Philip in South Africa

My story

Years ago I heard fantastic stories from friends of mine who had done internships in South Africa. They appealed to me so much that every time I heard a story about this beautiful country, my interest grew. I knew I still had to do an internship for my course, so choosing the destination was pretty easy: South Africa!

A conversation with Ruben, the man behind The Power of Sports, was quickly arranged, and it took place about 3 to 4 months before the internship started. I had a good feeling about it, and after seeing a few photos I got more and more excited. In the run-up to the internship I also had a pleasant Skype call with Nick Mould, the director of United Through Sport (UTS) Port Elizabeth; a relaxed guy with a big heart for his organisation.

On arrival, together with Casper, who I already knew and who was also doing an internship at UTS, I was warmly welcomed at the airport by one of the UTS coordinators. Casper and I were then given a tour of the grounds. The rooms are fairly small and the facilities basic, but of acceptable quality. The accommodation had a few big advantages: large gardens, a volleyball court, a pool table, a big swimming pool and a table tennis table. This meant there was always something to do.

If you’re in two minds: DO IT!

Since there are usually between 20 and 35 people living at the United Through Sport accommodation, there’s always someone to have fun with. I did my internship with 5 other interns: one friend of mine, Casper, and four Dutch girls. They made my internship extra fun! The other people (South Africans) who worked in the office were also really nice and pleasant to work with. Through them I learnt a lot about the people of South Africa, the country and the culture. It was also great fun to spend time with the volunteers. They mostly came from Great Britain, but also from the USA, France, Germany, Switzerland, the Netherlands and Austria. By hanging out with them I also learnt a lot about their cultures and customs. With these new friends I went to lots of parties and had some amazing evenings.

My work in the office consisted of organising a sports tournament between different primary schools. Because communication in South Africa doesn’t move very fast, it took quite a while before I had worked out exactly what I was going to organise (which sports, which schools, how many people were needed, etc..) Otherwise you can almost always plan what you want to do yourself, and you can always watch what the people in the office are working on at the time. You’re expected to be flexible, because things often go differently than planned. One example is that you’re sometimes asked to train, coach or referee a sports team of young children. I didn’t mind this at all, because that’s how I am myself.

Besides the ‘office’ work there are of course also the coaching sessions. You can agree with the UTS coordinators which days you spend in the office and when you coach. On a normal coaching day you visit three schools in Port Elizabeth, all located in the townships, or as UTS calls them: ‘disadvantaged areas’. At these schools you run a session of an hour and a half in the sport of your choice. I coached hockey and rugby, even though I’d never played rugby in my life. It was really easy to learn the basics of rugby myself and also easy to pass them on to the kids. A fantastic experience, because rugby is a big sport in South Africa and the children are always wildly enthusiastic about it!

Besides my internship I also played in a hockey team. A really fun team that I had lots of laughs with. This was the perfect way to truly integrate into South African culture, without UTS being involved.

I did my internship with 5 other interns: one friend of mine, Casper, and four Dutch girls. They made my internship extra fun!

Before I went home I went on an amazing trip with two good friends from Port Elizabeth to Cape Town. This was the best experience of the whole internship. Starting with the World Surf championship in Jeffreysbay, then enjoying the Stellenbosch wine region, braaiing (barbecuing) every evening, climbing Table Mountain and Lion’s Head, riding an ostrich, bungee jumping from the highest bungee bridge in the world, and so on. Things you can’t experience anywhere else in the world! Now, six months later, I still think every day about this magnificent country and the friendly people who live there!

If you’re in two minds: DO IT!

Philip Kramer