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At last joined up with my fellow students, I spent the night in Joburg at the lodge, still not quite convinced I was really in Africa and not just having a lucid dream at the London airport. Any doubts were officially cast aside the next morning, however, when we packed our bags and headed downtown to the Constitutional Court (South Africa’s version of the Supreme Court). After a brief visit and introductory lecture about South Africa’s judicial system, we embarked on the final leg of the journey, a seven hour drive to Durban. I’d had more than enough travel at this point, but the word-guessing games played among us students and the grass-covered hills, valleys, and farms made the drive more than bearable. Nevertheless, I was quite relieved to arrive in Durban and finally end my four straight days of travel.
We holed up downtown in flats (aka apartments) overlooking the one and only Indian Ocean, and essentially spent the week getting acquainted with our new life in Durban- whether that be the daily routine of shuttling back and forth from the program office, exploring tourist attractions, or dealing with the new norm of sweating profusely throughout the night. Altogether, the week scratched the surface of the good, the bad, and the ugly in Durban.
THE GOOD
Class Structure: The first week in Durban was more or less a week-long vacation, and that’s thanks to the class structure. Rather than simply sitting in the classroom the entire time, we participated in a variety of field-based learning activities (the program’s fancy term for a field trip). These included visits to the Nelson Mandela capture site, Moses Mabhida Stadium (built for the 2010 World Cup), and a “city drop off” scavenger-hunt-style activity where we were dropped in the middle of the city and had to navigate our way to various landmarks. While the days still consisted of lectures, they felt more like a tour guide showing us around rather than a heavy-duty international trade theory class. This isn’t to say that they were any less academic, they were just complements to our field trips, providing context to what we saw in and around Durban.
Prices: US Dollars go very far in South Africa (equivalent to about 15 rand). This equates to restaurants ranging from around $3-$6, and overpriced things like tourist attractions and drinks being actually affordable (I could order an actual cocktail for the first time!). While things certainly add up, South African prices are ideal for a college student studying abroad, much more so than places such as France, Germany, Japan, etc.
Beaches: The Durban beach scene is 15/10, and by far home to the best beaches I’ve ever been to. There’s Umhlanga, an affluent beach town with fancy restaurants (that are still affordable by American standards) and a pier made out of whalebone, and the Golden Mile, the stretch of public beaches just outside our flats. The Golden Mile beaches are full of soft, Outer Banks-like sand, warm water, and most importantly, waves suitable for bodysurfing. The boardwalk, known as “The Promenade” is even nicer, home to cheap bars, a well-developed running trail, outdoor fitness equipment, and even wild monkeys.
People: South Africans are very very friendly. Initially, I was afraid of telling people I was from the US due to the poor reputation that Americans have, but everyone here loves to engage with foreigners. In just one week, I’ve had numerous engaging conversations with various people at the beach, restaurants, museums, and around town. Talking with locals is an invaluable way to learn firsthand about life and culture in South Africa, so I’m very fortunate that everyone here is very friendly. Furthermore, South Africa’s a very diverse country, home to Afrikaner, British, Indian, Xhosa, and Zulu populations, and I’ve felt that each conversation with a local gives new insight and information.
THE BAD
Food: Yes, I know, many people travel for the food, so sticking it on the “bad” list is very disappointing. But Durban just doesn’t have a wide variety of food options, especially for someone who can’t eat dairy or red meat. Most of the restaurants downtown are chains, serving either chicken and chips (aka fries), fish and chips, or burgers and chips. Pretty much impossible to find a meal that doesn’t include french fries (which is perfectly fine until you realize you’ll be here for 3 months and need to eat somewhat healthy). There’s plenty of Indian food available due to Durban’s large Indian population, but unfortunately most of these dishes contain milk. In addition, service is S-L-O-W. Sit down restaurants will regularly take 30-45 minutes to bring out food, and fast food even takes 15-20 minutes. Not only that, but more often than not, restaurants will be out of crucial ingredients, ranging from anchovies to chicken to even ice. You have to ask for water (and more specifically for “ice water”), and they almost never split the check, which can be very chaotic when you’re eating with eight other students. Altogether, eating in South Africa requires you to very much adjust your expectations.
THE UGLY
Heat: It can be quite hot and humid in Durban during the summer (which runs from December to February since we’re in the Southern Hemisphere). As someone from Virginia, the humidity isn’t anything new during the day, but at night it’s a different story. Most places (including our flats) don’t include air conditioning, so it can be absolutely scorching at night. It is way too hot to sleep with any covers on, and even with a fan I regularly sweated throughout the entire night. It certainly makes it harder to fall asleep, especially for someone like me who has a hard enough time to begin with.
Inequality: Throughout the week, I visited an abundance of fancy places like Umhlanga, Suncoast Casino, and UShaka Marine World. Even Golden Mile Beach, while populated with all kinds of people, is very secure and well-developed. The same cannot be said for the rest of the city, however. South Africa struggles with massive wealth inequality, and unemployment levels, particularly among young people, are very high (close to 50%). This creates a lot of class struggle and a lot of people asking for money, especially if you’re an American (which, regardless of what you look like, people can tell right away). It’s certainly very sad to see, and I’m sure I’ll have more to comment as I continue to learn about and experience South Africa. Of course, inequality leads to desperation, so I’ve had to adopt practices like not staring at my phone, not wearing earbuds, and not walking around alone, even as a 6’1 guy (6’2 if you ask me in person).
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