Meet Your Match: Tips on Choosing a Program

Soon you’ll be headed back to school, and it will be time to start finalizing your plans for your time abroad. Whether you’re thinking about going to the bustling city of London, the beautiful wine region of Stellenbosch, or perhaps the historic town of Galway, Ireland, you’re in for a fresh perspective and wonderful memories.

You might think that coming to a conclusion on where to study is an easy decision. I mean, no matter where you decide to go it is going to be a life changing experience right? While this is not completely wrong, there are still key elements to consider before finalizing the decision of where you want to go abroad. To help, we’d like to share a list of factors to consider when choosing a study abroad program.

Top 20 South African-isms

One of the most fun aspects of traveling to a new country is learning the difference in language, specifically ‘slang’ types of words of which are not familiar to those entering a new land. South Africa is no different. In fact, with the eleven (yes, eleven) national languages of the nation one could argue that this foreign slang is epitomized in South Africa. So, in honor of our students finally arriving at their respective universities across the country, we at Interstudy thought it would be nice to provide them with a guide to some of the most popular local phrases. A keen study of this list and they will be convincing locals they have grown up in Cape Town, Stellenbosch, Durban etc. their whole lives!

Thinking About Cape Town? Do it.

The following is a reflection from our student blogger, Sarah, after her return from the Interstudy University of Cape Town program last Spring:

Somehow I’ve already been back in the U.S. for a month, and my memory of leaving South Africa feels like a very strange dream. I went through the motions of packing and saying goodbye to everyone I had grown so close with in 5 months, but it was really hard to wrap my brain around the thought that I was actually leaving the beautiful place that had been my home for a semester. When it finally did hit me sometime on the 15-hour flight from Johannesburg to New York (the TVs weren’t working so there was a lot of time to think about these things), I didn’t know how to feel. I was very excited to see my family and friends back at home, but just couldn’t believe that my time in Cape Town was over. In 5 months I had made some amazing friends, and had incredible experiences that I know I will never forget.

South Africa’s First Post-Apartheid Generation

Living in a country that is a literally on the opposite end of the world, we as Americans may be predisposed to various notions or judgments about the foreign land of South Africa. As future students of the country, it is important to recognize the 1^st and 3^rd world elements that South Africa entails. Of course with your acceptance into some of the country’s (and world for that matter) most respected universities you are fortunate to reap the benefits of the best that South Africa has to offer. Whether it be living in the heart of Cape Town, just a cab ride from the Camp’s Bay of Table Mountain, taking a quick cruise in Stellenbosch for a wine tasting on a beautiful vineyard, walking out of your dorm in Port Elizabeth for a quick morning surf, or venturing to the Drakensberg Mountains of KwaZulu Natal you as students will be able to see the best of South Africa has to offer.

NEW Summer Program for Business Majors

Interstudy is pleased to announce a NEW Summer Program for Business Majors in South Africa. In partnership with Stellenbosch University, students will participate in a 5 week long program specifically focused on Business in Southern Africa. Please see below for a list of program highlights.

In addition to the 5 week academic program, students will participate in the famous Garden Route tour along the Western Cape of South Africa at the conclusion of their studies, along with numerous other excursion opportunities during their stay. As with all of our programs, Interstudy staff are available to students 24/7 for day-to-day and emergency support.

First Lady Michelle Obama in South Africa

Interstudy students participating on the Interstudy Summer Program to the University of Kwa-Zulu Natal, Howard College just missed a run in with the First Lady of the United States! The First Lady, Michelle Obama, and her daughters Malia and Sasha were visiting in South Africa yesterday with a rare visit with Nelson Mandela, according to the NY Times. The family also visited the apartheid museum and the township of Soweto, where Nelson Mandela grew up.

My Mom Visits

 

When parents come to visit, it usually means days of museums, tours, and fancy lunches, it usually means hotels and mature, censured conversations and saying goodbye to friends for a little family time. When Sarah Kass comes to visit, it means normal life plus one. My mom had a perception of Cape Town as The Africa of The Apartheid. Although the ramifications of that period in history unfortunately remain and affect Cape Town today, the city itself is a vibrant metropolis with the opportunities and wonders of a first world municipality. As you will see, the adventures we took part in were far from my mom’s expectations, yet, they still awed and surprised her with their uniqueness and variance from American culture…

Breaking Records in Boston

Yesterday marked the 113th annual Boston Marathon and it was a beautiful day for a run. The marathon isn’t only about the runners though. Before the start of the road race, the Boston Marathon also hosts the men’s and women’s wheelchair division of the race which travels on the same path as the runners – including Boston‘s infamous Heartbreak Hill. Imagine the arm strength it must take to make that climb! This year, none other than a South African was breaking records in Boston in the men’s wheelchair division. Ernst Van Dyk, who lives near Stellenbosch, South Africa, won his ninth Boston Marathon this year. Along with his impressive accomplishments on the road, Van Dyk studied Sports Science at the Stellenbosch University, one of interstudy‘s many program sites in South Africa. (image care of Boston.com)