of Cape Town city center - scenic mountains
and magical wine farms surround Stellenbosch University. Stellenbosch itself is a small town, but
consists everything you need for your daily activities as a student (i.e. cozy coffee places, bars
restaurants, malls, sport centers and so forth). The University is closely located toward the city center,
with its huge campus – where the library forms the heart of the campus. The society life is very vibrant
and alive on campus. From a hiking, yoga, religious, film society to sports societies including surf and
diving societies. This is a great way to be able to connect with a diverse scale of individuals during your
short stay on exchange.
Stellenbosch is often associated as being a bubble – which it is, when comparing to other towns and
cities, for example with Cape Town. In terms of student population it seems that most students at
Stellenbosch University are predominantly Afrikaans (i.e. European roots). I have been experiencing
interesting discussions and non-violent protests here on campus to foster change regarding issues of
inclusivity and the university’s language policy (50% Afrikaans and 50% English). You can read more
about this in the second last section of my blog post published on May 13th 2015.
As each individual has their own preferences, I would suggest to simply walk through town, have coffee,
lunch and dinner in different places and streets. Chances are you will manage to find a favorite spot in
Dorp Street, Bird Street and/ or Ryneveld Street.
The places I enjoyed most are for sure the building where theology studies are taught, as it is
always quiet there, with a beautiful large garden. Jogging past Stellenbosch Mountain (if you are a
concerned lady – I was too. But you can actually jog, just make sure to go during the day and remain
surrounded by people) and visit the botanical gardens. You could go for coffee, cake and lunch at e.g.
Meraki, Kauai, Häzz, Cup of Cino, Melissa’s, Mugg & Bean, Deluxe Coffeeworks; e.g. do grocery
shopping at Food Lover’s Market; e.g. have dinner at Manouche, Oppie Dorp, The Big Easy, Ocean
Basket; visit wine farms, as there are an abundance of these in the area of Stellenbosch, e.g. my favorites
are Stark-Condé/ Postcard Café and Spier (they serve non-alcoholic wines in case you decide not to
consume alcoholic beverages – such as myself). This is simply the tip of the iceberg, as there is much
more to explore in and around Stellenbosch.
One of the main differences with TiU is there is so much politically and historically alive on campus.
Also, in terms of numbers: TiU has approximately 14.000 students with an 8% rate of international
students; whereas Stellenbosch has approximately 28.000 students, 10,7% of whom are international. I
perceive Tilburg as a small town to study in, where I can easily focus on getting my work done i.a.
because of the well-arranged facilities. That is relatively different in Stellenbosch. A very convenient
advantage on campus is the student mall and of course the scenic view of walking on campus surrounded
by incredible mountains. Something you will not easily get used to – it resulted in a blessed smile on
my face on a daily basis.
Pre-departure
Stellenbosch University has a well-arranged international office, including a society (ISOS) organizing
events almost on a monthly basis and a community of buddies. The information I received from their
office was in October for my arrival in upcoming January. This was the easy part – same goes for the
housing. The University has many residences; the most popular ones for international students are
Concordia and Academia. I have arranged a private residence to stay in, which you can find yourself
via the University’s website, word-of-mouth or Google. The challenge I have encountered was with the
South African study permit. The permit itself is €50 only, but the various documents you must collect
in advance are not all clearly formulated on the form. Thus, my golden tip would be to call in advance
and go through everything you have collected in order to make sure you do not show up during their
visiting hours for nothing (9am-12pm visiting hours in The Hague).
Arrival
The international office of Stellenbosch arranged a lift for all international arrivals (you must register
for this in advance though). During the introduction week I received an abundance of information, but
all very essential. For example on course registration, your student account, excursions, and safety. It is
during this introduction week that you can meet with your buddy.
Living costs
Depending on how much you would like to travel, an average of €1000 per month is a legit frame of
reference. Rental costs are comparable with Tilburg – depending on what you prefer (private/ sharing).
