Welcome back!

So here I am back in Belgium sooner than I thought! Of course nothing says "Welcome back to Belgium!" like heading straight to the first party just after getting off your 20 hour flight! So my trip started off with my second stint of the famous Ardennes weekend! This time I came prepared with a Jack Parow costume for the Bal Marginaal especially for my Belgian friends. What a weekend! I definitely started this trip and the weekend on a very high note!

Just to make sure I knew I was back in Belgium, my body went on strike and confined me to the bed for a week! But I'm back up and at it - planning many crazy activities for this week! Of course you wouldn't know you're back in Belgium if it isn't cold, but I must say the weather really hasn't been that bad!

Not much news to date, but it is awesome being back!

Tot wedersiens...

So this will be my last blog entry about my adventures in Gent. I am now back in South Africa and in Stellenbosch finishing my thesis.

The last few weeks in Gent were quite busy, with my parents visiting, going to Italy and Greece and partying at Gentse Feesten. Awesome memories were made and saying goodbye to my amazing friends was really tough!

Being back has been quite an adjustment. Between concentrating on academics and settling back into my “old” life I have been quite busy. It is a weird feeling to come back halfway through the year and knowing that everyone else’s lives have been going on for 6 months while yours have effectively “stood still” for the time you have been gone.

On the positive side it is awesome seeing all my friends back in Stellenbosch and catching up, eating my parents’ food and hearing my own language again. Also, nothing else really compares to the beautiful South African nature!

Today a friend of mine, who was also on exchange recently, sent me a link to the following blog entry by Chelsea Fagan. Chelsea managed to give a very accurate representation of my feelings about Gent and I think just about every exchange students’ feelings after returning home and settling back into everyday life. 

How To Miss Another City 

Stay up late one night scrolling through pictures of your time back there, looking at each one for five, ten minutes at a time, trying as hard as you possibly can to remember every last detail. Feel your whole body ache as you think of the way the food smelled in the busy streets, the way the wind blew just enough to kiss the hem of your shirt, the way the people around you seemed to fold in comfortably like a warm blanket. Remember feeling at home, even if you weren’t. 

See other people who are getting to take a trip to your beloved city, and leave a comment along the lines of “soo jealous.” Say it in that flippant, internet-y, not-actually-that-jealous way, but be profoundly envious of how lucky they are to be going. Feel briefly that they don’t appreciate getting to go to this wonderful place, that they can’t possibly know all of those tucked-away little restaurants or side streets with the beautiful painted shutters on the windows, and wish that you could make them understand how truly lucky they are. Want not so much to take the trip from them as to go along with them, to stow yourself away in a suitcase in the undercarriage of the plane and take them everywhere you fell in love with during your time there, to make them see the city through your eyes. 

Satiate yourself with reading all about your city in your spare time, searching always for new pictures and looking at old haunts on Google Street View, remembering the way the leaves shook on the trees in late September. Realize that, with less and less irony, you are starting to really consider this place Your City. On some level, you feel that you have a connection with it that you can’t fully explain, that exists in the way the soles of your shoes met the pavement on the long walks you took at night, just you and the empty alleyways. Know that it’s ridiculous to consider yourself the owner of an entity as big and as democratic as a city itself, but be nonetheless defensive — as a mother or best friend might be — when you hear anyone speak negatively of it. 

Long to be the person you were again when you were there, to walk the streets with the same confidence and eagerness, to stay out drinking wine and having good conversation, eating too much and sleeping in late. Remember the way you used to take in pleasure more viscerally, more methodically, finding it imperative that things taste good and feel good, that everything be a feast for the senses. Feel rushed where you are now, and deeply miss the time when you were so much more open to change, excited and ready to meet anything that wanted to meet you. Know that you were technically the same person when back in your city, but know also (on some deeper level) that you were a better version of it. 

Spend a lot of time — too much time — looking at tickets online to go back as soon as possible. Think constantly about all the things you could be doing, the things you are missing out on, the people who are growing and changing and having nights out without you. Feel guilty for how much you think about this other place, as though you are cheating on your current city with a beautiful former one that could never be competed with. Save up your money as much as possible, always thinking of the moment the plane will land and you will be back in the right zip code, where you can take off the tedium and discomfort of your daily life the way one might an itchy wool sweater. Long to walk those same streets again, to smell the morning air right before everyone wakes up, the one that is so crisp you feel you could break off a piece of it. Count down the days until you can really be back there. 

