Jan Hugo: Welcome to the Relocated South African, the show for navigating immigration from South Africa for a better future. I’m your host, Jan Hugo from Lagos in Portugal. We’ve recently launched our brand new website, www.therelocatedsouthafrican.com. Go and have a look at it if you want. If you want to interact with us or comment on our discussions or even participate in an interview, please contact me on jan@therelocatedsouthafrican.com. You can also subscribe for our newsletter. Also, if you like our content, why not subscribe on your favourite platform?
So today I welcome from Wellsford in New Zealand. I think that’s the right pronunciation. Hettie Meyer, welcome Hettie. It’s a privilege to have you on the show.
Hettie Meyer: Thank you Jan, it’s a privilege to be here.
Jan: Cool, so I have to say that it is 8:30 at night in Portugal and 7:30 in the morning in New Zealand so we always have to juggle the time zones but it’s lovely to have you here. So I really appreciate you being here today and I’m sure after last Saturday, it’s really nice to be in New Zealand.
Hettie: It is, yeah. I’ll repeat to the previous one. Last Saturday was much better. And there’s lots of memes and jokes going around already.
Jan: I saw something today that said in New Zealand, previously they used to say it is 17 minutes to 11. Now you say it’s 10:43. People are so funny with this stuff. But anyway, maybe just to start with where exactly is Wellsford in New Zealand?
Hettie: We are close to Auckland. It’s about an hour and a half drive to Auckland depending on traffic. So we’re a little rural community, it’s a little platteland community, very small little town, lovely. So yes, if you need to go out to town it’s gonna be a 45 to 50 minute drive to your closest big town but we love it. Yeah, it’s just amazing, it’s quiet, traffic is five cars at most and then you get irritable because you’re sitting in traffic. But it’s lovely. We just love it. There’s lots of farms around us, lots of animals. You know, when you go to work in the morning, that’s what you see. Animals and nature.
Jan: Oh, that sounds smooth. Are we going to get to that now? Maybe just as a start, and I normally ask people this, you know, just a short history where you’re from, where you grew up, went to school, etc.
Hettie: Okay, so I was born in Trichardt, Mpumalanga.
Jan: No, don’t say that. I’m from Bethal.
Hettie: I was born in Trichardt. We lived in Secunda, but because of my health reasons, we had to move. So we moved to Modderfontein in the East Rand. My mom and dad worked there for the dynamite factory. And yes, I went to a little farm school. And when I went to high school, we moved to Kempton Park, where I matriculated in 2005 from Hoërskool Kempton Park. And after that, I met my husband and then we got married in 2012, moved to Boksburg. And that’s where we stayed. Yes, that’s where we stayed until we came here.
Jan: Okay. And just how did you decide on New Zealand and how did the journey to New Zealand start?
Hettie: Our friends actually came here in 2019 and we always said that we always wanted to go somewhere else, you know, a better future and all of that. So in 2020, they let us know, okay, there’s a position for my husband. He’s a fitter and turner by trade. We’re like, are we ready? We made that mental decision and we said, okay, we’re gonna give it a go. You either make it work or you don’t make it work. We packed up, we sold our house, everything, COVID came.
Jan: I was going to say, so was this in the beginning of 2020 that you got the approval and COVID was March?
Hettie: Yes, so we moved into this little matchbox of a little townhouse and we put all of our stuff into storage and in 2022, we stayed there. In 2022, we finally got to go. And we, yes. So we waited two years, two years. And yeah, from there, it just, it went very quickly. In February it started, just medicals, all of that. And on the 22nd of July, 2022, we were on the plane to New Zealand. But it was a rough ride. It was difficult.
Jan: I was going to say, but now let’s just go back to the COVID time. So you had the approval to go to New Zealand. Did you actually have visas?