In terms of food, it less expensive to go out for dinner here compared to our prices. Grocery shopping
is doable as well, depending on what products you consume (veggies, fish and fruits are extremely
cheap). In terms of study material; there was not much to spend other than printing papers and joining
student societies. This is been taken care of via your student account. The most costs are to bare in mind
for transportation. In case you do have a driver’s license, it can be cheaper to buy a car for the period of
your stay. Taking a cab can be quite expensive; the train is an option if you blend in easily with your
physical appearance – but this option not recommendable (especially at night). In for example Cape
Town you can use the MyCity bus – this one is reliable.
Academic calendar
South Africa has the opposite season compared to ours. I arrived during our second semester of the
academic year of 2014/2015 in January; but in South African terms I arrived during their first semester,
after their summer break. During the end of March and beginning of April you get two weeks of holiday
– perfect to plan a trip through South Africa or its neighboring countries such as Namibia.
Social activities
The ISOS society – as part of the international office – organized many excursions. For example a trip
to visit Camps Bay beach, a full moon hike up to Lion’s Head Mountain in Cape Town, wine farm tours,
trip to visit Robben Island prison, trip to visit Cape Town’s Kirstenbosch Botanical gardens for a
summer outdoor concert and many more activities.
I mainly had contact with local South Africans and a smaller number of international students. You can
also engage in a volunteering program to help kids in a township; once or twice a week. For details the
latter and on what social activities I engaged in and political observations/ analysis: check out my blog.
Culture (shock) & Language
I must say I have been experiencing load shedding (planned electricity shortages), which was quite a
culture shock in itself. You don’t realize how much attached you are to electricity, until you have to
miss it. Although you tend to get used to it quickly, it is something to keep in mind. Another aspect that
needs be addressed is the high criminal rate. Walking alone when it’s dark is something you simply
don’t want to do. The probability for you to get robbed is high; in Stellenbosch less compared to Cape
Town or Johannesburg – but still. Also, try to arrange your transportation well with for example a lift
by at least someone you know or reliable cab drivers. I preferred to drive myself, but that’s a matter of
renting or buying a car during your stay.
The University has a slight different approach compared to TiU – with more assignments on a weekly
basis and courses spread over the entire semester. Within the University there are many different
subcultures, this is also visible in how lectures are given. Also, when you register at the University, you
must fill out a form where your race is categorized. This shocked me personally, as I assumed the notion
of race was abolished. The University uses this as a means of measuring its statistics. But still, you will
encounter that race is easily categorized, in order to understand history and context of the situation.
Something I had to get used to at the beginning of my stay, as I tried to be colorblind.
In terms of language: South Africa has eleven official languages. Stellenbosch University has two
official languages; English and Afrikaans. Be aware of this when picking your courses.
In general what I liked about the cultures I have encountered in South Africa was how open and
welcoming individuals are. Myself being a vegetarian 90% of the time, it was interesting to manoeuvre,
as South Africans have a strong ‘braai’ (a.k.a. BBQ) culture. ‘No alcohol and no meat? What are you
doing in South Africa?’ was what I would hear often. If even I enjoyed myself, I can only imagine how
the alcohol/ meat lover would enjoy it there. Stellenbosch in itself is a culture. The same goes for Cape
Town and Johannesburg. What I did not like at the beginning was how much I had to sacrifice in terms
of my freedom – I couldn’t go jogging at 10pm if I wanted to. It’s simply unsafe. But, although I did
not expect it, I found my way and got used to it. It’s a matter of acceptance. Bottom-line: South Africa
suffers still from a lot of socio-economic inequality. One consequence thereof is the high criminal rates.
Seeing homeless people next to giant jeeps randomly on the street, is something I still am not used to –
although I have been exposed to for 5,5 months almost on a daily basis. This is something that is
disturbing and yet you as an individual seem powerless – as it is a structural problem South Africa is
facing at the moment.
Personal development
I have grown as an individual and gained a better and further understanding in what impact the history
of colonialism has on contemporary South African society. From a cultural point of view, I have learned
most from interactions I had. South Africa in general is characterised by patriarchy. The Afrikaners
culture for example is more conservative in terms of gender roles. Simply knowing these facts already
helps in interacting with locals.