Know that, sooner or later, you will have to go back. Imagine the apartment you’ll have, in that perfect city square, with the wood floors and the high ceilings that you imagine will make the rest of your life so much better. Remind yourself that problems exist everywhere, even in your perfect city, but be much more ready to face them in the right geographic location. For now, though, miss your city so much it hurts — romanticize it until you see it almost entirely in warm shades of pink; think of it while lying in bed before you fall sleep; and always, always be ready to go back.

 So I have been keeping busy since I’ve been back home, but ever so often memories from Gent slip back into my mind and I catch myself feeling nostalgic and thinking about the good times, but also feeling a bit sad to have left that behind… I hope to return to Belgium soon.

So for now I will not say goodbye, but rather “until we see each other again”…

Budapest

Budapest – or in the words of my homeboy, Johann - BudaBEST!

Last week two of my fellow South Africans and I took a trip to Budapest, Hungary to experience some of Eastern Europe. What an awesome experience! I think the reason I enjoyed it so much is because I didn’t have any expectation of how it was going to be. Also it didn’t feel like I was spending too much money cause they don’t try to rob you and take advantage of you being a tourist around every corner! One Hungarian Forinte is roughly about 30 ZAR cent – not bad – and many things are somewhat cheaper than in South Africa which was really nice! With vibes and the weather close to that of Cape Town we immediately fell in love with this stunning and charming city. Plus it was pretty awesome being able to speak Afrikaans all day with each other! This trip was already off to a good start!

We arrived there on Wednesday night. Our first little problem stuck its head out when we couldn’t pay in Euro for a Metro ticket making us run around trying to find an ATM to get some local currency. Luckily we sorted that one out fairly quickly! Then the train arrived – I think our faces said it all – these trains could even make the “nice” South African trains look like luxury. Nevertheless we stuck close to each other and it wasn’t long before we realised we had nothing to worry about. After arriving at the hostel we got dressed and headed out to the highly recommended bar, Szimpla, which was just around the corner from our hostel. There we had a little run in with the Hungarian alcohol – no, we didn’t drink too much – but it had a funny effect on us making our hearts beat really fast and causing our ears to close up, not to mention the MASSIVE headaches we had the next morning! Luckily it didn’t turn out too bad and we got home pretty quickly and safely.

The next day we set out for a tour of all the awesome sites. We walked all around Pest before crossing the bridge to Buda. There we climbed the Citadelle hill to have an amazing view of the Danube river and Pest. Another highlight was climbing the stairs of the Basilica to have a panoramic view of the whole city. That night we arrived at the hostel with sore feet! After going for a drink and some shisha at Szimpla I headed back to the hostel (my feet were killing me) while my homepeeps headed to some other bars.

On Friday we were smarter and hired some bikes to explore the city. I must admit it was one of our better ideas of the trip. We set out riding the bikes and exploring the city. We had a picnic on Margit Island in the park, which was really awesome. The island is situated in the Danube between Buda and Pest and can be reached by crossing a bridge. We also went to the city park which was just as awesome and really HUGE. At night we had our own little pre-party in the hostel living room before setting out to a famous club named Instant which is a really interesting place. There we tried some of the local Hungarian liquor called Palinka, which is a lot like Witblits with different flavours. After this we accidentally found the Hungarian Moulin Rouge, but since entrance wasn’t that cheap we skipped going in. Our final stop of the night was Doboz which Johann and Stephanie found by accident the night before. We set out looking for this club as they couldn’t remember where it was or what it was called and once again we stumbled upon it by accident. There we had another epic time with some entertainment provided by a couple that couldn’t seem to find a private room!

On Saturday morning Stephanie and I left Johann behind and went to the Szechenyi Bath and Spa to soak up some sun in the water! This was definitely also one of the biggest highlights of my time in Budapest. At 13h00 we started our journey to the airport and headed back to Gent tired but sad to leave.

All in all I would say this was one of the more successful and fun trips during my time in Europe. Plus we found the Father City to South Africa’s Mother City which is a huge compliment to Budapest since Cape Town is legendary!

