Thulani Serero has taken to life in Amsterdam like a tourist to the red-light district.

Off the pitch, the 21-year-old Ajax Amsterdam starlet from Senaoane in Soweto tells the Sunday Times he has had no hiccups adjusting to life in Holland.

"I moved out of the hotel to a home on Friday. I have decided to stay with a family who also housed Steven Pienaar and Daylon Claasen, who were at the club before me," he says.

"Staying with them will help me learn the culture and improve on the language.

"The club is arranging for a tutor in Dutch. It is not much different from Afrikaans and I can understand some words. After one month I will be good to go stay on my own. I also got my own car last week, so getting around is not a mission."

Dutch delicacies have tickled his taste buds.

"I love their lasagne. It is cheesy," he chuckles. "Actually, their pastas are really good."

Having transferred from the SA satellite club, Serero says the transition from Ajax Cape Town has been smooth.

"We have the same the training drills. Adjusting has not been difficult because of the same methods and philosophy, though it is much harder here. But I will get used to it. I am here to work."

The presence of Cameroon's Eyong Enoh has helped him settle into his new surroundings.

"If he wasn't here, I could have struggled because I am very shy. It is great to have a familiar face, someone to talk to. That way I don't feel left out. To be honest, everyone has been great."

On the pitch, Serero hit a purple patch in the pre-season, scoring on debut in a 3-0 drubbing of Danish side Brondby and setting Dutch tongues wagging with two assists in a man-of-the- match show-stopper against Argentine side International.

"His speed is impressive and his football brain is sharp," was how Ajax manager Frank de Boer viewed Serero's exploits.

Bafana Bafana coach Pitso Mosimane will be looking for more of the same from a player expected to carry the hopes of the nation into the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.

Bafana, who dropped to 49 in the latest Fifa rankings, host Burkina Faso on August 10 and Serero is itching to earn his second senior cap, as well as contributing to the under-23s' quest to qualify for London.

"Nothing will stop me from being of service to South Africa," he says. "I want to play for my country. If I am called, I will report for duty to help bring glory to my country.

"I will always do that, either for the under-23s or Bafana. It does not really matter to me."

His target this season?

"Just to get game time. Playing makes me happy and I can build from that."

But Serero first hopes to be selected for his official debut when Ajax start the defence of their title, away to De Graafschap on August 7.

"Ajax are a great team, giants in Holland and respected in Europe. I would not have signed if I thought I would not get a chance to prove myself."

And there's the small matter of the Uefa Champions League.

"As a kid, I dreamed of playing in the Champions League. I used to watch guys such as Edgar Davids, Dennis Bergkamp and, later, Pienaar starring for Ajax. I am excited that I'm on the verge of doing the same in the best club competition in the world."

But he misses his mother. "I miss her pap. I spoke to her on Thursday. She was happy to hear from me. She is used to me living away from home because I left for Ajax Cape Town when I was 13. She is happy, she knows I am here to work."