Resmi in South Africa

My story

For my internship I went to South Africa for five months. My university has a really good relationship with the organisation, and that’s how I signed up.

I arrived on an arrivals weekend, together with 11 volunteers from different countries. We joined a group of about 20 people who had already been there for a month. Although this could have been quite nerve-racking, I didn’t experience it that way at all. Everyone was incredibly welcoming, both volunteers and staff. Because of that I felt at home almost straight away, and the induction definitely helped with that too!

I really enjoyed living together with all the volunteers! Whereas at first I thought I might find it quite difficult, that didn’t happen at all. It’s really nice to always have people around you, and this way you make friends for life very quickly! The weekend trips definitely helped with that too. And of course, not to forget: Barneys & Beeryard. Every Tuesday we went to the karaoke bar Barneys, and on Thursdays to the beer pong tournament at Beeryard! Sometimes it can be hard to get up early the next morning, but it’s all worth it 🙂

Because of my internship, my focus was on the swimming lessons. In the first two months I focused on swimming lessons, childcare and dance lessons. It’s truly incredible how happy the children are when you arrive to teach them. At first it can take a bit of getting used to, as things work very differently from sports lessons back home. You get used to it quickly, though, and of course you can always go to the coordinators and other volunteers for help.

Every four weeks you can say whether you’d like to change anything in your schedule. You can add or change sports and say whether you want to do teaching or childcare. This is really nice, as it means you can try absolutely everything and find what you enjoy most.

In March, for my internship, I also organised the annual Swimming Gala. This is a gala where some of the children from the swimming programme are put in the spotlight for their motivation, behaviour and skills. It’s all about fun and safety. For example, I gave a playful workshop on water safety, but we also had swimming races and played games in the water! This was really fun to do, also because after this event they no longer get swimming lessons from us.

In the last two months, for my internship, I set up my own programme so that children can continue swimming under supervision for longer. It was wonderful and very educational to set this up. I ran a pilot of this programme myself with five children, built a really lovely bond with them, and now they can all swim independently!

The very best thing is the bond you build with the children. Every day they’re grateful that you’ve come and they’re always happy to join in. They get attached to you very quickly when they see you coming back regularly, and the stories and bond you build are indescribable. It’s so lovely to see how you can always put a smile on their faces through sport.

I also took part in the Garden Route (South Africa Experience). On this you travel from Port Elizabeth to Cape Town in a week, with lots of stops along the way. This was truly one of the best weeks I had there, and the things you can do are brilliant! Think bungee jumping, skydiving, shark cage diving and quad biking.

In short, it was a truly unforgettable experience where you also make friends for life! I can’t wait to go back and will never forget it <3

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

If you get the chance to do the Garden Route, do it! It’s really great fun to spend this week with the other volunteers!