Below is a video made by homeboy Johann of our time in Budapest, enjoy J

Pain(t)balls and bike falls

Yoyo People of the Palace! So my days since Easter have been quite uneventful, thus no reporting back for a while! However, I come bearing news – not very much though!

So last week we went to play paintball at Paintball Gent. Nice place… until you get hit by the first burning paintball! To make matters worse, my South African ally, Johann, was on the enemy team and shot me on the ass. I now have a nice purple bruise right there to remind me of his betrayal. Even though it was painful, I enjoyed running around like a crazed soldier and slipping on paintballs! I would’ve loved to test my barrel roll and diving skills, but unfortunately my left knee was not cooperating. See, what happened was that I wiped out again on my bike while heading to catch the bus for paintball. This fall was not as mild as the previous one and my knee and ankle is still blue and uncooperative!

So since I have no real interesting news, here’s a video that gives you a 5 minute tour of Ghent. It’s really awesome! (Kudos to Julianne for sharing it on her blog)

On the agenda for the next few weeks: Beerbowling, Lieven’s choir concert, Budapest, Dinner at Lieven’s house and, of course, THESIS – DUM DUM DUUUUUUM! Peace J

Easter break in Germany

As part of my Easter vacation I spent 8 days in Germany. I went to Munich, Berlin and Potsdam, which is a city close to Berlin. I had an awesome experience, mostly travelling on my own, meeting up with friends and meeting new people!

So at first I started my journey on a low-cost airline and before I knew it I was landing at Memmingem airport. What I didn’t know however, was that the bus trip to Munich was going to take an hour and a half. Not the end of the world though and when I arrived in Munich my South African friend, Nico, was there to meet me! We had an awesome time together exploring Munich and on the second night we went on a Beer Challenge/Pub Crawl organised by New Europe. We visited Augustiner Brauhaus, as well as the Hofbrauhaus. This was an awesome experience. What makes Munich and the rest of Bavaria awesome is that the people there are still quite traditional and it’s not weird for them going out in their traditional lederhosen. That was really really awesome as we saw some well-dressed gentleman and ladies! The biggest party happened in the Euro Youth Hostel Pub, where the Beer Challenge ended. This was also the hostel we were staying in. The next morning I had to get up early to catch the bus to Berlin, while Nico was heading to Dubai to visit friends.

So after an eight and a half hour bus ride I arrived in Berlin. Eight and a half hours on a bus was at least not as bad as I expected and I got to see more of Germany, even though it meant just passing through. So arrived in Berlin all alone, but luckily the hostel I was staying in was really easy to find. There I met one of my dorm-mates, Ahmed from Egypt. The next day the two of us went on a free city tour, but halfway through we were so cold we returned to the hostel. I then decided to go find a shopping centre, not that I had any money to spend, but at least it was warm! Then it randomly started to snow! On Saturday night an American guy, Drew, arrived in our dorm, so Sunday the two of us went exploring once again. With no trace of the previous day’s snow and the sun shining we walked and walked and walked and saw everything awesome, returning to the hostel with sore feet. I would highly recommend a visit to the Holocaust Memorial Site and the museum under it to anyone visiting Berlin! That was definitely a the biggest highlight of all the sites I saw and very moving. By the time we got back to the hostel another Egyptian, Sherif, had arrived. He is a friend of Ahmed’s and, of course, in true Egyptian style we found a shisha bar (hubbly for the South Africans, or hookah for anyone else) and each smoked a pipe. They taught me how to blow smoke rings and shared all their shisha secrets, so I’m a pro now! Dan, my friend from New Zealand, arrived on Monday and on Monday night we went to the shisha bar again.

So then on Tuesday morning I bid Berlin, and my new-found friends, goodbye and went to visit Julianne in her hometown of Potsdam. We spent the day exploring the streets and sights of Potsdam and later the day Dan also joined us. The night we went to dinner with Julianne’s German friends and also celebrated one of her friends’ birthday with her. Wednesday led to more exploring and doing random things like taking silly pictures and falling of random turning chairs in parks (right Julianne?). We ended the day playing Rock Band on Wii and having dinner with her mom and brother. Potsdam was definitely my favourite city on the trip and I would recommend a visit to it if any of you ever end up in Germany!

Thursday morning we woke up at 4:10 to catch our plane back to Belgium. Since we were so tired we didn’t pay much attention to the trains when we arrived in Brussels and ended up taking the train that takes almost 2 hours to get to Gent since it stops about 15 times! Finally we made it home and it was good to be back in Gent!