Hettie: We didn’t have visas yet. No, they just started with the interview and they let us know that everything’s ready. They’re ready for us. And he has got a fantastic boss, really beautiful people. And they helped us, they put our furniture into a container, which I’ll tell you about later. But luckily, no visas yet, because then COVID came by the point that we had to pay for all of that. And all of that was pushed to stop, luckily not. So yes, after everything was calmer and lifted, we still had to do our vaccines to be able to come into New Zealand, our COVID vaccines. Yeah, from there, from 2022 it just went really quickly, really, really quickly.
Jan: So, but yeah. So, Stefan had a job already in 2020, which they kept for him until 2022. That’s fantastic. That is amazing.
Hettie: Beautiful people, really, really beautiful. They paid for our plane tickets, they paid for our shipping container. So, it was really amazing. That helped quite a bit. But to get back to the furniture, I’ve heard quite a few of your podcasts and we were actually talking about it that day and we said, if we had to redo it, I would not bring the furniture.
Jan: That I’ve heard so many times.
Hettie: It’s bulky, the houses here are not big. My dining room set that my mom and dad gave me that I grew up with is sitting in the garage because we just don’t have any space for it. Our lounge suite is split in two because it cannot be set up properly. So if we had to make that decision again, I would really just bring the basics with us. You know, the sentimental things and then just start from scratch. Yes, it is expensive and you do get furniture shops that’s not good quality and then you get furniture shops with better quality. But you can, it’s actually, since we’ve been here, you can build up quite quickly. And we’ve got stuff called op shops, which is like these PEP or CNA shops, second-hand shops, and you buy so many things. It’s just amazing.
Jan: Yes, it’s charity shops, so people donate stuff and you can go and buy it for absolute… We’ve donated stuff here because in Portugal you always buy houses furnished. So if you have furniture and then you sit with a double and you just go and they come and pick it up and they sell it for you know and it’s really good stuff. So yeah it’s, but I agree with you travelling with furniture, it’s interesting that Kobus the guy who’s in Dunedin was talking about their furniture they were lucky to get it because the company went bankrupt and a lot of people had to pay a lot of money because their furniture was stuck in ports all over the world. Oh my God. So I agree if we can give advice and if you can avoid it, do not take furniture.
Hettie: Do not take furniture. The houses here are really much smaller and not as strong as what we’re used to. The walls are really thin and it’s not concrete walls like we’re used to inside. That’s the one thing that I miss, the houses. Okay. They’re colorfully built.
Jan: Okay, we’ll get to what you missed. So the opportunity to come to Wellsford, that was where the job was that your husband had?
Hettie: Yes, we actually, we stayed with our friends. We met these friends. Actually, when my husband started his apprenticeship, Johan, our friend, was the guy that helped him and started him and taught him. And we met them in 2007. So we have come a very long way with them and yes. So when we came here, we stayed with them for six weeks and then we moved into a little cottage not far from where his work is. And then obviously I fell pregnant with Chloe after many years of struggle and heartache and all of that. But we had to get a little bit of a bigger house. And we were fortunate enough to get a house in the next street from where Stefan works. Yes, he can walk to work in the mornings and in the afternoons if it’s summer, it’s really a nice walk. So we are literally a stone’s throw away from his work.
Jan: Okay, fantastic. And yourself, are you working?
Hettie: I am working. I work in a little town called Kaiwaka. It’s about 15 minutes drive from here. And I work for a company that makes furniture for the hospitality industry, hospitals, all of that. Okay.
Jan: Yes, and childcare for your baby.
Hettie: Yes. She is in a little preschool. Yeah at Wellsford Natural Wonders and she started there when she was four months old and she loves it. She just loved it and we just yes, it is quite expensive. I must say childcare in New Zealand is not cheap. We pay for Chloe for a fortnight about six hundred dollars. But you know what, I won’t give it up because they are just amazing. And education is the most important thing at the end of the day, isn’t it? Absolutely. So, yes, it’s very expensive, yeah. It’s very expensive, yeah.
Jan: And is she there full time?
Hettie: She’s there full time, yes. She’s there from Monday to Friday, and then it’s a full day. So it’s from half past seven till five o’clock. And they provide food and lunches, and let me tell you, they eat like kings and queens. They do.
