Interview with Yvonne L - a Polish expat living in South Africa
Yvonne Lazarowicz is a Polish-born, Polish/South African/British/Norwegian bred former lawyer and law lecturer currently living in Cape Town, South Africa. Yvonne is married to an Englishman, and is mother to two girls aged 2 and 4. Yvonne has recently set-up a relocation and settling-in agency for people moving to Cape Town - Move Me To Cape Town and she writes the blog www.expat-ish.blogspot.com.For more information about expat life in Cape Town visit the Expat Arrivals city guide to Cape Town or read more expat experiences in South Africa.
About you
Q: Where are you originally from?
A: Complex answer: Polish born but have moved around since I was 4: Poland, South Africa, UK, Norway, New Zealand. I suppose originally Polish, but mostly educated in UK.
Q: Where are you living now?
A: Upper Claremont in Cape Town, South Africa.
Q: How long you have you lived in Cape Town?
A: 1 year and 3 months.
Q: Did you move with a spouse/ children?
A: Yes, my husband and two daughters (aged 1.5 and 3.5 at the time)
Q: Why did you move; what do you do?
A: We felt that Cape Town could offer us a better quality of life to London, UK. My husband is a lawyer and I am a former lawyer and law lecturer. I now run a relocation agency specialising in moves to Cape Town - Move Me To Cape Town (www.movemetocapetown.co.za).
About living in Cape Town
Q: What do you enjoy most about Cape Town, how’s the quality of life?
A: I love the weather, the natural beauty juxtaposed to a big city. I love the people, the quality of life, the fact that providing your children with an amazing childhood and a great education is not hard here. The quality of life is excellent- great weather, great people and lots of space, plus lots to do.
Q: Any negatives? What do you miss most about home?
A: The bureaucracy can make you despair! It’s awful. If you’ve come from London, the chilled out approach to business can be frustrating at times (not always though!). I miss people-family and friends. And how cheap books and CDs are in the UK. And some clothes shops.
Q: Is the city safe?
A: Overwhelmingly, yes. There are parts to avoid and others to be cautious in, especially at night but I walk without fear where I live. I would never have moved my children somewhere they needed to be locked up all the time.
Q: Describe an ideal way to spend a weekend in Cape Town?
A: Where to begin?! Choose a beach, depending on the wind and have brunch or lunch there, go shopping in one of the many shopping centres, take a stroll through Company Gardens, visit the museums, have dinner in one of the restaurants on the Atlantic Seaboard, while watching the sunset, climb Table Mountain, visit the Botantical Gardens at Kirstenbosch, have lunch in a winery, go to the theatre, take a stroll on Beach Rd, Seapoint…and that’s just for starters. Too much to mention.
About living in Cape Town
Q: Which are the best places/suburbs to live in the city as an expat?
A: It depends on what you want. If you're looking for good value for money and space near the beach, search up near Blouberg on the West Coast. If you prefer city living with character, but less space for more money, try the City Bowl. If you prioritise green, lush and established suburbs with great schools and beaches then the southern suburbs is your best bet. Have a hankering for wilderness and beaches - go for the southern pensinsula. Otherwise, if you value glamourous sunsets, which come at a price, peruse listings on the Atlantic Seaboard (Camps Bay, Clifton etc). Expats get everywhere!
Q: How do you rate the standard of accommodation?
A: Very high - you can get modern or character homes, but you get what you pay for as anywhere in the world.
Q: What’s the cost of living compared to home? What is cheap or expensive in particular?
A: Much cheaper than in the UK. Schooling is high quality and cheaper. Food is cheaper (except imported stuff, the price of which can give you a heart attack). Eating out is much cheaper. Local brand clothes are affordable, imported stuff expensive. Books, CDs and DVDs are expensive (although Amazon starting to deliver here, but you still pay duty).
Basically local stuff is fine, imported = expensive!
Q: What are the locals like; do you mix mainly with other expats?
A: There are a lot of expats and in Cape Town, but I mostly mix with locals who are friendly and welcoming. Capetonians and South Africans are very warm, generous and bright with a great sense of humour. My daughter is at an international school so I know expats from there.
Q: Was it easy meeting people and making friends?
A: For me, yes, through the school. I think for others it has been harder.
About working in South Africa
Q: Did you have a problem getting a work visa/permit?
A: No, but I have citizenship from when I lived here when I was little. My husband got a work permit through me.
Q: What’s the economic climate like in the city, is there plenty of work?
A: There is a demand for skilled workers, there was a real brain drain from SA for a while but there is a surplus of unskilled labour.
Q: How does the work culture differ from home?
A: Much more relaxed! People have a better work/life balance on the whole.
Q: Did a relocation company help you with your move?
A: No. But I can help you with yours- wish someone had helped me!
Family and children
Q: Did your spouse or partner have problems adjusting to their new home?
A: None at all.
Q: Did your children settle in easily?
A: Very easily. They are little and there is nothing not to like about Cape Town when you’re 2 and 4!
Q: What are the schools like, any particular suggestions?
A: If you pay, they are excellent. Very high standard and cheaper than the UK. There are lot of international schools (English, French, German, IB) and a lot of highly regarded local ones.
Q: How would you rate the healthcare?
A: For an expat, state provided healthcare is non-existent. You have to pay, but what you get is excellent. Factor health insurance into your costs of living here.
And finally…
Q: Is there any other advice you like to offer new expat arrivals?
A: Enjoy it and take the foreign media advice with a pinch of salt. Cape Town has so much to offer and it is, overwhelmingly, a safe and wonderful place to live. Exercise caution about where you visit at night, as you would in any big city and you should be fine. South Africa is one of the 3 countries (along with Vietnam and Thailand) that expats are least likely to return home from. If you come here, you’ll see why!
~ interviewed January 2012
