Valentines Day in the Township

     This post will be pretty photo heavy. For valentines day the International Office at NMMU along with some of the community leaders from New Brighton township put together an event for the international students go to.  It was a little dinner/dance at one of the backpackers in the township.

There was a traditional xhosa dance troupe that did a couple of dances for the event.

The dancers were all done up in traditional xhosa clothing and make up.

Before the festivities started some of the young girls from the township also showed their moves. The dance troupes are seen as a way to keep the youth of the township out of trouble and also create a social group for them.

This woman was one of the operators of the backpacker

This was one of the local poets from the New Brighton township

A sample of more traditional style South African food

Even the fellas shook and shimmied

     The event over all was pretty fun and a good way to make friends in the international scene. There were also artists and craftsmen from the township at the even. It was a good, albeit quick, introduction into the xhosa culture. This was the first time this backpacker had hosted an event like this and more than likely with time it will improve. Hopefully it will continue and become a tradition that opens up understanding about township/xhosa culture.

Tsitsikamma Adventure Falls and Orientation Weekend

  
The first weekend after our arrival, the CSU students and some of the other international students were taken by the school to a weekend retreat to Tsitsikamma water falls. The land scape was beautiful. When we arrived it was raining but the next day the sun was out and shining.

 

    

  While we were there they fed us different local style foods as a part of out accommodation. They also let us explore the grounds a bit, but with the warning that there are very deadly snakes in the African bush. Along with hiking we got to do a series of zip line runs over the river and the falls. They also had a wall climb in the main hall of the accommodation. There was always something to do. 

 

  
 The river was amazily beautiful. The zip lines took us right over the falls and from there you got the best view of them possible. On the longest of the lines you felt the spray as you passed over.

      We mostly stayed in large dorm style rooms with about thirty to the largest of rooms. Not the most private, but the purpose of the trip was to meet the other internationals, and this probably kept the cost down which was nice. The facility was really fun. Many of the rooms were decorated in a farm style probably to keep in the wilderness/bush atmosphere of the place. We were provided sheets, blanket and a pillow. The volleyball net and front lawn were quite polular with all of us.

  
      We also got our first taste of African fauna. We saw hundreds of moths, the cattle they raise here, and lizards. Thankfully no one saw any snakes.

Mothra!

      As a close they opened their small bar, which had two kinds of beer and one kind of cider, and they let us build a fire in the fire pit out back. Over all it was a good open to our stay in South Africa and it also helped us all make friends so that we didn't jump into the start of school on our own.

Housing!

   Well I have been living here for three weeks. I like my housing pretty well so far. I have my own room, nice housemates and internet, which is pretty great because many of the student accommodations don't provide it or if they do it is not very reliable. Our house, like most all of the houses in the neighborhoods that used to be designated for whites, is heavily fortified with tall gates and electric fencing. I have to go through two gates to get to my front door. It is always hard to tell if all of this security is really necessary but it is a very prominent aspect of South African culture. You sometimes see houses with minimal security but they are the exception to the rule.

Gate outside of my door

   My room is fairly simple in set up but pretty damn spacious. It comes with  a bed, a desk & chair, TV, mirror, and large closet.

 

    The kitchen is super cute also. It makes up the center of the house, literally. We don't have the best set up for any intense culinary work though. We have a little plug in stove top and frying pan, but lack an oven or much space to cook multiple things at once. 

Sadly this is all we have for cooking.

 Our bathroom is also newly renovated. The shower is HUGE! and has a little bench/shelf built in it, which we mostly just use for storing our shower supplies. It has no mirror however which has been strange and makes putting makeup on a little bit hard because the lighting in our rooms is not great for it.

  For the most part most of the houses are similar to this. Some of the other internationals live in houses that are more like family homes that have been renovated to have 8 or so rooms for each person and multiple bathrooms, which is surprisingly cozy and often where most of the socializing happens.

A Week In

So this post will be talking about two things; The first week is hectic! and that I will hopefully start posting properly once school starts next week, Monday the 13th. I have a BUNCH of stuff to talk about but struggling with socializing, jet lag and orientation events has made it extremely hard to get to posting. Forgive me. I hope to post a bit in the next week and also try to stick to my weekly update.

Wish me luck!

Paper Work Attached to Accptance Letter (CSU IP/NMMU)

So you get your proper acceptance letter saying you got in with both schools! Congratulations!!! BUT they have also included these 11 attachments... 11 attachments that include your housing application, orientation confirmation, local insurance etc. And you thought the paper work was over. Let's go over some of those things.

- Orientation booking form; This is pretty easy once you have booked your flight. For my year the optional weekend orientation was not optional, however it was also paid for in my other CSU IP costs. IP should tell you if this is true or not for your year. If they don't email them. This completed form can be emailed to Monalisa.