Jan: That’s always good to know that the kids are well looked after because that is so important ultimately.
Hettie: It is very important and they don’t believe in unhealthy foods. So there’s always vegetables with lunch and there’s fruit twice a day and all of that. And we’re not allowed to send juices and stuff to school. It’s water only. So there’s no sugary stuff that goes in. But she doesn’t drink juice or anything like that because she’s so used to the water. She just wants water.
Jan: That’s awesome. Oh, that’s good to hear. So, and Hettie, I mean, you said you always wanted to leave, was it? So there was the pull of the job, but when you say you wanted to leave, was it because of things that happened in South Africa or was it just you just thought there was a better future outside?
Hettie: We’re just looking at exploring a little bit. If we had a family one day, family has always been in our mindset. Now it was always there. Unfortunately, it didn’t happen at the time that we wanted it to happen. If you look at everything that’s happening in South Africa, we’ve got a beautiful country. Don’t get me wrong. And I miss my child not having that culture and a boerewors roll at the Spar on a Saturday afternoon before you go to a braai. Simple things like that, you know, but if I look at the freedom that she has here, I cannot give that to her in South Africa. So I think the most important thing to us was safety wise as well. You know, even before we had Chloe, my husband used to work quite long hours and he used to work late at night. And it was always a stress, you know, when he came from work, we used to do live locations. So I could just track him. If it took a little bit longer than he was supposed to take, you know, you start stressing, you know, and I just couldn’t do it anymore. The stress was…
Jan: No, I understand that. I mean, the other question, did you consider any other country or was New Zealand because of your friends?
Hettie: Yeah, New Zealand was the first one that actually came up. We actually did consider Australia, but Australia feels hotter now. Although we grew up in South Africa and we’ve got lots of snakes there. There’s no snakes here. We don’t have snakes.
Jan: Not in New Zealand. No snakes? Well, that I didn’t know. That’s interesting.
Hettie: No, you know, no snakes. We’ve got spiders, but we don’t have snakes.
Jan: Oh, wow. That’s very interesting, because it’s an island, I suppose. I don’t know. That’s very, very interesting. I mean, the one thing that always comes up in a lot of these discussions is that you’ve got to be on the same page. So you and your husband from day one, you’ve always been on the same page, I assume.
Hettie: Yes. I’m sorry, Jan, if you do hear the dogs just scratching at the door. It’s annoying. Yes, we’ve always been on the same page. And do you know what? You have to stand together. It’s a difficult decision to make. It’s really difficult. It’s the most difficult thing to leave your family behind. We left our parents behind, we left our brothers and our sisters behind and our families. And unfortunately, we were here four months and my father-in-law passed away. We just, because it’s so expensive, we just couldn’t travel to South Africa to attend the funeral. But it’s a stress for you as well every day, especially with your parents being there. Anything can happen. I’m not saying anything cannot happen here. It’s just more of a scare in South Africa. And it’s absolute truth. But to get back to your question, New Zealand was the first country that came up and we gave it a shot. And yes, we stand together every day. And you know what? If you don’t have God on your side, for us as Christians, you can’t do this alone because it’s hard. It’s really, really hard. And it’s tough. And you know what? They say the first five years is the toughest. We’re on year three now and it still gets tough. Christmas is, birthdays, especially being. It’s tough. Because you’ve got your friends here, but you don’t have your family.
Jan: Yeah. And that’s a big thing. And I was going to say, another thing that comes up in every conversation is obviously the safety issue. The other one is just the ability when something goes wrong. You had a baby in New Zealand. Yes. And not having a grandmother there, not having grandfather there. Your people around you and so on, that must have been very difficult.
Hettie: It was very difficult. And, you know, yes, she sees them. She sees them every week because we video call, but she still hasn’t met them, you know, and for my parents and my mom-in-law as well. They’re well over the sixties now. And it’s so difficult because if you take a flight ticket, a proper flight ticket for one person, it’s $5,000.
Jan: Well, that’s a lot of money.
