MGC Experience

A few of my friends have been going to these types of events for a while and they’ve finally succeeded in dragging me along. Now going to a cosplay/anime themed convention, I couldn’t go dressed normally. Being a long-time fan of everything Ghibli, I decided on a Kiki cosplay. Funnily enough, Kiki's Delivery Service is the only Ghibli film I haven't watched yet ^-^. 

Me as Kiki, my friend Tessa (the same Tessa that accompanied me to Nottingham) and a plushy Totoro! 

It was fun! Everyone was lively and friendly, easy to talk to. I was far in the minority as I wasn't wearing a wig. Every colour under the sun for hair, some of which fell down to their knees. Interesting lenses to spice up the eyes. 

There were quite a few things to do. Card games, computer-screens set up with every console under the sun, a photo-shoot booth with a professional photographer, lots of booths with all kinds of Japanese goods (from which I bought a Totoro t-shirt!), a cosplay fashion show, paper-crafts, go, shogi etc. 

All in all, an event I'm quite willing to re-experience!

Crushed Dreams

The South African Embassy in the Hague is where one goes to have their academic dreams crushed beyond recognition. I went to apply for a personalised letter that I needed to apply for a Police Clearance Certificate (In Dutch this is called a “Verklaring Omtrent het Gedrag”. While I did get my letter I was also harshly informed that two internships aren’t allowed. No reason could be given as to WHY it isn’t allowed. I must say that embassy-workers aren’t a friendly bunch…

Now I am faced with a choice: A genetics internship in Stellenbosch (not confirmed) or a pathology internship in Pretoria (confirmed). As soon as I got home I wrote an email to Stellenbosch explaining the change in circumstances and asked whether they had a place for me starting in January. A plant genetics internship is ultimately what would help me the most in the future, as this is the field I want to specialise in. Although plant pathology might be very interesting, genetics has always been of particular interest to me.

Now all I can do is wait for a reply from Stellenbosch… 

Avocado Bruschetta

Part of the reason I want to do my internships in South Africa, is because I was raised there. I remember this one holiday when I was about nine years old where I wouldn’t eat anything but avocados and tangerines. My mother loves telling me this story since I’m a bit vague on the details. She always says; “You ate avocados till you turned green and then ate tangerines till you looked normal again.”

In recent times I have found that I quite enjoy cooking and I’ll be posting some of my favourite South African recipes. This particular recipe isn’t really South African but it always makes me think of that holiday and it’s incredibly easy to make and delicious, to boot.

Avocado Bruschetta

(serves about 3 people)

Ingredients:

• 2 ripe to overripe avocados
• Cherry tomatoes
• Salt and pepper
• Small loaf of bread
• Olive oil
• Optional: cream cheese, lemon juice, coriander

1. Cut up the avocados mash them up with a fork.
2. Slice up a few cherry tomatoes and throw them in with the avocado, including any juices!
3. Mix them up and throw in salt and pepper till you’re happy with the taste.
4. Optional: Mix in a tablespoon or two of cream cheese, a few drops of lemon juice and/or a pinch or two of coriander.
5. Toast the slices of bread and them let them sizzle in a hot pan with olive oil.
6. Serve and enjoy!

Jacaranda City

Apparently Pretoria is also called Jacaranda City because of the thousands of Jacaranda trees planted next to the streets and in the parks and gardens. This picture is beautiful and it makes me think of cherry blossoms in Japan.

I looked it up and they supposedly bloom around October and November. As I'll be leaving for Pretoria somewhere in December or early January, I'll probably miss the spectacular purple views... :(

The Requirements for a Visa

For a visit / period of stay exceeding ninety (90) days, in the case of a prescribed unpaid internship (“Onbetaalde Stage”), an exchange permit may be issued to a foreign student, to conduct an internship at a South African company / institution – the following documentation is required for such applications:

• A letter from the applicant’s higher educational institution abroad in English (or accompanied by a sworn English translation) confirming that the applicant is a student and for his or her course of studies a compulsory internship is prescribed (i.e. work experience forms part of studies) and also confirming the place and duration of the internship.
• A letter from the South African company/institution confirming the duration of the internship, its relationship to the agreement/programme of the education institution and the work-related activities to be conducted by the student intern.
• A declaration from the applicant in English that he or she will not engage in any form of remunerated or non-remunerated work other than that covered in the letter from the company/institution.
• A duly completed permit application Form BI-1738.
• Valid Passport (a passport valid for no less than thirty (30) days after departure from the Republic of South Africa, and containing at least two (2) blank pages for endorsements.
• Non-Dutch passports must contain a valid long term or permanent residence permit for the Netherlands.
• Two original recent identical photographs.
• Proof of sufficient funds by means of bank statements 3 months back to prove that the applicant can cover envisaged living expenses during sojourn in South Africa.
• Police Clearance certificate in respect of each country the applicant lived in for 12 months or longer since the age of 18 years: so-called “Verklaring omtrent het gedrag”. (A letter of request must be obtained at the Consulate and presented at your Town Hall).
• Flight reservations – the dates must correspond with the dates of the duration on the letters from the applicant’s higher educational institution AND the company where the internship will take place.
• Medical report (BI-811) and Radiological report (BI-806).
• The host organization/institution in South Africa should provide proof that they are responsible for the student/intern and guarantee the repatriation of the student/intern. If not, a repatriation guarantee in the amount of € 750 (Euro) should be paid.
• Proof of medical cover confirming area of coverage and period of validity in South Africa.
• Non-refundable processing fee (banknotes only): 50 Euro.
• EU nationals who are exempt from Dutch residence permit conditions to provide proof of residence registration by obtaining an International Basic Administration of Personal Details Extract (“Uitreksel van Gemeentelijk Basis Adminstratie”) from your local Town Hall (Gemeente).
• The organ of state or learning institution that has organized or is administering the programme of cultural, economic or social exchange shall report to the Director-General of the Department of Home Affairs on the stages and the completion of the relevant programme in the prescribed manner.

Ebola

I might have been a bit premature with announcing my internship at Pretoria to the world. For all I now they could email me tomorrow to say that they won’t be needing anyone after all…*pessimistic thoughts* But anyways, I’ve announced it to a few of my friends and I’ve noticed that a popular response is: “aren’t you afraid of catching the Ebola virus?”

Now I knew that the outbreak was mostly centred in West Africa, but I looked it up anyways:

My first reaction was: “OH NO! South Africa is pink!” A closer look however revealed that there has been a shocking total of two cases of Ebola in South Africa. That’s right, TWO! The Democratic Republic of Congo has close to a thousand cases according to this map and probably even more by now.

I hereby conclude that the chance of attracting the Ebola virus while visiting South Africa, and only South Africa, is pretty tiny. I won't be tempting fate by hanging out with anyone that shows symptoms though...

Internship at Pretoria University, South Africa

I was rejected for the first internship I had applied to, an accreditation bureau in Pretoria. I let myself sulk for a few days and then got back on the horse. A wonderful family friend with a lot of contacts in the South African laboratory world helped put me in contact with a professor at the University of Pretoria, A.K.A. “Tukkies”. I’m not sure if that’s all she did, but I’m eternally grateful no matter what she did to help.

I’ll be doing an internship in the Department of Microbiology & Plant Pathology. I was hesitant towards this subject at first because of my limited experience, my field of choice being forensics. Luckily I sucked it up and wrote an internship letter anyways. Letting an opportunity go to waste is something I’m not willing to do, no matter how scary the prospect.

Now that I have my first of two internships lined up though, time seems to be going at warp-speed. There’s so much I need to find out and so many forms to fill in. More than anything there is an terrifying amount of waiting to be done and I have never been a particularly patient person… I guess I’ll take it one day at a time and stop procrastinating! 

Just for reference, I've added a map of South Africa and pointed a giant arrow at Pretoria :) 

First Step Towards Africa!

The reason I started this blog is getting closer and closer. I initially started it to document the process of getting an Internship in South Africa. I had noticed that quite a few of my fellow students had blogs but I couldn’t find anything all that useful on them. Where did they go for fun? How long did it take to get a visa? How was the food? Were there any restaurants of pubs in particular that wanted to recommend to the world.

Now as my first internship in Pretoria has been approved, my own journey is finally starting. I’ve lined up my cv and am currently (and painfully) labouring over a cover letter. Because I intend to do two internships I have quite a few questions about applying for a visa. Not to mention the fact that I’d like to take a few weeks off and visit some of my family that live in the area.

I’ve emailed the internship mediation agency ‘4exchange’ about a discount on their normal fee. 4exchange handles internships in Kaapstad and Port-Elizabeth for a fee of €450,-. For this profound amount they will help with the following things:

• Finding accommodation;
• Finding an internship in the area;
• Airport pickup;
• Advise when applying for a visa;
• Advise about things like cheap car rental etc;
• A welcoming pack with a South-African SIM-card etc.

Seeing as I wouldn’t be needing any of this except help with contacting the University of Stellenbosch and help with applying for a visa, the fee of €450,- seems a bit steep… I’m hoping they’ll give me a large discount or I’ll have to suck it up and go it alone!

UPDATE: Oh, goodie! They'll give me a €50,- discount! *Ironic voice*