Voluntary work in South-Africa

The Big Five

Welcome everybody! With this post I want to introduce you to the possibilities of voluntary work in South-Africa. You will help the locals or animals, but also yourself. The economic crisis has many influences on the job market. You can distinguish yourself from the crowd by volunteering. It is definitely one of the best ways to boost your CV. Moreover, it will be a lifetime-experience. What gives you a better feeling than helping underprivileged families to improve their living conditions? The main focus in my post will be on: Cape Town.

So, what are the possibilities?  You can work in a community centre, build homes for underprivileged families, assist teachers on a school for street children. These are called the 'community projects'. The emphasis is really on helping people here. You as a possible future volunteer has the chance to help building new homes for families in townships in Cape Town. By the way, townships are the underdeveloped suburbs in which the underprivileged families are living.

Do you prefer working with the Big Five at a game reserve? The Big Five animals are the lion, African elephant, leopard, rhinoceros and the African buffalo. That belongs also to the possibilities of voluntary work. If you want, you can temporarily be part of a wildlife park and help them with the daily tasks. The options that I mentioned are just some examples to give you a brighter picture. There are lots of other possibilities.

A website which really helped me with some interesting information about this topic is: CLICK!
If you have some questions or comments, please don't hesitate and tell me!

Regards,

Ceesjan

Doing Business in South-Africa

Welcome everybody! South-Africa is nowadays one of the BRICS-countries, and for that reason it's a country with an attractive business environment. What do you need to know, when you want to do business in this country? It's for foreigners important to know how to deal with cultural differences. In International Business, it's decisive to adapt yourself to the person you want to make money with. With this post, I will provide you with do's and don'ts regarding to the business atmosphere in South-Africa. People with experience in doing business in South-Africa, please let us know your experiences!

Do's and don'ts in South-Africa

* A business dress in South-Africa is quite informal; in official meetings and first introductions a coat and a tie are customary.

* When you're being invited to a home "braai", make sure to bring a small attention such as wine or desserts. Your business partner will definitely appreciate such a present. South-Africa is a huge producer of wine, it would be easy to buy one!

* Don't show the soles of your foot and avoid the use of your left hand; both are regarded to many South-Africans as unclean.

* Do not comment on the political and/or social situation unless you are asked for it and you can put forward well-thought comments.

* If you are dealing with a recently privatised company expect high levels of bureaucracy and a slow rate of progress.

* Take it easy with white South-Africans. Don't pressure them into a deal. It would not be the first time that they have the idea of being forced by foreigners. Take your time!

The do's and don'ts which I have described are of great value in my opinion. These are the main fundamentals because you faces them as soon as you do business with a South-African. I hope you can make use of this information in your future business negotiations!

This website could provide you with more information:
Doing business in South-Africa

False Bay Sports Shooting Ranch

Hi everybody! Have you always dreamed about shooting with different weapons at an impressive shooting ranch? If so, you should read my post. This is an educational post about False Bay Sports Shooting Ranch near Cape Town. With this post, I want to provide you with information such as prices, options and the place where you can find the shooting ranch.
Handguns, shotguns and rifles. This are the different categories of weapons from which you can choose. To be more specific about the category handguns: revolvers and semi-automatic pistols. You can think of a 9mm, a .45 and a .44 magnum. You can choose between two different shotguns: tactical pump action and semi-automatic, both 12 gauge. Furthermore, you have the possibility to shoot with the following rifles: M16, AK47, M1 Carbine and .45 Carbine.

Prices

Map overview

*Handguns - R350.00 per person!

*Handgun and Tactical shotguns - R420.00 per person!

*Semi-auto carbines - R550.00 per person!

*A combination of all of the above – R750.00 per person!

The False Bay Sports Shooting Club is located in Glencairn Quarry, near Simons Town. The address is: P.O. Box 37809, Valyland. I have added a map on which you can clearly see where the shooting ranch is located. Hurry up and make sure that you will have a lifetime experience! This is the number you should call for the person in charge: +27 (0) 82 7740063.

Personally, I would recommend to choose for the combination. This is a good offer, and you have the possibility to shoot with all the weapons. When you are in the area of Cape Town, you definitely need to go there, especially if you love weapons. Below, you will find a video of me shooting with a shotgun. For you all: have your lifetime experience at this shooting ranch, it is every penny worth it. It will be a day you will never forget! Hope to see you next time! Enjoy!

For more information you can also visit the website of : False Bay Sports Shooting Ranch.
It's definitely worth a try!

Regards,
Ceesjan

Chapman's Peak Drive

Hello everyone! With this post I will give you some information about one of the world's most spectacular marine drives: Chapman's Peak Drive! Furthermore, I will provide you with some photos of this amazing route!

Where can you find the Chapman's Peak Drive? This amazing route is about 15 kilometres south of Cape Town. It winds its way between Noordhoek and Hout Bay on the Atlantic Coast on the south-western tip of South-Africa. The total length of the route is 9 kilometres together with 114 curves. The inhabitants of South-Africa and especially from Cape Town have another name for this amazing route: 'Chappies'. Personally, I would really recommend you to see this natural beauty. This is what you can expect while driving 'Chappies': sheer drops to the sea below and towering mountains rising above you. The 114 curves in the road seem endless, it's a true paradise. Travel through South-Africa and enjoy!