Hettie: To get to New Zealand. And then you’d still have to do visas for the grandparents. So it’s really costly and it hurts because you don’t have that support. You don’t have that support of, we quickly need to do that or it’s school holidays. You can go stay with Ouma or with Oupa for the time of the school holidays. We don’t have that here. And yeah, if school’s closed, preschool is up to five years and then they go to school. They start school at five. So how it works here is the month that they turn five in, they start school in. And then they finish school at 18. So they’re 13 years in school. But if it’s public holidays, there’s no aftercare like we have in South Africa.
Jan: Wow. And there’s no family.
Hettie: There’s no family. So it’s really difficult. And then they’ve got these holiday programmes, which is ridiculously expensive. And, you know, most people can’t afford that. So most mothers don’t work here because of that.
Jan: Because of that. And, you know, just talking about this care and friends and so on. You said you had friends there that helped you and made it a lot easier. Have you got a big South African community around you? Do you mix with a lot of South Africans?
Hettie: Not really. We are introverts. Okay. But we’ve got our little community that we work with, or that we gel with, to say it like that. But in Wellsford, not as many South Africans, but if you move more towards Auckland, Albany, Silverdale, there’s lots of them. So if you go to a Pak’nSave on Saturday, Pak’nSave, yeah, it’s like a big like Makro that you go and you buy your groceries etc.
Jan: Oh yeah, Afrikaans. No really. You can’t even speak it.
Hettie: You can’t speak it. There’s very careful speaking it. And you can see a South African. You can see them. You know, the auntie’s hair is done and the oom’s got the shorts on with the plakkies. You know, you can see them a mile away.
Jan: Even if it’s three degrees outside, there will be shorts and slops.
Hettie: We’ve got a friend like that. We always, we always tease him because he doesn’t wear trousers. Doesn’t wear long trousers. So whenever it’s short season and it’s cold, he’s got thick socks on.
Jan: That is so funny. That is… But we don’t have a lot of friends, but we do have now our friends that are from South Africa. And then a couple that we met, that they became friends with when they came over. So I suppose small, but we do have friends.
Jan: But yeah, because that’s always a question, especially the first few months, but as you say, it takes a long time. You’re in year three now, but it takes a long time to settle in and get used to. But if you during that initial period have somebody to just guide you and be there, and you can call somebody and talk to them, that makes a big difference.
Hettie: That makes a big difference.
Jan: And the other thing is, especially in that time, it’s critically important for a husband and wife to stick together because you don’t have anybody else. And if you argue and so on, that gets difficult. So that brings me to the next question in terms of, you may have heard me say this before, in terms of the decision to go, has it been a firm decision? We’re not going back. We made this commitment and we’re going to stay and we’re going to make it work.
Hettie: We’re going to make it work, yes.
Jan: Is that how you see it as well?
Hettie: We are going to stay, and we are going to stay for ourselves as well, but I think the main thing is for our daughter.
Jan: Yeah, okay. You may have seen some of the episodes where we talked to people who have gone back and who found it very difficult. It takes a lot of time out of your life and every time you have to start all over again. So it’s expensive. So it’s just, ultimately, I think you can’t look over your shoulders. Obviously, life happens, things may happen, but as a general rule, if you decide we’re going to make this work, then it works because… You make it work, you know? Yeah. And you’ve sold up, you’ve got nothing left in South Africa.
Hettie: We’ve got nothing left in South Africa. Nothing left there. There was one thing that I wanted. Oh, you asked the question. And the one thing that I must say that if I have to go back to South Africa, if it’s for a holiday, we’ve got so much freedom. I don’t know how I’m going to go back to South Africa. And then you’re going to be all tensed up. Just for example, you can go to the shop, you can put Chloe in the trolley. Now I can quickly run down the aisle to get something and she’s still going to be there when I get back. We went camping the first year that we were here and we went to go shower. We came back. I forgot my phone in the bathroom. My friend quickly went and checked. It was still there in the same place. There were a lot of people in and out. You know, we can go and walk on the beach. We can go take Chloe to the park on a Friday afternoon or during the week. It’s just freedom and we take that for granted sometimes. You know, in South Africa, we don’t have that anymore.
