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 :)