Five Years of Visa Limbo, No Couch Included —Ep 73 with Justin Levitt

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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