So last night I attended the birthday of the Parochiaal Centrum PAX in Aalter where Lieven lives. Had good food, met the parents (and the rest of Aalter) and had a good laugh at Lieven on a video they made for the birthday of the centre. Just a shame my camera's battery was dead, otherwise I could've had some incriminating evidence! All in all I would say I had a pretty awesome Easter break. Plus it’s awesome to have proper frietjes (Belgian fries) after a 40 day Lent fasting!

Back for more!

Hello peeps! So it’s been a while since I wrote anything here – sorry, my bad! It’s been quite a busy month for me and since the sun was shining most of the time, I preferred being outside rather than inside.

So since the last time I wrote many things have happened! First there was the weekend in the Ardennes (which is the Belgian “mountains”), then there was a lot of social time which included enjoying the spring sun on the Graslei with friends, eating ice cream and, of course, hanging out in Porter House (the Irish Pub where the exchange students meet on Wednesdays).

So spring has finally (and briefly) arrived in Gent. I was sick in bed for most of the first few sunny days, but it wasn’t long before I was up and whizzing around on my bike enjoying the sun. The students like to spend their lunch time on the Graslei enjoying their lunch and a beer. Of course everyone went crazy when they saw the sun, so the Graslei was super busy, but the atmosphere was amazing and it made for an awesome lunch time!

So then we went to the Ardennes. Basically what this entails is assembling 70 exchange students, getting on a bus, driving about 3 hours to the other side of Belgium (in the South) and having a massive house party every night with unlimited beer on tap! This was no doubt one of the most fun weekends I’ve had the pleasure of attending. So after arriving in Arbrefontein, which is a really small town, we had dinner prepared by the owner of Porter House, after which we had a music quiz type activity with the girls against the boys. Of course the girls won – probably due to their amazing dancing skills ;) After this the house party continued until the next morning. Everyone slept till the afternoon and then we went for a “hike” in the mountains (which is basically just very high hills). Then came the much awaited “Bal Marginaal” where everyone was supposed to dress as silly as possible. After which another huge party followed. It is probably unnecessary to mention that most people were either still drunk by the time we got on the bus, or very hung over. It was quite a funny experience for me! We then drove to Dinant to see the famous Citadell Castle. Some of us were brave enough to climb the more or less 250 steps to the top while others opted to take the cable car.

A few Sundays ago we went to Leuven, which is a university town in Belgium kind of like Stellenbosch (probably just less awesome). Another Stellenbosch student, Stephanie, is studying there and she spent a night or two with us in Gent, before we went to Leuven to see where she lives. The weather was great and we had a drink on the Oudemarkt square, where many other people also came to enjoy the sun. After this we played some Rummikub in a little pub/coffee shop close by. Once again the town’s atmosphere was amazing, even though most places were closed since it was Sunday.

I'm still (barely) alive!

So it’s been a while since I wrote anything here… between being really busy and really sick I sort of haven’t had much time to think about blogging! However, I have returned to bring you yet another post about my travels in Europe!

So my “busy period” basically started out by going to Knokke with my good friend, Lisa, and her mom. Knokke is at the Belgian seaside. I would not call it surfers’ paradise, since the waves are really really small, but I can see how one can have a nice time there in summer! We borrowed some bicycles and had a nice cycle on the boulevard which runs along the seaside. I was then also invited to a family dinner at Lisa’s house, with her parents, sister and good friends of theirs. The food was amazing! I must say it made me miss my own parents’ cooking! I was so full after that I had a struggle getting up the stairs at home!

Lisa and me at the seaside

The week after that was pretty straight forward – basically doing some thesis work and spending some time sick in bed… not so nice. I also had a short stint on the campus radio station, Urgent.fm, talking about my experience in Ghent so far. When asked what I missed most about my country my answer, of course, was the SUN! Also rented a bicycle for the rest of my time here so I can set to work on those sexy legs I have always wanted ;) and dominated the ESN quiz night (most probably thanks to all the practice at the Aandklas quiz nights - man, I miss those!).

