Vera in South Africa

My story

So off you go, to South Africa for three months to volunteer. Waved off by my family at the airport, I boarded the plane, off on a wonderful adventure. The flight went smoothly and before I knew it I was in Johannesburg. I stayed the night at the airport and flew on to Port Elizabeth the next morning, where someone from United Through Sport was already waiting for us. We drove to the accommodation where all the volunteers stay. The arrival was a bit odd because there were still people from the previous group who were going home that weekend. On the first weekend the volunteers who were already there took us under their wing so we could settle in completely; we got a SIM card and airtime at the shopping centre, and a travel adapter, as not everyone had one with them and this generation, my generation, is pretty much glued to their phones.

In the first week you get all sorts of new impressions and are sort of shown the ropes. The first hour of the day you always played games with the little ones, like Duck Duck Goose, a relay race or Shark attack, and after that you had 3 hours of coaching your sport at different schools. The children you teach are so happy and excited to be allowed to do sport that you feel really welcome right from the start. I coached hockey for 3 months, with the odd switch to football now and then. That meant I got to know the children who came to hockey every week really well and built a special bond with a few of them. So it was also hard to see the conditions these children had to play sport in. A pitch covered in stones and bumps, and in the school uniform they still had to wear all week. Which didn’t matter much to these children, because if you asked how they were, the answer was: “We’re blessed and highly favoured”. That really got me thinking too: in Holland it quickly becomes something we have to do, and there it’s something we get to do. So it took a lot of getting used to again when I came home and everyone moaned about the smallest things, while there they’re happy to even have a football for an hour a week.

Because my group was very small at the start, there were just four of us, I got to know the young locals who also gave the sports lessons really well. I actually loved doing the volunteering together with the local young people; that way you get to know the country and the culture quickly and in a different way. A small disappointment was that the weekend activities didn’t go ahead because there weren’t enough of us. It was only after 4 weeks that new volunteers arrived, 4 English girls, which was nice for me as I was the only girl. The weeks the girls were there really flew by and I made good friends I’m still in touch with. Because the girls were there, the weekend activities went ahead again and I was able to do everything I wanted. I went on safari, walked with elephants, went skydiving, surfing and sandboarding. I truly had the best time of my life in South Africa and I recommend everyone to go too! The moment I was back in Holland, I even started planning my return!

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

Really enjoy it from the moment you arrive, because the time goes so quickly. It feels like you’ve only been there a few weeks and then you have to go home again.