Five Years of Visa Limbo, No Couch Included —Ep 73 with Justin Levitt
The Relocated South African | Emigration storiesPlay episode
Show notes
Justin Levitt grew up in Welkom and Cape Town, toured the country as guitarist in rock band Red Tape Riot, then built a career in SEO.
In 2019 he followed a partner to the Netherlands, landing in Amsterdam just two weeks before COVID lockdown hit.
What followed was six unsettled years: a relationship that didn't survive lockdown isolation, a company sponsorship that evaporated when the business went bankrupt, and a year spent without a couch because he never knew if his contract would be renewed.
Justin talks candidly about finally getting permanent residency, the night in Paris when the Springboks won the 2023 World Cup semi-final, and why he's still proudly South African at heart.
"I don't know if I'm going to have my contract renewed. So, you know, I'll just live with the bare minimum until I really know." — Justin Levitt
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TIMESTAMPS:
00:26 – Guest intro: SEO specialist
00:37 – Growing up in Welkom, the Goldfields
01:04 – Welkom's famous traffic circle legend
01:41 – School, university, bands in Cape Town
03:22 – Landed in Netherlands, COVID hit
04:18 – Learning guitar, convincing parents
05:05 – Backing a solo artist, touring years
06:40 – Forming rock band Red Tape Riot
06:54 – Why music never became a career
08:06 – Jan's theory: SA diversity vs France
08:45 – Radio stations that once launched careers
10:35 – Still plays guitar daily
11:31 – What SEO actually means
13:38 – Expectations before leaving SA
14:53 – Netherlands isn't just a Dutch UK
15:31 – Better government, worse restaurants
15:59 – Afrikaans doesn't help much here
16:47 – Dutch switch to English instantly
17:10 – Dutch know little SA history
17:51 – Arrived days before lockdown
18:17 – Locked down in a small town
19:02 – Lockdown strain on relationship
20:06 – Dutch bureaucracy, organized online
21:25 – Working remotely through lockdown
22:17 – Never settled, five cities
23:56 – Relationship ended in 2022
24:50 – Biggest sacrifice: uncertainty
25:45 – No couch for a year
26:09 – No regrets despite the struggle
27:20 – Struggle as priceless life experience
28:57 – Dutch supermarkets' tiny meat sections
30:30 – Hard to crack Dutch friend groups
31:12 – South Africans seen as hardworking
32:29 – Strict 5pm cutoff culture
34:00 – Feels completely safe here
35:36 – Still proudly South African
38:31 – Who Holland suits best
40:24 – Surprised by SA's racial dynamics
40:51 – Advice: experience first, then leap
41:50 – Doesn't see himself moving back
42:08 – Realizing the weight he carried
42:42 – Misses family and biltong most
43:35 – Best night: Paris 2023 World Cup semi
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Connect with the podcast:
Website: [www.therelocatedsouthafrican.com](https://www.therelocatedsouthafrican.com)
Podcast: The Relocated South African — available on Spotify and all platforms
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