Then came the big trip! Paris! Setting out at 6 AM on a Saturday morning after having a bit of a party the night before was not one of the easiest things any of us had to do, but at least the bus ride was a few hours long so we got some sleep! After finally arriving in Paris, having some lunch and checking in at the hostel we got on the metro to meet our guides for the city tour. More than once I wondered what it must’ve looked like when sixty random people are catching the same train and at every stop someone yells out for them to either stay on the train or get off. I have lots of respect for the ESN members accompanying us, as what seemed to be young, grown-up adults, turned out to be dependant 21 year olds acting like they were on a school trip! Thanks to the ESN members for remaining patient and helpful. I, however, cannot say the same about myself. After that there was a LOT of walking and walking and walking and then a little more walking. We got to see a lot of nice sights though and our guide, Adam, whom I will forgive for being half American, was awesome and also very patient. For me the highlight of the city tour was definitely the Arc de Triomphe! After that we set out exploring Paris by ourselves and ended up having some Chinese food for dinner, then a quick visit to the Moulin Rouge and finally back to the hostel for some games and then bed! On Sunday morning sickness started to claim my body and my mind! Not so cool! It was however an enjoyable day that ended in lunch at a charming little café and a purchase of Vogue Paris J

Since Monday I have been sick in bed with the nastiest cold I’ve had in a long time. After two visits to the doctor they finally decided that antibiotics will have to save the day – and we’re getting there slowly but surely. Today was also one of the first days we had the nicest weather and Vicky and I enjoyed a sit in the garden in the afternoon – one of the perks of living in a house with a family!

More blogs!

So my awesome, irreplaceable friends far far away, some of my new found and also awesome friends here in Belgium also have blogs that you can read! Ze German - Juliane - even made a video (click on the word to watch video) of her first month in Ghent! See if you can spot me ;) Go check it out!

Johann's blog (South African): http://dodadance.wordpress.com/

Juliane's blog (German): http://jane-in-gent.blogspot.com/

Comparing SA and Belgium...

This post will be in English so my foreign friends will also understand J So what I’m going to do now is compare some random things in Belgium to the same things in South Africa. I’ll work at an exchange rate of R10.50 for 1 euro, as this is mostly what the exchange rate is averaging at the moment. Here we go:

Grocery prices

Bread: in SA we will pay about R7 to R11 depending on the type of bread bought, where R7 is for the basic normal white bread and R11 is for healthy bread. In Belgium I pay 1.75 euro (R18.38) for white bread. The quality of the white bread is much better though, so it’s not so bad to pay that amount.

Tuna: in South Africa a 200g can of tuna would cost you R7 to R10 – in Belgium I paid 1.99 euro (R20.90), which is quite shocking… I haven’t bought any meat or chicken yet – I’m too scared to look at the prices!

Coca-Cola: 1.5 litres will cost you about R9 to R11 in SA, PLUS deposit, here in Belgium I pay 1.69 euro (R17.75) for the same amount, without deposit.

Muesli, mayonnaise, orange juice, milk and other basics are more or less the same, but you can find some really cheap brands if you know where to go… and if you don’t mind the lower quality.

Beer: In SA you will typically pay about R11 to R17 for a normal Castle or Black Label (330 to 500 ml) – except in Aandklas on Thursdays when draughts go for about R12 each (I might be wrong on this one). In 

Belgium the cheapest beer is about 2 euro (R21) for a glass, as in 250 ml, and then it is the light stuff like Maes or Stella Artois. The other stronger beer (thus more alcohol), like Duvel (I think it’s going on 8% alcohol, might be wrong though), cost about 3 to 3.50 euro (R31.5 to R36.75).

Stronger Liquor: SA IS WAY CHEAPER L which means I’m drinking beer while I’m in Belgium…

Sms: in SA a sms after 8pm is 35c and before 8pm is about 80c, an international sms is about R2.50, but I’m not sure what calls cost… in Belgium a sms is 8 euro cent (84c) all day, but if you recharge with 15 euro (R157.50) per month you get 5000 free local smses. International smses cost about 50 euro cent (R5.25). I don’t really use 3G here, as I find it to be quite expensive, I also don’t call people.

Petrol and diesel

Petrol and diesel go at about somewhere between 1.60 and 1.80 euro per litre (R16.80 to R18.90), while in SA we pay about R10 to R12 a litre (I have no idea what the petrol price is in SA at the moment, but R12 is still quite expensive).