Jan: You know, it’s very interesting. We actually had lunch with people from South Africa this afternoon and the guy made an interesting comment. He said that you know, the people that turn to crime in South Africa do that because they’ve got nothing to lose, whereas elsewhere in other countries people may be poor, but they’ve got the possibility of losing what they have. Yes. And maybe, you know, a cell phone worth $100 is not worth anything to them if they’re going to lose. And they will get caught. Other things in South Africa, you don’t get caught. So yeah, we find that as well. Your daughter is still young, but I mean, everybody that you talk to in Australia, New Zealand, America, they talk about the kids playing in the front yard. You know, when they get older, they walk to school. They just don’t grow up with fear and I think that’s, I agree with you, I haven’t been back to South Africa for five years and it will be tough, it will be tough to go there because we don’t look over our shoulders you know and that’s a thing that you kind of have to get used to. Tell me about life in New Zealand, how is that different from South Africa obviously other than the freedom and the safety issues? What do you find different and what do you find the same?
Hettie: Work ethic is definitely much different than South Africa. It’s very quiet here in the offices, especially I’ve noticed where I’ve worked, very quiet. No one speaks to you, they just get on with their day. In South Africa, we used to be a lot of ladies in the office and what you’re doing for dinner and what did you do this weekend? It’s not the same here. So that takes a little bit of getting used to. And then it’s very island life here. You know, it’s like people walking around with bare feet and just not caring. You know, the plainest of clothes that you can think of, they’ll have on and, but it’s amazing. It’s amazing to just not have fear to go and pick up my child from school or go to the park or sit on the beach. The weather gets to you a little bit sometimes because it’s so wet here during winter. But when summer comes, it’s just beautiful. Beautiful. Well, it’s a short summer. Yeah. It is absolutely beautiful because then you can go to the beach.
Jan: And in terms of food that you eat, stuff that you buy, how different is that from what you had in South Africa? Are you there? Yeah. Yeah. Now you’re back.
Hettie: Sorry. You’re there. Okay. Sorry. I always call it the New Zealand smell because as soon as we hit the… Sorry, it cut. That’s okay.
Jan: I don’t know what happened. Yeah, my thing just switched off anyway.
Hettie: Let’s start from the start. So when we got here, I really struggled with the fruits and vegetables and the meats because it just had a funny taste for me like that. When we got here, you could smell that. You know, when it rained too much, it was just wet and it felt like it was in the vegetables and the fruit for me. But then you get used to it. We’ve got quite a big variety of foods and stuff here. South Africa, takeaway wise, it’s a much bigger choice for you to choose from. We don’t really have that here. But then people prefer to make food here. So they like their barbecues and they like their fish and chips and stuff like that. They like to eat fresh. And the only other thing that gets me down sometimes is that you get what’s in season. So you don’t, you’re not going to get gem squash. You get gem squash maybe once a year, and that’s for a month on the shelf. And that’s gone. And I love gem squash. So what’s in season is what you get on the shelves. And like at the moment, tomatoes is just ridiculous. So it’s not in season. Okay. Yes, you pay for what’s in season, you’ll get that cheaper. But we’ve got quite a big variety, and we can’t complain. Everything that you will find in South Africa, you will find here.
Jan: And cost-wise?
Hettie: It is more expensive, but I won’t say that it is so much more expensive than South Africa. Speaking to my parents every week, you can hear what they say. The cost prices are now for the food there. And if I compare it, it’s more or less the same. Like you, for instance, 30 eggs will cost you $12. You know, it’s R120 and 30 rand. It’s more or less the same prices in South Africa. The three litre milk will cost you six dollars. The bread will cost you three dollars or whatever.
Jan: You see, we’ve lost complete touch with that, you know. So if I think, in fact, we looked, we were in the shop this afternoon, a litre of milk was 89 euro cents, so at least in a euro, say it’s 20 Rand. I don’t know what you’d pay for a litre of milk in South Africa now.