- Accommodation Application; Fill it out to the best of your knowledge. As far as housing options go, don't get too settled on any particular option, just fill out "The Bantry" and/or "Annies Cove" they will stick you where they will stick you but you will be paying the same no matter what. The completed application can be email to the off campus accommodations department. As far as the housing deposit goes look into using a credit card by asking the SA IP office. I suggest you get a credit card before you leave for emergencies and odd costs like this.

- Local Heath Insurance; More than likely you will want to go with Ingwe because it is the cheapest option (don't forget that you will have this and a second health insurance so don't worry about it being cheap). The only way I was able to make sense of all of this was to email the IP department in SA. If you want to pay with a credit card you can get it all done in 15 min by going to this website and clicking the "apply" button.

On one last note; Don't be afraid of getting a credit card. I got my first one specifically for this trip and so far it has been a life saver. I don't suggest using it for normal purchases while abroad because they often have over-seas fees but they are nice to have for emergencies and making these kinds of things just a touch simpler.

Lets Talk About Visas

My visa was a very scary but exciting experience. Let's start with the materials you will be needing for your application. Here is the link to a good check list: South African Study Permit Check List

Things you can start working on at anytime:

- Application Form (BI-1738); This is a pretty straight forward document. As long as you complete all of the questions to the best of your knowledge you will be fine. Also, just encase you were worried, you do not need to complete it twice "duly" here means truthfully (Yeah I was silly enough to check).

- Passport; Don't have one? Get one. The State Department will drag their heals for much longer than the SA consulate so get that together ASAP. If you have one you are in the green.

- Photos; Picture time! Mine did not actually use it for the visa printed in my passport but I assume it has to do with making sure your passport is yours. However I do know other countries will print this photo as a part of your actual visa form so two suggestions 1. Try to match your passport photo 2. Look good ;)

- "Notarized copy of birth certificate"; Notarized means a plain old copy of your birth certificate made at home or at work that has been taken to a notary. You can more than likely get this done at the same place where you get your background check. Cost ~ $10.

- Medical Report (BI-811); If you have insurance under your parents, check with them if you can, get this filled out with your normal physician, or at least one under your insurance. If you are a CSU IP student you can also do this at the same time as the medical check requested with your NMMU application.

-  Radiological Report vs Skin TB Test; Of these do whichever your insurance covers or you can get done cheaply. SFSU's health center does the skin test for about $35 which was worth it, although I will warn you that it does involve a needle prick.

- Police Clearance Certificate (Instructions for California only); Resource for Californians. Under the google map on the page is a list of counties, pick yours and look for the address that is closest to you. These places usually also have a notary. I forewarn you they will want a form, probably this one, however here is a list of other possible live scan forms you might need filled out. Mine came out to about $50.

- Bank Statement; Get it online or from your branch, whichever is easiest, mine was from the start of the month I sent my visa out.

These are the need to haves, mostly, the next two items only apply to non-us born students and individuals under age. (Don't worry about that one-way item at the bottom quite yet.)

After you get your acceptance letter from your school abroad:

- Proof of Health Coverage; for CSU IP students this will come with your acceptance packet from NMMU, it is a part of your "To whom it may concern" letter from IP.

- "An official letter from the institution in South Africa confirming acceptance and duration of the course"; The "To whom it may concern" letter from NMMU (or other SA institution).


- "An official letter of enrollment from the institution of learning concerned in the U.S. if applicable"; "To whom it may concern" letter from IP mentioned above.

 - Round-trip Flight Itinerary; One of the scarier items on the list for those of you going for 10 months or more. Don't worry, send them the one way and they will handle the rest. I only sent one way and not a second word was said. If you are particularly nervous, send it early! They will ask you for corrections if they need them. Cheepest flight I found.

- Two money orders; 1. $72 for visa 2. $16 for postage to get it back

I got started pretty late with mine, which made it a very stressful experience because it got mixed with trying to prepare for finals. I am under the impression that the SA consulate is generally pretty quick so don't give up hope. On that same turn though, don't wait too long because if you don't get that visa by the time you plan of flying out YOU CAN'T.

Realizations About Real Trips

This evening it hit me; I will be leaving the comfort of my familiar life and my familiar city in only a few months. It is terrifying. All of the things I love will stay here while I go and explore this new place. However, it is kind of the reverse of “if you truly love something let it go.” Because of leaving my beloved home, I will be given the chance to grow as a person. Because I love my life here in the states, I want to leave it so that I can become better for all of the people I love.

I have also been wondering about the people I will meet. I hope that they are good people and I hope that I will miss them. I hope that I hesitate on my return home because that will mean that I will have loved a different life and a new part of myself.

“Dream bigger than yourself”- Anonymous