Clothing and shoe prices (this is of high importance ;))

In South Africa you’ll pay about R80 (Mr Price) to R150 (Shoerama) for a pair of flat pumps. So far the cheapest basic version of pumps I could find (and I saw them in a really cheap shop) in Belgium was 20 euro (R210). Typical “cheap” shoe prices in Belgium are something in the line of 35 to 60 euro (R367.5 to R630). Not so cheap compared to SA… I would admit that sometimes the quality is a bit better though.

Clothing prices can’t really be compared as it sort of depends in which shops you buy.  I love buying stuff from H&M, their prices are comparable to Mr Price I would say (maybe a bit more expensive… like JayJays or Identity), but the quality and fit is much better – almost comparable to Woolworths.

People and manners

Men here are quite different. In Belgium they don’t really care about women being independent and making more money than them…  which I can say, from first-hand experience, in SA is not the case. They regard women as equal, so equal in fact that they don’t really open doors for them, because apparently some women here are offended by it. I’ve managed to find one Belgian guy who opened a door for me, one form New Zealand, one from Poland and one unknown guy, who I might have thanked a bit too enthusiastically.

Gossiping is going at more or less the same trend in Belgium, especially among the exchange students, because everyone sort of knows each other. Most of the European people I find to be very liberal, which I don’t mind, but compared to the (seemingly) conservative South Africans, it is something to get used to. Very few people I’ve met in Belgium are actually religious, they are mostly atheist or agnostic, and those who are Christian don’t really go to church anymore (as there are mostly strict Catholic churches here).

Politics

I’m not even going to go into that… but believe me, no country is without problems in this regard.

That’s it for now… Academics are picking up, so posts will be less frequent now J


Here are some random pics from the Binche carnaval:

Party please! Problem?

So, ek het nogal ‘n eventful naweek gehad! Dit was nou vir jou prettig! Dit het begin Vrydagaand met speed dating by die Therminal (dis waar die ESN se headquarters is), daar het ek baie mense ontmoet! Aangesien daar heelwat meer meisies as ouens was het ek sommer met die girls geskakel. Dit was egter nie lank voor ons ander planne bedink het nie! Ek en Lieven (mens se dit Liewen, hier is “v” gelyk aan “w” en “w” gelyk aan die Engelse “double u” soos in “what” of “who”) het opgeteam en toe word dit nou eers interessant! Ons het sommer vinnig-vinnig vir Jacek (uitgespreek “Jat-sek”) betrek en lekker gelag vir my naam kaartjie, aangesien niemand my naam so lekker kon uitspreek of verstaan nie – ek was ‘n hele paar keer Johanna! Daarna is ons Twitch toe vir ‘n traffic light party – dra ‘n groen bandjie as jy single is, geel as dit complicated is en rooi as jy gevat is. Aangesien die mense hier se uitgaan kuiers eers so tussen 11 en 1 begin en die clubs en pubs eers 6h toemaak, was dit nogal ‘n laat aand (of vroeë oggend), maar so die moeite werd!

Saterdamiddag is ons Brugge toe, dis so uur met die trein se ry see se kant toe. Ons het ‘n toer gehad en baie foto’s geneem. Dit was baie mooi en interessant behalwe vir die reën wat later die pret so bietjie bederf het! Ons is terug Gent toe so teen 6h se kant en toe ek in my bed geval van moegheid!

Sondagmiddag is ons na ‘n karnaval in Aalst toe. Blykbaar hou die mense hier groot partytjie voor Lent begin en dis toe by dié partytjie waar ons opeindig. Die mense trek verskriklik awesome aan en die kostuums is in die fynste detail beplan en gemaak. Dit is regtig ‘n ongelooflike ervaring! Ek het BAIE cross dressers gesien… dit het my nogal laat wonder hoeveel van die mans eintlik nog altyd graag high heels en leggings wou gedra het! Hier het ek, Silke, Brecht en Hugo sommer gou vir ons ‘n paar maskers op die sypaadjie aanmekaar geslaan en daar is ons toe weg om die vlotte te gaan bekyk en die pubs in te vaar. In die pubs was die mense maar redelik flou en ek en Brecht besluit toe om die partytjie bietjie aan die gang te kry deur snaakse dans moves te gooi in die middel van die pub – ons het nogal ‘n paar aanhangers gekry daar! Toe die partytjie nie wou lewe kry nie is ons huis toe. Gelukkig is vandag en môre vakansiedae en het niemand klas nie so almal kan lekker herstel van die naweek se bedrywighede! Môre is ons oppad Binche toe vir nog ‘n karnaval!