Hettie: It would be about R22 something, and then that would be about 20 Rand.
Jan: Okay, so it’s about the same. As I say, in five years, I think inflation has caught up in South Africa, so we kind of don’t have any idea of what things cost now. So yeah, it’s different. And I think you mentioned to me that for you Sunday nights or Sunday mornings are precious in terms of getting in touch with the family, is that right?
Hettie: That’s correct, yes, because then we call Ouma and Oupa back in South Africa.
Jan: Do you do it in the morning on a Sunday morning?
Hettie: We do it in the morning, so I get up at five o’clock in the morning. Okay. And then we just catch up on the week. My husband usually phones my mom-in-law on a Friday evening and then she gets to catch up with Chloe and all of that and then Sunday morning I usually phone my mom and dad and then we all sit together and speak and Chloe talks in between so it’s a really special time. It’s the only time that you really have during the week.
Jan: Yeah, it’s critically important to do that because you’ve got to maintain those relationships. I always say my grandkids live all over as well and you know it’s nice to talk to them but it’s nicer to be able to put them to bed and tell them a story at night which is difficult to do when you’re that far away. But luckily, we’ve got video call at this stage.
Jan: You know, that makes a huge, huge benefit to have that, but it is tough. I think that that’s probably one of the toughest things. And I’ve asked you if you would ever go back and obviously the answer is no, but do you, just from an emotional point of view, do you guys ever feel, I often use the word hurtful, to think that you left? And it’s not like you had to leave, but you had to leave. You know what I mean? You wanted a better future, and you couldn’t get that future in South Africa. Does that kind of make you a bit angry that you’ve broken up family, and that, you know, that you’re not close to your family?
Hettie: So it’s in a way that you have to go all over the world to get a better life. And you know, we’ve got everything in South Africa that just needs to be run the proper way. And we have got such a beautiful country. I would not give up our country and our cultures and all of that. If I could go back, if you tell me tomorrow, everything is okay in South Africa, I’ll pack up my stuff and go back home because home is home. That’s where you were born. That’s where you grew up. That is home. It will always be in your heart. Your family is there. Everything is there. And yeah, you come and you make a new home because of your thinking of your future, but you’re also thinking of your children’s future or whatever your case may be. And a simple thing, just a simple thing like healthcare. We have got the most amazing healthcare in New Zealand, although we’ve got insurance as well. I’ve heard you speak about insurance and all of that. And it’s just scary to think that like in South Africa, if you did not have a medical aid, where you would end up and it’s all just misuse of funds. In my opinion, it’s just misuse of funds. You know, we’ve got beautiful hospitals. When I was born, I remember because I was sickly and my mom and dad always used to say they took me to the big hospital back in Pretoria. And that time I could remember what it was called, but it was a different name. And it was beautiful, state hospital, but it was just beautifully run. And now you look at it today, and if you don’t have medical aid, sorry to say but you can sign your death certificate. No, it’s very true. And it’s so sad. And now look at it here. I fell pregnant with Chloe, and everything was free. Everything. Let me tell you, from the moment I found out I was pregnant, right through to my hospital stay, to after where you go to a place called, yeah, a birthing centre where they help you, and the mom and bonding with your baby and all of that for about three days. Everything is state covered. It’s like a five-star hotel. You get your meals, you get absolutely everything, all my blood tests, everything. Chloe is covered, free medical until she turns 18 years old.
Jan: That’s amazing. And you know, when you pay tax and you get that, you don’t mind paying tax. That’s it.
Hettie: Amazing. The only thing is, okay, if you have to go on to a waiting list for a specialist, and that’s why we have insurance, because then it takes a little bit longer. But other than that, can I quickly tell you a story if you have time?
Jan: Yeah, yeah, absolutely.
Hettie: So I was, sorry, I was five months pregnant with Chloe and I was working at the South African shop slicing biltong. And the blade, it was a new machine and the blade didn’t stop. And obviously I went in to grab the last biltong and I cut my finger. So I cut the front part of this finger and everything was for free. My x-rays, hospital stay. I had to sew the finger back on. All my hand therapy that I had to go to afterwards. And then I got something called ACC, where they covered my salary. For the time I was off, 80% of your salary they cover.
