Puck in South Africa

My story

I spent three months in South Africa for my third-year internship together with Sam and Ruben (fellow students). Here I was busy giving PE lessons at primary schools in Port Elisabeth. I mainly taught hockey to 10 to 14-year-olds for the Keep Active programme. I also played lots of games with the younger kids aged 5-9 for the Learn to move programme. It was incredibly cool to give sports lessons. to these kids. As well as hockey, I often danced with the kids, because of course that’s a big part of their culture. It always made me really happy.

Once a week I also went to Astra primary school to observe in classes (teaching program). You could choose which class you wanted to sit in yourself. There you could observe the lessons and help where needed. In the afternoons we always had reading sessions. That means helping children who struggle with reading. The reading sessions were my favourite part of a teaching day. I mainly sat in with Grade 4 and really loved that you build a real bond with the children.

For my research internship I worked on introducing a self-defence programme. For this I researched self-defence and crime in South Africa. Thanks to my research, a pilot programme has also started at the primary schools. I hope I can give United Through Sport good advice, so that self-defence becomes part of the programme.

So during the week I was busy with coaching, teaching and my research report. On top of that, UTS organised lots of other things, such as 5-a-side football, games night and weekend trips. The weekend trips were a bit pricey, but definitely worth it. Through the weekend activities you see a lot of the country, and that’s nice when you’re there anyway. I’d also definitely recommend a trip to Cape Town, because what a beautiful city it is. Andd there’s really loads to do there!!!

It was really cool to live in a completely different country for three months. Unfortunately I did go home a bit earlier than planned. This was to do with safety. South Africa is a beautiful country, but sadly this country has two sides. When I read a lot about the high crime rate during my research, I did feel a bit less safe.

When you’re homesick and feel a bit less safe, unfortunately it’s no longer possible to let the fun win out. I definitely don’t want to scare you off by sharing my feelings. I have to admit it was a rollercoaster, but one I wouldn’t have wanted to miss. I can say for certain that I haven’t regretted this adventure for a second. In fact, I learnt an enormous amount from it.

So remember this! If you go for something, you might lose. If you don’t go for it, you’ve already lost.

There’s nothing more beautiful than giving children the chance to play sport and sharing your passion. And a child’s smile is priceless!

I want to say a huge thank you to United Through Sport and The Power of Sports for taking such good care of me. I’d also like to thank the Hogeschool van Amsterdam for this opportunity. And in particular I want to thank Ruben, Sam and Roos, because it’s largely thanks to them that this experience was unforgettable!

Love,

Puck

If you have any questions, feel free to send me a message!

What advice would you like to give future interns and volunteers?

Not every day can be amazing, especially not when you’re on the other side of the world. There’ll be plenty of days when you have a fantastic time, but there’ll also be a day when it’s not so great. That’s something you have to accept, but above all something you should talk about. You’re not alone 😉

Buttt, above all don’t forget to enjoy it, because before you know it, it’s over! NEVER STOP EXPLORING!!! :)))