Aisha during her internship in Cape Town

Aisha in Cape Town: “Capetonians really celebrate life!”

I was quite calm when I got off the plane, but I did think: “oh god, am I really doing this?” Probably because this is usually the bit where I’m a bit out of my comfort zone, finding your way out of the airport and into the city. That thought only lasted for about 2 minutes though.

Crime?

The idea that safety isn’t as usual in South Africa as it is in The Netherlands. The bars in front of the windows, etcetera. As it turned out I only felt unsafe once, so it’s really more the idea of high crime rates and precautions you see on the street, then something I was actually afraid of.

I think I did feel a bit homesick by the end of my internship, probably because I knew I was going home soon. I did nothing in particular, I even did a bit of traveling throughout Africa right after. I guess what cured it was actually going home. 

Very warm and welcoming

I definitely felt home! More than I ever did at any place. At first I thought I would maybe feel home because I’m half African and I recognized things from the South African culture, but then I saw that everyone around me felt at home: whether they were Europeans, (South) Americans or Africans from surrounding countries. Probably because South Africa is very warm and welcoming. South Africans have a very laid-back attitude and it’s not difficult at all to make friends.

Adventurous Germans

I mostly worked and lived with South-Africans, but the other internationals I befriended were German and Dutch, so that’s not really that exotic. To be very honest, besides my friends, a lot of Dutch internationals in South Africa that I met were in a party mode, living in large houses with 16 people, going to the tourist places and generally staying away from South Africans and the culture. I liked to go out at smaller places and I was interested in other things, so that wasn’t really my scene. The Germans I met were a lot more interested in the culture and quite adventurous, so I liked to hang out with them. So forget all of your prejudices (if you had them in the first place) about German people because on every trip I’ve gone to, I met some really awesome Germans!

Spicy food

Food is maybe where my half-African part came in handy! I like spicy food so that wasn’t really a problem. South Africans eat a lot of meat, which I’m not a fan of but in their dishes, it was okay. I also thought the mieliepap, which is a side dish made from flour and looks a bit like dough, was a bit heavy on the stomach. But still liked it though!

No rushing please

The most important thing I learned was the way I’m living back home: rushing, planning everything and keeping a schedule, is not the way I want to live. Capetonians have the enormous advantage of having so much beautiful nature around them and the weather allows them to be outside all the time. Work is necessary to earn a living, but it’s definitely not the biggest priority. Quality time with friends, family, even pets, is much more important. As is good wine, food and music. They really celebrate life and aren’t afraid of slowing down a bit and just relax. Yes, this means it can take as many as three weeks before you have internet, but you wouldn’t even know that if you’re busy hanging on the beach. I can imagine it could take some time for any Western person to get adjusted to this slower life, but it’s worth it.

Capetonians in 3 words

Warm, relaxed, outgoing. I loved them.