My experience in Costa Rica
After a great stop-over in Brazil
Siphumelele Mkhinze, YPSH09 exchange student
First of all I must say that I am having a really good time here in Turrialba. At school I have so many friends it’s actually unbelievable because I thought that since I will be in a foreign county I would be not so known….but, hey! I was wrong. The people here are very hospitable and welcoming. They are so eager to know more about SA. My advice to any student interested in coming to Costa Rica is to know their roots very well. Things like population size really matter this side. It gives people an idea about where one comes from and what it’s like. Photos, on the other hand, play an important role…..What’s actually funny is that my family knew SA to be a desert, an undeveloped area which is centuries behind in terms of civilization. They were actually wowed by the exotic places like CAPE TOWN, JHB and, of course, my home town DURBAN etc!!! And one of them made a comment like…”es como estados unidos”: which in Spanish means it’s like the United States, but, of course, with more diversity of cultures.
One thing that was a problem for me at the beginning was the language, but I can now safely say that I’m on cruise control. I speak Spanish like nobody’s business. Hey I have also learnt and know lots about the Costa Rican culture. I also was twice as lucky because I got to be hosted in Brazil for 10 days before proceeding to Costa Rica. I was stranded because I could not proceed to Lima in Peru with a recent yellow fever vaccination. They would have quarantined me there. I had to wait in Brazil for ten days. It turned out to be a wonderful 10 days as AFS BRAZIL came to my rescue. In those 10 days I got a glimpse of what Brazil is about. I was staying in Sao Paolo. My stay in there happened at the right time as there was a Carnival in Sao Paolo. Although my ending up in Brazil was not planned it was a blessing in disguise for me. That experience will stay in my mind forever and I know that I’m always welcome to visit my ‘foster’family there whenever I want to. I can write for the whole day about my experience in Brazil, Peru (I went through Lima) and Costa Rica but since I’ve been asked to write only half a page I’ll end here. In conclusion, I would recommend this kind of experience to anyone. You learn so much and get to grow knowledge-wise – the impact in one’s life cannot be explained. You make memories that will stay with you forever.
A great experience in Chile
Thanks to AFS
Nkuli Simelane, exchange-student 1998, volunteer
I went on a One-year exchange program to Chile, South America in 1998. It was the most wonderful and incredible year of my life. It is more than a decade ago but it’s as if it happened yesterday.
I was 17years old and decided to explore a different culture. I went to Chile not knowing exactly what to expect. AFS had pre-departure orientations for us but I still thought that it should not be so difficult to live in another country as long as I can communicate my needs and discuss whatever needs to be discussed.
On arrival in Chile we had an orientation with all AFS students from other countries. We were told that not all families can communicate in English and therefore we would need English/Spanish dictionaries to help us. I was not worried about that especially because my host sister had completed the host family forms in English. I was just looking forward to a new experience.
Guess what? Only my host sister knew a bit of English and the rest of the family did not. Eishh!! I can remember going to my bedroom at night to cry because I couldn’t speak nor understand Spanish. My family would have visitors and introduce them to me but I didn’t even have interest anymore because it was so many unusual names and faces to remember. Then I decided to change my attitude and embrace change. I realized that the people were warm, caring and loving. Though I couldn’t say much at the beginning I knew that they were more than happy to see me and opened their hearts to me.
We arrived there in February and by the end of April I could construct a good Spanish sentence. By the end of May I could tell and understand Spanish jokes. This was achievement especially knowing that I had to learn the language from scratch, like a baby.
As they say “The more you explore, the more you meet other explorers from different directions”. I made new friends from all walks of life. I learnt to dance Cueca (the traditional dance) and also to cook some Chilean recipes. I learnt to be more tolerant and loving towards people. I enjoyed school and participated in classroom activities. The highlight at school was participating in a Mountaineering group. We went up Snow-capped Volcanic Mountains and on one of them we reached its summit. This was a goal achieved.
I am able to speak Spanish fluently now. I discovered things not only about that country, its history and its people but many things about myself as well. I became proud of my family, my identity, my country and being a South African. To my surprise in my neighborhood in Chile I was the only black person, so for sure I had to be proud of MYSELF ;-).
I went back in 2006 to visit my family and friends. They couldn’t believe it. My host sister had a little girl, so now I have a niece. I promised to go back every 5-10years. Thanks to AFS for giving me this opportunity of a life time.
Valentina and Astrid on the road
A fabulous host-mother with many kids
Astrid Meng, host-mother IPscNH09
Over the past 3 years I have hosted 16 exchange students and/or volunteers. Not all of these were through AFS, but they all count and amount to such a wonderful experience! Each young lady has her own story to tell – I learn much from them about their culture and most of these girls have been enthusiastic about being in our beautiful country and getting to know some parts of it. I am passionate about travelling and showing off our country and its people, so even before Valentina arrived, I corresponded with her. To me this is essential so that the young person coming to stay in my house knows something about me. I am always open to questions.
Immediately we started to plan some time away from Gauteng during school holidays – so Valentina barely had time to catch her breath before we travelled to southern Namibia to see the Fish River Canyon. Spectacular as this is, the more memorable experience was a braai there in the desert. In the middle of African winter we sat on the ground, prepared gem squash, butternut and potatoes in foil on the braai along with huge T-bone steaks. While this was all sizzling on the hot coals, we gazed at the stars and I explained various configurations like the Southern Cross and plenty others when suddenly a hyena laughed not far away. What a real African evening! The food was absolutely delicious.
On the way back home we stayed at the Augrabies Falls which provided an exquisitely beautiful backdrop to our relaxing overnight stay there. And then school began. Valentina loved dressing up in uniform. She was very grateful for the opportunity to join her school and she made several friends during her stay here. There were outings to shows, malls and botanical gardens, to see wild animals and African culture at Lesedi. Valentina also spent weekends with new friends in Soweto and Yeoville.
Almost at the end of her stay in SA Valentina and I spent a weekend in Swaziland, hoping to go rhino tracking, but a flat tyre delayed our arrival and we missed this event. Valentina has vowed that she will be back to see more of our country and have some more adventure after she has finished school in Sicily. Having her stay here was a wonderful experience. I look forward to the next young lady – arriving in September…