FOTO'S; Bo v.l.n.r: Lieven en Abdul van ESN; Jacek in Brugge; Brecht, Silke, ek en Hugo in ons "costumes" in Aalst.
Onder v.l.n.r: Lieven en ek in Brugge; Ek en Johann (van SA) in Brugge; Een van die deelnemers aan die vlotoptog in Aalst - kyk daai costume!


Video van dansende kersbome! HAHAHAHA

Eerste klas

Vir die wat wonder... klasse in Gent is nie veel anders as klasse in Stellenbosch nie... behalwe dat dit soos 2 ure langer is! Ek het gister my eerste klas hier gehad. Aangesien ek net een vak neem (Duurzaamheid van materialen en construkties - Sustainability of materials and structures), het ek net een keer 'n week klas vir 3 ure. Die eerste klas was redelik straight forward, het 'n bietjie hersiening gedoen van 'n vak wat ek in my 2de jaar voorgraads gedoen het. Dit was lekker om weer my geheue daaroor te verfris, aangesien dit daai tyd al een van my gunstelinge was. My tesis het ook al aan die gang gekom en trek nou al by 3 bladsye... hahaha!

Hierdie week is ietwat van 'n sosiale week. Dit is die eerste week van die nuwe semester en staan bekend as "Welcome week" vir die van ons wat nuut is hier. Die ESN (Erasmus student network - erasmus is soos uitruil in Europa) het vir elke dag 'n aktiwiteit gereel. Vanaand is daar pub night en karaoke... ek is ongelukkig in die bed met keelseer en dis reenerig buite. Plus ek moet my kragte spaar vir Vrydagaand se speed dating en traffic light party! Ons was laas Vrydag op 'n toer saam met ESN in Gent. Dit was lekker en interessant (foto's onder)! Was ook Vrydagaand vir die eerste keer uit gewees! Dit was 'n belewenis, maar ons moes die aand 2h eindig aangesien ons die bus huistoe moes vang. Dit was vrek koud, maar teen 2h het ons dit nie eers meer agtergekom nie! Seker maar al die Duvels (bier) en shots (onbekend presies wat daarin was) wat ons ingehad het!

Links: St Baafs Katedraal, Middel: Jacob van Artevelde wat in die rigting van Engeland wys, Regs: Random huis.

First days in Ghent

Last week I got on my 18 hour flight to Belgium. The flight was okay even though I struggled to sleep. After landing in Brussels I took the train to Ghent. Vicky, one of my housemates from Greece, met me at the train station, which was good, cause I would have gotten so lost! The airline left my bag somewhere between Cape Town, Doha and Brussels, so I only got it on Saturday, which was a good thing since it would've been quite a mission to hull around 23 kgs from tram to bus to house in fresh snow!

At the house I met my landlady, Bettina - who is really cool, her daughter, Amber, and the rest of my housemates: Vicky and Angela from Greece, Elina from Belgium and Lorna from Scotland. We all get along really well! There is also a dog and a cat in the house, which is really awesome and they're really cute!

Julian, the cat

Lanou, the dog

So today I decided to do registration and find a bank and a medical aid to apply to. Got lost quite a few times, but found my way back again! Plus at least I got some awesome pictures (more on Facebook)!

Bijschrift toevoegen

Picture taken while I was trying to figure out where  I am!

I thought I will struggle with the cold, but I must say it's not as bad as I thought. I think I've felt colder in the South African winter at 15 degrees than I felt today at 1 degree!

Saying Goodbye to Stellenbosch/ Totsiens vir Stellenbosch (dedicated to Zappa and Emma)

(This post will be in English and Afrikaans to help my two awesome English speaking friends to improve their Afrikaans and be fluent in it by the time I get back! Hierdie inskrywing sal in Engels en Afrikaans wees sodat my twee wonderlike Engelssprekende vriende hulle Afrikaans kan verbeter en dit vlot kan praat teen die tyd wat ek terug kom!)

For the past three weeks I have been spending some time in Stellenbosch. On Friday I had to bid the town, that has been my home for the past 5 years, farewell so that I can have 6 months of awesome experiences in Europe. Basically my last three weeks in Stellenbosch was spent moving office, registering at Stellenbosch University, sorting out finances (thanks Natalie!), partying, dancing, braaiing, smoking some hubbly and hanging out with friends. Oh, and updating my research proposal... haha!


Ek het vir die afgelope drie weke bietjie tyd in Stellenboch spandeer. Vrydag moes ek die dorp, wat my tuiste was vir die afgelope 5  jaar, groet sodat ek vir 6 maande wonderlike ervarings in Europa kan hê. Tydens die laaste drie weke in Stellenbosch het ek my kantoor getrek, geregistreer by Stellenbosch Universiteit, my finansies uitgesorteer (dankie Natalie!), partytjie gehou, gedans, gebraai, hubbly gerook en saam met vriende gekuier. Oja, en my navorsingsvoorstel opgedateer... haha!

Braaiing at Sonel and Emma's house

Braaiing at my house

Braaiing at my house

Basically all the farewells started last Saturday at my house in Stellenbosch. I had a braai with my Huis Marais  friends, class friends and some of my oldest friends, which was lots of fun! During the week I had coffee with many of my friends to say goodbye. The biggest celebrations, however, started on Wednesday night in Brazen Head with some friends from Sonop, smoking some hubbly and having a few drinks. There I met four friendly European girls who just wanted to know why I'm leaving the sun for the snow! The biggest party was definitely on Thursday night! The four Masters' girls went for dinner at Manousche (highly recommended). At this dinner I was given a farewell gift that had me in tears! They've secretly been making a notebook with letters from everyone in my class wishing me good luck. It is also filled with photos of them and of Stellenbosch for when I get homesick. I can honestly say that this is one of the few times I've received such a thoughtful and special gift and it means the world to me. I even have letters from some of the staff in the Structural Engineering department in there! After this awesome dinner we went to De Akker to meet up with the boys where we had a VERY memorable night. Even Karel showed up (honourable mention for that). So on Friday I packed my car leaving my house in Stellenbosch behind for 6 months.

Basies het al die totsiens sêery laas Saterdag by my huis in Stellenbosch begin. Ek het gebraai saam met my Huis Marais vriende, klasvriende en van my oudste vriendinne, wat baie lekker was! Gedurende die week het ek saam met verskeie van my vriende gaan koffie drink om totsiens te sê. Die grootste feesvieringe het egter Woensdagaand in Brazen Head begin saam met my vriendinne van Sonop. Ons het hubbly gerook en 'n paar drankies gedrink. Daar het ek ook vier baie vriendelike Europese meisies ontmoet wat net wou weet hoekom ek die son vir die sneeu verruil! Die grootste partytjie was definitief die Donderdagaand! Die vier Meesters meisies het gaan aandete eet by Manousche (hoogs aanbeveel). Hier het ek 'n geskenkie gekry wat my in trane gehad het! Hulle het skelm 'n boekie gemaak met briefies van al die mense in my klas om vir my totsiens te sê en sterkte toe te wens. Daar is ook foto's in van hulle en Stellenbosch vir wanneer ek huis toe verlang. Ek kan eerlikwaar sê dat dit een van die min kere is wat ek so 'n deurdagte en spesiale geskenk gekry het en dit beteken so baie vir my. Daar was selfs briefies in van sommige van die personeel in die Struktuuringenieurswese departement! Na hierdie lekker ete is ons De Akker toe waar die ouens by ons aangesluit het. Dit was 'n ONVERGEETLIKE aand. Selfs Karel het opgedaag (eervolle vermelding daarvoor). So toe het ek Vrydag my kar gepak en my huis in Stellenbosch verlaat vir die volgende 6 maande.

The notebook I got as a farewell gift

I also got a "croc" keyring due to an inside joke between Emma, Sonel and me.

I am now spending some time at home with my parents until I leave on Thursday evening. I've been packing my suitcase and hand luggage... what a mission! I think I will still need about two more attempts to get it right!

Ek spandeer nou bietjie tyd by die huis saam met my ouers tot ek Donderdagaand vlieg. Ek het al my tas en handbagasie gepak... soveel moeite! Ek dink ek gaan nog so twee probeerslae nodig hê voor ek dit heeltemal regkry!