Kristina, Dzerzhinsk, Nizhny Novgorod region "I have never lived anywhere else like I have here, having fun and enjoying life! And I won't let anyone spoil my pleasure!" Kristina DEFINITELY, THE REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA IS ONE OF THE MOST AMAZING PLACES IN THE WORLD!!! For me, this is an undeniable truth! South Africa is beautiful! Magnificent!!! But before I found out about this, I had to cover a huge distance, which apparently gives the right to call South Africa the "Edge of the World" (judging by its distance from our country and my city). By airline — the one I flew with — it took a long, long time to get there! On the night of October 18th to 19th, 2008, I boarded a plane in Moscow, flight "Moscow—Doha". From Doha, I transferred to a flight to Johannesburg. And from there to Cape Town. Only on the evening of October 20th did my feet touch the promised land, the most extraordinary place on earth, the oldest, most beautiful, and first city of the country! I was tired of flying. Although the flight was amazing, and the plane was lovely (lots of free space, you can stretch your legs). Clean. The stewardesses were kind, constantly trying to give us something to drink or eat ???. And they did it about five times during the whole flight — I don't eat like that at home!!! So, for those who are hungry — you've come to the right place! I recommend choosing long flights — they will feed you! At the airport, we were met by representatives of the host organization (SASTS). They helped with the luggage. They drove us in comfort to the so-called SASTS-house, which became my final destination in Cape Town. This is... let's say, such an unusual place. For everyone (judging by the different reviews of the guys I was moved in with), it can produce an absolutely polar first impression. And what about mine? Generally positive! But not without "surprises". We had a good time on the first day. We had fun late into the night at the "ZULA" club, dancing. Hip-hop and rock were playing there. And nearby, from the restaurant side, the sounds of national South African songs could be heard, as we were told by the local guys we asked: "What is playing there?" We returned to the hostel only at four in the morning. Tired. I fell into the sweetest sleep, intending to get a good night's sleep. But that's where the first "surprise" lay in wait for me. After what seemed like a very short amount of time after I fell asleep, a noise reached my ears. First, the crash of a falling object. Then — even louder — a hissing stream of water!!! I jumped up, frightened. The girl on the neighboring bunk jumped up right after me. And it turned out to be simple: in the room where I was settled, there is a working shower cabin. And one of the roommates (and there were four of us placed there on two bunk beds) decided to take a shower. For some reason, she felt the need to take it right in the room, even though there are three more showers on the floor! Wash yourself — you don't want to! Moreover, looking at the clock, we found that she decided to do this not earlier, not later, but at eight in the morning!!! We were in shock! We couldn't fall asleep again, we had to get up. On Monday (the program is calculated so that it starts from the first day of the week), we were gathered at the SASTS office. They briefly told us about the country, the program under which each of us arrived and will be staying here for some time. And about what awaits us in this first week and later, when everyone scatters to different corners. By the way, from European countries, according to my observation, guys arrive more often as volunteers. Subsequently, they live in local families, work mainly as nannies, educators, or teachers. They don't have to worry about anything, they are fed and watered, but their work is unpaid. But they are 100% relaxed and enjoy life. And their programs, unlike ours, are designed for only three to four months. In my group, besides me, there were only two people on the
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