When you first arrive in your new country, it can be very useful to have contact with other people from your former country who have already gone through what you are currently going through. This is where social clubs come in.
There are social clubs for South African immigrants in many cities in the world. In some cases they are called “The Springbok Club of …(and whatever the name of the city or region is you will be living in)”. In California there was the Springbok Club of Northern California, and the Springbok Club of Southern California. Here in Austin it is South Africans in Austin.
These clubs often have many enjoyable social activities throughout the year. When we arrived in the US, we joined the Springbok Club of Northern California, and socializing with other South African immigrants made it easier for us.
Activities
Some of the things we did with the Northern California club are:
- Barbeque on Angel Island in the San Francisco Bay on Memorial Day
- White Water Rafting on the American river close to Sacramento
- Canoeing on the Russian river near Sebastopol
- Halloween Party
- Christmas Party
- Tennis days
- Pub nights
- Other camping trips
Here in Austin we’ve held many braais (barbeques) over the years. For the past five years, we have also attended the annual Texas Potjie Festival. They are all a lot of fun and we have made many good friends at these events.
Update – 2019
I first wrote the piece above before Facebook existed. Since then, people started many Facebook Groups for South Africans in many cities, states, or countries around the world. As a result, I think few social clubs have websites these days, relying instead on Facebook groups. Most of these groups’ names also start with “South Africans in…“
A word of caution
One always wants to think the best of other South Africans you come into contact with in your new country. As we’ve discovered, that is not always the case. Like at home, the South African expat community has its share of unpleasant people. Keep your eyes open for such characters.
I recommend that you at least make contact with the social club or group in your area. The emotional support that you can get out of this can be very valuable, especially in the beginning.