Darya, St. Petersburg

It has been about a year since I left South Africa at the end of March 2008. Semyon found me through the St. Petersburg CIEE office and emailed me. I am currently in Sydney, Australia, but it was very nice to receive a message from a Russian person from Cape Town.

As I always tell all my friends and acquaintances, I ended up in Cape Town by accident. Yes, really, by accident!

I graduated from university. I couldn't sit still; I wanted interesting travels and work. I started looking into international student internships and stumbled upon South Africa. The work program in this country turned out to be the most suitable for my needs. Firstly, it was inexpensive. Secondly, they accept graduates after their fifth year. Thirdly, Africa is so far away (though, of course, not further than Australia) and therefore attractive!

I started preparing. The phase of collecting documents, certificates, photocopies, receipts, and everything of that sort.

Before this, I had managed to visit America three times on a work program. I had been to Canada three times for studies and travel. I had also been to Europe, but only for travel. I planned to go to South Africa to live and work with my friends, but they let me down, changing their minds at the last moment.

By that time, I had already processed everything and was set on the trip. However, I didn't want to go so far alone, so I started looking for people who were also planning to go on this program. And I found someone just as crazy as me! Alexey from Magnitogorsk. And along with him, two other girls: Liza, Alexey's best friend, and Alisa, his girlfriend. "That's great," I rejoiced when I found out I would have travel companions.

We started messaging immediately and never lost contact. We kept each other informed about everything all the time. We planned our arrival dates for the same time (end of September 2007). And all of us, having agreed, were in Cape Town on the same day!

Alexey, as he declared himself, fell in love with this country immediately. From the very first minutes of being there. Probably even while he was still on the plane circling over the city. I don't remember what Alisa and Liza's first impressions were, but I must admit, I was in shock at first. It's no wonder: when you drive from the airport to the city center, you can see (you will surely see it if you end up there) townships. Later, we even went on a tour of them!

But imagine: I saw them almost first thing!!! "Where are they taking me?!" I was horrified at that moment. But as it turned out later, these were the "city outskirts" that are best avoided. The city itself turned out to be quite pleasant. And in Sea Point, Green Point, Mouille Point, Camps Bay, Clifton, and the Waterfront, it was even lovely!

We had a lot of fun in the first week. Excursions, entertainment—all of this was prepared for us by SASTS. It was very interesting! So many impressions!

And then life began. I can't say that everything came easily to us (and to me personally) . But since I wasn't alone and we were a group, despite all the difficulties, we managed everything! Life was fun! Whatever happened, we supported each other!

Of course, at first, I was in a bit of shock. And besides, people here are different; they think and live differently. You don't get used to it right away! But I noticed: two or three months passed, and we had already adapted. We started to treat many things, for example, the goofy behavior of the locals or the beggars, with humor. And in general, to look at life more simply, which, in my opinion, is basically characteristic of South Africans. So it affected us too.

We got jobs almost immediately. At first, we all applied to "Kubana"—a local club. As waiters. Many students start working in South Africa at "Kubana" through SASTS. So did we. How did we get hired? We just walked in and said we were looking for work. And they took us after a short interview. We had a three-day training ahead of us, after which we were supposed to start working fully.

It took me two days to realize that "Kubana" was not for me. And most of all, I didn't like the night shift schedule. Instead, I found a job at the Waterfront, also as a waitress, but with a schedule that was more convenient for me, with daytime hours. I took it for a while until I found something more suitable for my education.

I arrived in South Africa after receiving my diploma in Russia. I don't know how others would reason in my place, but as a person with a higher education, I didn't really want to work in the service industry anymore. And I focused on finding a job in my field.

That turned out to be no easy task!

In parallel, I worked at a restaurant, earned a living, and handed out and sent my resume (Curriculum Vitae, or CV for short) to any place that interested me even a little.

With unflagging diligence (I am a stubborn person; if I really want something, I will definitely achieve it), I searched and searched! And if an employee wasn't needed, I still left my details just in case. The website www.gumtree.co.za helped a lot! There are many job ads there, you can leave a resume and find potential employers. And besides, through this site, you can find a lot of ads for renting apartments. That's how we found ours! After some searching and considering several options, we rented a cute little apartment in Green Point for all of us. Fifteen minutes to the center, work, and the Waterfront. Lovely!

Also, in matters of housing and work, newspapers helped us. For example, in the "Pick and Pay" supermarket chain, many newspapers with ads for both are sold. And there is plenty of all that!

So: I wanted to find a normal job, according to my ideas and requests, and I didn't stop searching until I succeeded!!! A couple of times it even seemed that the goal was reached and they would hire me, but the fish of luck slipped out of my hands. Therefore, I worked as a waitress for a month and a half. And only after that, thanks to my burning desire, I found something close to my dream! I got a job in a small African art shop!!! (I am an art historian by profession). I was so happy, you can't imagine!

Over time, about three or four months after arriving, we got completely used to South Africa. Life became both comfortable and pleasant! And my time there—six months—flew by like a single day. And what does it mean when it seems that time flies so fast? Probably that you were happy at that period of your life! Just like now, in Australia, where I arrived in November 2008, six months after returning from South Africa. I will study here, and maybe I will stay to live. Regarding whether I like it or not, where it is better and where it is worse—all these are meaningless and subjective arguments. And I won't take them on. Everywhere has its pros and cons. Probably, it is very individual.

I have traveled, without false modesty, almost half the world. I want to say that any trip—whether to India, Greenland, South Africa, or Australia—is always a life experience! Any new country influences you, leaves a mark on your soul that will never be erased.

I am glad that I went to South Africa. I saw such an amazingly beautiful country, lived and worked there. I met new, interesting people!

My most memorable memory was the trip I took with my beloved boy. In February 2008, he came to visit me (I sent him an invitation, and he received a visitor visa). I took time off work for two weeks, and together we went on a Safari!!! It was so great!

Returning, we climbed Table Mountain, where we watched the sunset. From the mountain, it is an amazingly beautiful sight! Very romantic!

Then we drove towards Port Elizabeth, reached, if my memory serves me, Jeffreys Bay. This is, by rumor, a place where surfers gather in huge numbers. True, when we arrived, there were no special parties there. On the contrary, it was very peaceful. But we were not bored together! We rented a house on the shore of the Indian Ocean and spent time there!

During our travels, we saw many interesting and memorable things!

That's probably all I wanted to tell.

And what would I advise future participants?

If you are planning to go on a program to South Africa, try not to go alone! Take friends with you! It will be easier and more fun; there will always be help and support nearby. At least, my personal experience suggests this to me.

And one more thing: be persistent in achieving what you want. If you want to get a job not just anywhere, but in a specific place, under specific conditions—try very hard! And you will succeed! After all, we all succeeded!