It is really hard to express how I feel about Grahamstown, but I know I haven't been as happy as I am here for a long time.
It is really hard to express how I feel about Grahamstown, but I know I haven't been as happy as I am here for a long time.
Grahamstown is very different from what I imagined it to be. Still in Europe, I read and heard about the crime, inequality and poverty of South Africa.
Once I arrived I discovered another side to it that is so beautiful.
It's the people of Grahamstown. During my first few days here their friendliness dazzled me.
For the first time in my life, a grocery store cashier greeted me with 'Hello, how are you?' – I froze. I turned to my co-worker and asked why people were asking me how I was doing if they didn't even know me.
I am overwhelmed by the warmth and friendliness of people here and their close-knit community. I have been here for only three weeks and I could already call Grahamstown my home.
There are things that still shake me though.
I saw a man picking through trash next to the road, looking for something to eat.
I was drinking my coffee at home when a woman, a domestic worker, came to clean our place – this is unheard of for European students.
I drove through certain areas of town where life seems to be very rough.
I was shocked by the difference between an overcrowded township school and a fancy private school on the other side of town.
Sometimes there is a tangible presence of the post-apartheid division. A division that I thought was gone.
Despite multiple warnings about safety concerns prior to my arrival, I have not felt in any way threatened or uncomfortable in Grahamstown.
Some safety guidelines from my new friends have come in useful, but they are mostly just common sense.
My life in Grahamstown is very active. I enjoy my work days in the newsroom where I've learnt what it means to care and work for a small community.
I love spending time with my new friends and I enjoy wandering around Grahamstown with them. I especially love weekends, when I get a chance to explore the natural beauty of the Eastern Cape.
People asked me if I don't feel homesick. I don't.
I've lived away from home for many years now and every new place I go offers new and exciting experiences, but it is Grahamstown that succeeded at making me feel at home.
Some people back in Europe told me I was thoughtless and too adventurous to go to South Africa. I can't wait to share with them a different story, my story of Grahamstown because 'I'm fine, thank you!'
Klaudija Antolic is a Masters student in International Multimedia Journalism at the University of Groningen in the Netherlands. She comes from Slovenia, but will be doing a three-month internship at Grocott's Mail until the end of the year