Jan: That’s fantastic. And I hope you got extra biltong for that.
Hettie: I got to see all the other biltong.
Jan: And they took your finger, at least the finger, the biltong, the finger didn’t end up in a biltong bag.
Hettie: Luckily not. Luckily not. And then I still worked there for a year afterwards, because it was just a temporary job. I loved it. It’s also South African people. Yes, so lovely people. Yes, that’s my story. Everything, everything was covered.
Jan: That’s fantastic to hear.
Hettie: Yes. And then the people here complain about the healthcare, and they’re so slow.
Jan: No, it’s not. They don’t know. That’s what they say. And Hettie, I mean, we’re getting to the end. Just three years in now, if we’ve spoken about the furniture, I always ask this question. If you had the luxury of shipping something to you tomorrow from South Africa that you’re really missing, what would that be? Other than your mother and your family, but if you could get something that you don’t have there, is there anything that you desperately miss kind of from South Africa?
Hettie: Well, chocolate and wine would be nice, but…
Jan: That’s what everybody says. Wine is a big thing, it’s interesting.
Hettie: It is! But you’ve got lovely wines in New Zealand. We do, we do, but I miss my Nederburg and my Four Cousins. Okay, cool. I think one thing that I find silly to somebody else, but the clothes quality here is not the same as in South Africa. It’s not tons. Definitely get some clothes over. The other thing is a stainless steel charcoal braai.
Jan: Okay, well, that’s good.
Hettie: You do get them, but then after the third braai, they fall apart.
Jan: They fall apart. Yeah. So, and a steel braai is a braai.
Jan: Exactly. And Hettie, I mean, maybe the last question. And I don’t know if you have friends that are thinking about it, but if somebody said to you now from South Africa, what should I do? I’m thinking of leaving. What would your advice be?
Hettie: Don’t bring furniture. Bring your most important things and get your mindset ready. Because you have to be ready when you get there. They say the first five years is the hardest, but the first month for me, I just wanted to go back home because that’s what you know. That’s what you’re used to. It’s different, yeah. You get used to working in different currencies. The grocery stores are different. Everything is different, simple example. South Africa, if the robot’s green for you, you go when the roads are clear, you can turn. Not in New Zealand, you have to wait for a little arrow. So, a little getting used to, but get your mindset ready. You have to be ready when you get there. It’s hard. It’s hard because everything is different. The air is different. The houses are different. Everything is different. So yes, you’re going to get your days where you’re like, I just want to go back home to everything that’s familiar that I know. But as soon as if you have your partner or your husband or your wife and you stand together and you get through it, it’s going to be lovely on the other side.
Jan: No, I agree. It’s worth it. Just persevere.
Hettie: That’s the answer, I guess. Yes, that’s all you have to do. It’s not easy. You’re going to get your days. You’re going to get your days. And if you’re a South African coming here, you start from the bottom. You really do. So it’s hard sometimes because financially it can get really hard. But you know what? It’s nothing compared to the freedom that we have and being happy as a family. It’s just, I can’t explain it, but you know what I’m talking about. You know exactly what I’m talking about.
Jan: No, I do. I do and I can totally appreciate it. So I must say thank you so much. Thanks for sharing and being open and just sharing your life in New Zealand. We can only wish you well and just lots of happiness and hopefully we’ll stay in touch and catch up again soon.
Hettie: Yes, of course, yes. But thank you for having me. I really appreciate it. And I hope to help somebody else.
Jan: Absolutely. That’s what we want to do. So thank you so much, Hettie. I really appreciate you being on the show.
Hettie: Thank you.
Jan: If you enjoyed my discussion with Hettie and would like to hear more about the experiences of South Africans who have left South Africa for a better future, why not subscribe on your favourite platform. If you want to share your own story, contact us on jan@therelocatedsouthafrican.com. Until next time.
