What inspired you to travel abroad?
It was four years ago when I just wanted to do a project for myself in South Africa. After searching on the internet, the project just found me, and I was directly into it.
I wanted to do a mix of volunteering and me-time. And the foundation with the kids, surfing, yoga, and exploring the area around sounded just perfect.
Why did you choose the Surfpop Foundation?
It was a perfect combination to help kids out of townships for a better future and develop new things on my own. I didn’t want to do a project which only included one thing.
This organization was just a great mix of everything. Helping kids in school, having fun in the water with them, and learning surfing for myself.
Improve my surfing skills
What was your favorite part about South Africa?
The landscape and the weather. Also, the sound of the waves gave me a wonderful, powerful feeling.
The surfer vibe was just a beautiful way of life. I really can feel the people around Muizenberg who have the chance to surf are more happy and can’t get enough of this amazing place to be. I will always want to come back again.
What made your experience abroad extraordinary?
The smiles of the kids were adorable, and that was the point where I just knew I was exactly in the right place. The girls and boys are excited and know it’s a great opportunity to be in this program.
They are motivated to learn and improve themselves to be more confident. It was just an amazing experience to see how they just changed their behavior.
Rebecca and fellow Surfpop members on the beach
How did the local program staff support you throughout your program?
The locals always gave me the feeling to be part of the program and to be an important person. I’m only a volunteer, but that’s also really necessary for this foundation.
Even talking with the people who grew up or already lived in the townships gave me the feeling of how important those Programs and volunteers are.
What's one thing you wish you would have done differently during your time abroad?
To bring more of my personal skills into it. The program has its perfect reading and math courses, but it would also be great to bring my mindful study more into it.
It wasn’t too easy to become closer to the kids because other volunteers had just been there for a month, and you just felt the connection. But I always felt welcomed.
Describe what a typical day in your life abroad looked like.
Wake up around six because of the train next to the hostel, breakfast at the commons with an ocean view. Surfing with the group and Dan and Babosh. Or explore the area with a tour.
Sometimes also do yoga with Johan. Relax and lunch. Kids program in the afternoon. Dinner at the hostel or in a restaurant and explore Cape Town.
What did you enjoy doing in your free time abroad?
Explore the beautiful landscape and get to know the traditions and food in South Africa. It was a great mix of volunteering during the week and the free time at the weekend.
It would have been nice if we had Fridays off because of the many options to explore in South Africa. Two days weren’t enough.
Exploring Cape Town
What type of accommodation did you have? What did you like best about it?
I lived in a Hostel in Muizenberg and enjoyed the easy way of life, the surfer vibe, the people from all over the world, and the closeness to the beach. To live in a hostel is more local and an easy way to live.
The people are more open to each other and you get in contact easily and just have a good time. To be in one house only with the volunteer group could be really different.
What is one thing every future participant should know about your program before their program begins?
There are more volunteers from the Netherlands than from other countries. For me it would be better, when the group is more mixed up. It depends really on the type of people in the group.
In this month, you just felt the group wasn’t too open-minded to everyone, and the Dutch people, in this case, were closer to each other.
Would you recommend your program/provider to others? Why?
Of course, it was an honor to be part of it and everybody should have the opportunity to be in an experience like that. You really feel the heart Daniel Botha just put into it and how important it is for the kids.
Seeing how it developed over the years made it even more interesting when you just have a vision, and it works out.
What do you feel the biggest benefit of traveling abroad is?
To see the difference between other countries and to feel how everybody is the same, only with different opportunities. But you could change it if you want to.
To have the chance to see the traditional way of living and how open the people usually are is just great. You never see that, when you just stay in your own country.
During a surfing competition
Now that you're home, how has your time abroad impacted your life?
I‘m so happy and grateful for the time and don’t want to miss it. I’m also very sad to see the poor situation in Cape Town and the townships, and I can’t believe that people just live like that. How different we just are, only because of our origin.
What does meaningful travel mean to you?
Freedom, Happiness, adventure. When you compare my opportunity to travel easily through the world and compare it with the South African people, how hard it is to go into their daily life is striking to see.
Happiness to meet so many different people, and everybody tries to make the best out of their life. And adventure to do things you usually don’t do. Carrying all of this while you travel makes it all the more meaningful.