South-African eating habits

Hello everybody! Today I will write something about the South-African eating habits. Actually, South-Africa doesn’t really have a domestic cuisine. There is one thing for sure: most of the South-Africans loves meat. A bit of my own experience: the meat is really delicious just as all the other dishes I have eaten in South-Africa. Seafood is also very popular. You can think of oysters, mussels, fish and lobster. Due to the good South-African climate, locally grown fruit and vegetables are generally of a high standard.

The daily culinary timetable of South-Africa follows the British model. What could you expect if you order a breakfast in a hotel? Most of the time they serve a breakfast of eggs with bacon and usually some kind of sausage. Another trend which is becoming increasingly popular in South-Africa is eating muesli, fruit, yoghurt and croissants for breakfast. It’s funny because when I was in Cape Town I could really see the upcoming trend. There are a lot of new lunch rooms serving breakfast which consist of croissants, muesli etcetera. Lunch is eaten around 1 pm and dinner in the evening around 7pm or 8pm. During lunch it is also usual to have warm meals such as chicken and meat. The same meals are eaten for lunch and dinner.

Having a 'Braai' together with locals in Hermanus

Each country has most of the time its own styles of cooking. Braais, boerekos and Cape Cuisine are the best-known foods of South-Africa. ‘Braaien’ is actually the same thing as barbecuing but it is an intensely social event. When I was in Hermanus – near Cape Town and famous for whale watching – I was asked by locals to join them during their ‘Braai’. The food was amazing and there was a wide variety of choices. Boerekos stands for ‘farmer’s food’ and it is mainly enjoyed by Afrikaners. Cape Cuisine is brought to South-Africa by Asian and Madagascan slaves. This style of cooking is characterized by mild, semi-sweet curries with strong Indonesian influences. Bobotie is a famous example! See the following link how to make:
-Bobotie

To close this post, I want to mention that the South-African food is of a high quality. I have been in many countries but one thing is for sure: it's the best in South-Africa!

Regards,

Ceesjan

Stereotypes about South-Africa

Hello everybody! Today I will provide you with a post about South-African stereotypes. A stereotype is used to categorize a group of people. Stereotypes are funny and interesting. Each country has its own stereotypes formulated by others. Stereotypes are interesting because most of the time these stereotypes are false assumptions of the South-Africans, and of the rest of the world. With this post I want to make you familiar with these stereotypes. Furthermore, I will give you my own comment about how I think these stereotypes should be interpreted.

Black people smell bad, are dumb, and steel, murder and rape, are racists and loves chicken. Coloured people are in gangs, don't care about politics and mugs people on streets with knives. White people are racists, live all on farms and wear khaki clothes. Questions which people might consider to ask are: "Is South-Africa really a country on itself?", "You're white and from South-Africa! How's that possible?" and "Is it true that wild animals are living all around the country?".

The first stereotypes don't need an explanation, I guess. Let's face reality: all around the world are people who steal and are racists, not only in South-Africa. The questions that I have formulated need a short explanation.

Some tourists really don't know that South-Africa is a country on itself. South-Africa is the southern tip of Africa and surrounds the countries Lesotho and Swaziland. Namibia, Botswana, Mozambique and Zimbabwe border on South-Africa. The explanation for white Africans in South-Africa is the following: South-Africa is a multicultural society just like almost every other country in the world. Ten percent of the population are white people! To close this post: you wouldn't  find wild animals in the city of Cape Town, Pretoria etcetera. But, I would recommend to go to the Kruger National Park if you want to have a great experience. Click on the link which directs you to this amazing website.

I hope I have made things clearer for you! See the video below for other stereotypes about South-Africa.

Regards,

Ceesjan

What? South-Africa?

Welcome everyone! With my previous and first post, I introduced you to my blog that goes about South-Africa. With my current post, I want to introduce you to South-Africa. The purpose of this post is to make you familiar with this amazing country. Firstly, I want to give you general information about the country. The post will end with interesting facts, facts you should know about this great country.
The currency used in South-Africa is the South-African Rand, and R10 is about €0,72. The official name of the country is Republic of South-Africa and it is a federal state. South-Africa has nine provinces, which vary considerably in size. The major part of the inhabitants are Black African's, namely around the 80%. The country has three capitals, namely: Pretoria, Cape Town and Bloemfontein.

There are so many interesting facts about South-Africa, I would like to mention them all, but that takes too long! I have made a selection of the ones which you cannot miss. Did you know that: 

* The inhabitants of South-Africa are driving on the left side of the road?

* There are still many Dutch influences visible throughout the whole country?

* Some say that the Chapman's Peak Drive in Cape Town is one of the most spectacular marine drives in the world?

* South-Africa is the country with the most spoken languages, namely eleven?

* The Table Mountain in Cape Town is believed to be one of the most oldest mountains in the world?

* Castle Lager is the famous beer of South-Africa and that you only pay R17 for 0,5cl at some places?

* South-Africa is the second largest exporter of fruit in the world?

Hope you enjoy my blog so far! Any comments on my post are more than welcome, I would like to receive them! This was my second post, more will follow. I hope I have made some aspects clearer for you. Thanks for your interest and see you next time!