“Having a lekker time...”

Week five- Personal

We have now been in South Africa for 5 weeks and we have become fully immersed in the South African way of life.  There is no doubt in my mind that the culture of this rainbow nation is very different to that found in Northern Ireland.  Although we have experienced many opportunities and challenges in our time here we have endeavoured to approach each situation with enthusiasm and positivity, which has not only been a great learning experience for us but has transformed our opinion and misconceptions we had before we left home.

On Friday we began our weekend trip by travelling to a traditional Afrikaans farm near Grahamstown, 60 miles from PE.  The journey differed to the normal journeys we have experience so far in relation to the road conditions.  I can definitely say we got a real taste of what the roads in Africa are like away from the motorways and highways that link the major town and cities together. After experiencing what I can only describe as a rollercoaster ride we arrived at our destination and we were delighted to hear that the fire was ready to “braai.” 

The next day brought a trek into the game reserve that was situated next to the farm.  Our method of transport consisted of a horse and cart and several horses in which we took turns to ride throughout the day.  Within the game reserve we had another opportunity to get up close and personal to the local wildlife.   Springbok, zebra, giraffe were a few of the animals that we saw on the journey, however Paddy was ecstatic when we came across a huge tortoise in the centre of the trail we were following. 

Paddy and his new best friend!

I thoroughly enjoyed being away from the hustle and bustle of PE and experience the beauty of the African bush on horseback.  The scenery was beautiful and the weather simply enhanced the overall experience. We stopped at various points to partake in some traditional Afrikaans farming rituals, as you can see from the photograph, we had to take dried springbok droppings and see how far we could “spit” them and of course the winner was whoever could “spit” the dropping the furthest.  Alas neither Paddy nor I succeeded in competing with local Afrikaans farmers. We had a great few days at the farm and helped that from the outset the family made us feel right at home and went above and beyond the call of duty in keeping us entertained throughout our stay, it reminded us of the flamboyant farming community that can be found in Northern Ireland.

"Spitting"

On Tuesday we had been asked by the International Office to assist with promoting Stranmillis to students from NMMU who may like to attend next year.  We enjoyed sharing some of our culture with the South Africans and highlighting the many tourist attractions that can be found in Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland and indeed the UK mainland.   You will be glad to know that we did Stran proud as we both were able to answer most of the questions about the student experience that Stranmillis has to offer and I believe there might be a few more applications submitted to come to Northern Ireland next semester. 

On Wednesday we finished class for the week so we undertook a trip to Coffee bay which is located in the Transkei region of South Africa, referred to as in many travel brochures as the Wild Coast region. A friend whom we met at the local church Juanita accompanied us, so we took her 4x4 Suzuki and we had great time negotiating around the huge potholes found on the road.  We heard great reports that Coffee bay was definitely a place visit, however when we arrived there we were greeted by many locals who were persistently trying to sell us products that ranged from crayfish, crab and other sea creatures  to that of magic mushrooms and marijuana.  Let’s just say it left us all feeling tremendously uncomfortable and uneasy.  Drug abuse was not the only the prevalent issue found in this small town felt like everyone was trying to make as much money out of us as possible.  We made the informed decision to journey the short distance of 7km to the ‘Hole and the Wall’ backpackers lodge, which is surrounded by absolutely breathe taking scenery.  It reminded me of what the North coast is like at home when we actually have good weather.  Tune in next week to hear about our further “lekker,” adventures in the Wild Coast.

Until next time, 

Totsiens

(Goodbye)

Callum.