What I have learned personally is to have more patience and to better listen to my intuition. Both
downsides and highlights of my exchange are personal, as I have experienced them in a context of
enrichment and growth. But focussing on the highlights; those were surrounded by an abundance of
unbelievably beautiful nature and lovely human souls.
The most important lesson I have learned during my exchange essentially is that you simply
cannot project your own deprivation on others. South Africa is a democratically young country that
knows its past struggles as if it was yesterday. The interactions with people – black, white, colored – all
from diverse socio-economic classes – enriched my knowledge and view on the world. With that being
said; I would not do anything differently, and I am happy that I took the opportunity to go on exchange
during my Master program.
Academic level Stellenbosch University
My courses were predominantly in English. Only one course was also in Afrikaans; half of the time the
lecturer would speak in Afrikaans, and in English. But sometimes interpreters would join the lecture, to
translate the English lecture in Afrikaans for those who prefer that language (they would have
earphones). In terms of the level compared with TiU: Stellenbosch is more demanding in terms of work
you must provide, but the number of papers I had to read per lecture in Tilburg was more. The style is
teaching seems very top-down. Attendance is very often 100% mandatory. This made the experience
for me from time to time very schoolish, as there is no room for your own responsibility as a student.
The teaching method was mainly lectures. The tutorials were interesting, but highly depending on the
course. Also, the tutorials were a platform to discuss cases that would be useful for the essay
assignments, which made them practically relevant. All the above is not applicable for the course ChinaAfrica Relations. This was a new course and only with approximately ten students. This was highly
interesting, as both developments concerning the topic and the dynamic within the group continuously
was growing each week with discussions and case studies.
I was unhappy with one course – social anthropology – as the lecturer of this course would
simply read papers out loud during his lecture. No critical engagement was fostered and the topics for
the essays were vague. In the end I found out that this lecturer was new to the staff department. However,
these things should be bared in mind: take a critical note before picking courses. The University provides
one week in which you can attend introductory lecture for all possible courses. Unfortunately for me,
there was not any for this course – so I trusted the course description.
As for the other three courses; I very much enjoyed all of them. Especially since all of them are not
related to my MSc Organization Studies program. Political sociology and China- Africa relations are
relevant in the context of South Africa today; and photography was incredible to have being surrounded
by wonderful nature.
Course
324 Political Sociology
Prerequisites
None
Exam
Written
ECTS
6
324 Social
Anthropology
None
Essays
6
IPSU – China & Africa
Relations
None
Written
6
IPSU – Photography
None
Written/
8
Exhibition
Comments
Weekly essay
assignments, 3 quiz
tests, one final exam
(essay questions)
Two paper essays, one
test during the semester,
weekly response on
papers.
One paper review/
essay & one exam end
of semester.
Two technical tests and
exhibition end of
semester
Working on my courses in terms of reading, studying and writing was suitable in Gericke Library. If
you are a Master student, you can gain access to Research Commons Lab – this is a new and comfortable
place to study. Moreover, there is an area close to the engineering faculty called Study Centre: you can
study here as well. Bare in mind that everything is highly secured; you must always bring your student
card with. You can furthermore gain access to pretty much all the computers on campus with your
student account.
Final tips
South Africa is a country of many contradictions. With its flaws and its beauties it is a country that has
a lot to offer – for each individual a personal journey to explore. I am completely biased of course, as I
would recommend every student to go and pay a visit. But I guess what is essential is that you should
be interested in the history of the country, adventurous to explore nature (i.e. hiking, surfing, paragliding,
bungee jumping and so on); and that you should be easy going and adaptive.
Essential for you freedom is to have a driver’s license and not scared to drive (they drive on the
other side of the road – and can be quite aggressive on the road). And, again, check out my four blog
posts I have written during my stay. Many destinations, hike trails, excursions you may find interesting.
Feel free to drop me a line, if you want to know more: a.oukhiar@tilburguniversity.edu
Good luck with your exchange decision-making!
Ps. some photos (also on my blog):
STELLENBOSCH
CAPE TOWN: