Frankfurter sausage

Hello,

after a good month here in Bloemfontein, it's time for an update from me.

We flew on July 13, 2016 with Fly Emirates from Hamburg via Dubai to Johannesburg. From there, we continued to Bloemfontein with South African Airlines. Emirates naturally offers some conveniences, such as a small screen on the back of the seat in front of you, along with a media library with a really good selection of music (as you can see in my photo). Although the SAA plane couldn't compete with the same level of travel comfort, this last part of the journey was also pleasant.

From Bloemfontein, we were finally taken to our accommodation. The residential block 'JBM Annex' is very well equipped. We have a shared kitchen, as well as radiators in each room, running hot water, and plenty of space. It is also nice to live on campus. The parking lot in front of our house, as well as the entrances and exits of the university, are guarded day and night. I live together with 5 other students from the University of Bremen, as well as 2 students from the Netherlands and one from the Czech Republic. Despite the 'high' number of residents, the accommodation provides enough space so that we don't have to get in each other's way. Thanks to the efforts of the university here, we quickly got to know the other international students. The thing we do most together is grilling. I think I grilled about 8 times in the first month. They call it 'Braaji' here, the only difference is that they grill over wood instead of charcoal, and there are no salad side dishes.

Life on campus is quite different from Bremen. Because many students live here, there is much more 'culture' on the university campus. Here, there are several restaurants, a supermarket, a church, hairdressers, bookstores, and I'm sure I forgot something. Although there are hairdressers and bookstores in Bremen too, the shopping options here are such that you don't really have to leave the campus. I have also been to several 'residential parties', which unfortunately always have to end at 12 o'clock. It's apparently a university regulation. I found it interesting that each party offered a visibly different picture. Depending on the 'residential', there is different music, games, and the like. In addition, in many residentials, you primarily find people of certain backgrounds. The 'club culture' is similar to that in Europe from my point of view. Similar music is playing and people are similarly drunk.

However, I am really impressed by the diversity of people you meet here. In comparison, the hustle and bustle in Bremen really seems like a monotonous routine. If you go to the supermarket here and listen carefully, it is not unlikely that you will hear four or more different languages in one day. Many people with different habits also live side by side on campus. This contrast between mainstream and alternatives, which at least I occasionally notice in Germany, hardly exists here. You practically live as neighbors. However, what frequently happens as a result is that some people isolate themselves. I have been told that this also has to do with the area here (the Free State). Due to the history of this area, there are many conservative, Christian-thinking descendants of the Boers here. Almost only white people sit in the Afrikaans-language lectures. While there are already tendencies in the rest of South Africa to abolish Afrikaans as a university language, there is still much more resistance to this in Bloemfontein. On campus as well, you can see many groups where only white people come together. Together with the fact that there are significantly fewer people here who speak Afrikaans compared to Sesotho or Zulu, this is somehow unsympathetic. But you also experience the opposite. Others are super tolerant towards all origins and cultures.

The support for study and housing matters is excellent. We were extensively informed about all necessary registration and similar matters, and everything was uncomplicated. In addition, the caretaker is quickly on hand if there is something to be repaired.

In general, it can be said that you can live very well on campus if you can afford it. As a European, you also benefit from the exchange rate, so everyday goods such as food, drinks, or cigarettes become very cheap. A pack of cigarettes costs around €2.

After the first month, what impressed me the most is the range of food, sweets, and soft drinks. Although I really made an effort, I still couldn't try all the delicacies that you can't get in Europe. The whole range of 'treats' here is simply more oriented towards enjoyment. There are a bunch of successful combinations of milkshakes, sodas, fast food, seafood, and the like. Even the range of cigarettes is wider and more diverse.

Another advantage compared to Germany is the weather. We are now about to survive the 'winter'. Winter here means 24 degrees in the sun with pleasant dry air and a gentle breeze. It's bearable!

At this point, I would like to say a big thank you to everyone who contributed to making this trip possible for me. I'm having a great time here, and thanks to the support of the DAAD, my everyday life is not comparable in terms of stress level to the conditions at home. When about 20 hours of work per week just disappear, you notice that..