‘Study abroad’ students share rosy picture of adopted city
THERE is no place like home. The cliché follows travellers around like a second shadow, with the promise of something beautiful to return to.
As residents of Port Elizabeth, we rarely stop to think about the place we call home, with all of its idiosyncrasies, and international students are able to offer an overseas insight.
Statistically, most students on study abroad programmes at NMMU are Germans, with Americans following closely behind.
According to Jayde Bailey, a study abroad and exchange coordinator, many of these students decide to take proudly South African language courses such as Xhosa and Afrikaans.
Brayden Longnecker and Mary-Celeste Skinner are two American students on exchange at NMMU.
Longnecker comes from Cedar Falls, Iowa, and studies economics at the University of Northern Iowa. He chose to study in South Africa because of its diversity and the public opinion that it is a beautiful country with unique landscapes.
Asked what surprised him about Port Elizabeth, he said: “I was surprised by how much PE reminds me of any other American beach town I’ve been to, just with a lot more diversity.”
Skinner studies at the University of North Carolina Wilmington. She is studying criminal justice and chose to study in South Africa because she believes it is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
Her experience in Port Elizabeth has been quite similar to Longnecker’s: “PE itself and surrounding areas are so far from any ‘Africa stereotype’ that I have ever heard. Basically, it's not that much different to home.”
More accustomed to African traditions, Maria Phylis Mwendwa originates from Kenya, but currently lives and studies development studies at the University of Agder in Norway.
She found Port Elizabeth surprising as she had travelled in Cape Town and was told that Port Elizabeth would be dull. Instead, she found a city rich with culture and a very active nightlife.
Julia Roth, a logistics in cooperative education student at Deutsche Post in Stuttgart, Germany, said: “I feel everyone here is really friendly and welcoming.”
I was surprised by how much PE reminds me of any other American beach town I’ve been to