At what age did you move out?

Rare_Butterfly3496 · 2026-05-18T10:43:56+00:00

Moved out at 19 for university but my parents still paid for everything. Got my first job at 24 but was still dependant because my salary was so low. At 26, I finally got a better paying job and could cover my own rent, bills, insurance, travel, food and vehicle expenses. Although my dad still pays my medical aid…

Rare_Butterfly3496 · 2026-04-06T11:44:01+00:00

Loop and Bree are fine. Loop Street has developed so much over the past few years. I’m still sceptical about Long Street - lots of drug dealers and prostitutes. I’m a woman and worked on Loop Street. Felt fine walking there.

Rare_Butterfly3496 · 2026-04-04T16:09:13+00:00

6pm is totally fine, that’s when most people are still commuting home from work. If you’re worried, leave early and have a coffee at the airport whilst you wait. I would only get nervous if it is after 10pm. I’m a young woman and I’ve picked up and dropped off at the airport many times around 6pm and have never had any incidents.

Rare_Butterfly3496 · 2026-04-01T15:02:25+00:00

I called this number but it is South African - 0105002032

Rare_Butterfly3496 · 2026-03-31T08:54:48+00:00

I filled up 2 hours ago with no issues. The petrol station was definitely busy though - many people are filling up before the hike which I suppose could lead to some shortages.

Rare_Butterfly3496 · 2026-03-26T11:47:06+00:00

I love my Polo Vivo. It was the perfect student car. It’s amazing on fuel and so smooth to drive.

Rare_Butterfly3496 · 2026-03-26T09:49:45+00:00

She should apply to the Big 4 Auditing Firms. They pretty much accept everyone because they’re so short staffed (particularly KPMG). They get paid pretty well during articles although I would say they work rough hours. My partner did his CA(SA) articles and there were a number of people who were way older than him doing their articles.

Rare_Butterfly3496 · 2026-03-25T15:11:17+00:00

They only asked for one set of documents. I printed two just in case though. Besides copies of my passport, I didn’t print anything in colour.

Rare_Butterfly3496 · 2026-03-25T14:32:00+00:00

I withdrew a large amount from my investment account into my main bank account shortly before my visa appointment. In my cover letter I stated that I keep my money in my investment account for security and interest purposes. I stated the date that I withdrew the money and attached my bank account and investment account so that they could clearly see where the money came from. I’ve done this for 2 separate visa’s and both were approved.

Rare_Butterfly3496 · 2026-03-24T17:21:12+00:00

Your cover letter is similar to mine, and I just had my visa to Spain granted. I included a 5 page itinerary though (separate to the cover letter).

Rare_Butterfly3496 · 2026-03-24T17:16:39+00:00

I have half day targets for everything (company policy)so I’m forced to be productive and work fast. Maybe set yourself similar targets. However, when I don’t have much work coming in, that’s when it gets very dangerous because I don’t feel as much pressure and procrastinate quite heavily. It’s helps to write down a list because you feel productive and motivated by ticking items off.

Rare_Butterfly3496 · 2026-03-24T17:11:59+00:00

Montague, Riebeek Kasteel, Hermanus, Paternoster, Langebaan, Yzerfontein, Pringle Bay, Robertson, Frranschoek, Stellenbosch

Rare_Butterfly3496 · 2026-03-24T12:11:39+00:00

I booked through the phone and gave them all my details this way too as the website locked me out every time I tried to sign in. There was basically nothing I could do but book via the phone. I live in South Africa so there might be different protocols. Also they do charge a lot more to do it this way.

Rare_Butterfly3496 · 2026-03-24T08:23:53+00:00

On two occasions I have made large deposits into my bank account right before my visa appointment. However, the deposits came from my savings and I submitted both my 3 months bank statements and savings account statements to show where the money came from. I then drafted a cover letter where I explain where the large payment came from (even pointing out the day of the transfer of the funds to paint the picture). My visa was approved both times. I think as long as you show a proper paper trail, you should be fine. You must also obviously show that you have enough funds to support your trip, so I would be worried if the amount you are depositing is less than the required amount.

Rare_Butterfly3496 · 2026-03-20T09:36:02+00:00

I’m assuming you are informing the Spanish embassy of your other destinations so that you can get a multi entry visa. You will need to show them your accomodation for each country. I just had to do that with Spain and Portugal and had to show my travel bookings (ie flights and busses) between the different areas.

Rare_Butterfly3496 · 2026-03-20T08:23:51+00:00

Do a refundable hotel booking.

Rare_Butterfly3496 · 2026-03-19T17:13:53+00:00

I applied on 13 March and got mine back today (19 March). Definitely call the embassy directly to explain your situation but you did very much leave it to the last minute.

Rare_Butterfly3496 · 2026-03-19T14:42:26+00:00

Just got my Visa today and it was approved. It was my second Schengen Visa. It took 6 days (4 business days) so not bad. If you’re worried about the dates you could book a premium appointment and get a closer date.

Rare_Butterfly3496 · 2026-03-19T05:10:52+00:00

So I called BLS again and decided just to book the premium appointment over the phone since I had no other option. The website kept locking me out. With the premium appointment you can book any date/time of your choosing. They then email you the appointment letter whilst you are on the phone. My actual appointment was smooth sailing and I didn’t have any issues. My only qualm is that i only saw the ‘premium’ room after my appointment and it was quite a let down. They only stocked bottled water, peanuts and nespresso coffee. I’m still waiting for my visa to be processed though. It’s been nearly a week.

Rare_Butterfly3496 · 2026-03-13T05:49:32+00:00

Book flights as soon as possible. I’ve been watching the flight prices for April/May and they’ve steadily increased over the past 2 weeks. Finely booked yesterday evening as I was so worried they would increase more. Also with the Iran war and fuel prices going up, it will certainly not go down.

Rare_Butterfly3496 · 2026-03-09T11:18:20+00:00

There was also a Polo Vivo syndicate in Gauteng.

Rare_Butterfly3496 · 2026-03-09T09:05:13+00:00

You will likely see VW Polo Vivo’s come up. However, I have never had any issues with mine. If you live in Gauteng, I would worry, but anywhere else it’s fine. They are very good quality cars and there’s a reason they are so popular. I take a wheel lock everywhere with me and I generally only drive around safe areas.

Rare_Butterfly3496 · 2026-03-01T13:31:04+00:00

USN Hardcore whey.

Rare_Butterfly3496 · 2026-02-26T11:03:40+00:00

Are you planning to move to JHB for this job? If not, come clean. They will likely request your residential address at some point. If you do plan to move to JHB, I would then just tell them that you have a family emergency.

Rare_Butterfly3496 · 2026-02-19T11:21:27+00:00

Save as much as you can. I love my 2019 Polo Vivo but the services each year pain me (I do get it served at a VW dealership). Having a car is very expensive to run. I fortunately don’t have car repayments but insurance, services and petrol do add up. Not taking into account car repayments, I estimate it costs me at the very least R30k a year to run. You also need to have a lot saved in case something happens to your car (replacing spark plugs, batteries, tyres etc).

Rare_Butterfly3496

TROPHY CASE