Welcome Home...

Hey everybody...

This is my last post for now, as I'm back home...in the cold, rainy Holland!

Our last day at school was terrible, as we had to say goodbye to everyone. I've never cried so much in my life, because I'm really not good at saying goodbye to new people I've met and new friends I have to leave behind. Everyone has been so kind and sweet, made such an effort to make us feel at home! I really want to thank everyone who made this exchange possible, and I especially want to thank Lily and her/my 2Nd family! They have made my stay absolutely wonderful and I couldn't have wished for a better family to stay with! We also had to say a goodbye speech in front of the whole school during the assembly on Monday, which was pretty nerve wrecking...That afternoon, Debbie and Peter left to the USA and Canada for two weeks, so they came by at school to say goodbye. On our last evening, all the exchanges and the families went out for a last dinner at an Italian restaurant, and then we headed to the airport. We had such an emotional goodbye, and I'm getting teary eyed while I'm writing this, so I'm not going to tell you all the details ha ha.
The flight was quite terrible, as I couldn't sleep at all in the plane. So, over all, I've slept for approximately 1 hour, which made me quite tired the next day as you can imagine.
That weekend back at home was quite hard for me, and I think for the other two as well, as we were so used to our lifestyle in SA and love(d) it so much! I already want to go back...I hope I can go back as soon as possible to visit the lovely city of Cape Town and my dearest Lily!

Goodbye for now, and thank you for following my adventures in South Africa for the past 6 weeks!

Much love,

Sandra

Our last weekend!:(

Hey there,

this is my 2Nd last post! We had another fantastic weekend, so let me tell you about it!

On Friday, Kirsten, Nienke and I missed school because Gail and Nicky were taking us to Hermanus, where all of our families have a house. We left in the morning to Gail's house, which was about an hour and a halve drive from Constantia. We stopped halfway to have lunch, which was really nice and then we proceeded our journey. Later we arrived in Hermanus, which is such a stunning place to have a house! We spent the rest of the day on the beach, just chilling and tanning which was really nice! That evening we went out for dinner with the Thompson's and Commins', and we were joined by Kath and Bron as they came over after school. We had a lovely Chinese meal, and were really full ha ha! All of us girls slept over at the Thompson's house. The next day was absolutely amazing, as we left in the morning to go "sail" with Murray's boat. We tried water skiing, knee boarding and tubing, which was SO amazing...I've had a really really nice time on the speedboat, it was just relaxed with the nice breeze and water around you. I think we all got a little bit burned and bruised after that boat trip he he. It was SO worth it!

That evening we got back to Constantia. As the other girls went to Lauren-Lee's party, Lily and I stayed at home. Cleo had a small braai with friends, they came over to watch rugby. We had a very nice, chilled and chatty evening. I must say, that was really nice after the hard working of that morning and afternoon!

On Sunday morning, Debbie, Peter, Lily and I went to Table Mountain again. This time the wind was OK, so we were allowed to up. I'm afraid of heights so it was quite scary to go up in the cable car, but the view was magnificent. We walked around on the "Table" for quite a long while and then headed back down, where I bought my SA flag for my school friends and family to sign!! After Table Mountain, all three families went to Chloe's house(Georgie's mother) for a delicious lunch. We spent the whole afternoon and part of the evening, it was so much fun as a lot of our friends were also there! This was a really wonderful end of our last weekend...I'm going to miss them!

Love,

Sandy

Founders day and the weekend

Hello everyone!

On Friday we had no lessons because it was Founders day. We finished school at 12.45 which was really nice. We first had a very long assembly at the theatre. A lady from England flew to Cape Town to visit our school. This was because she is related to William and John Herschel, the famous astronomers. She told us all about the Herschel family, I thought that it was very interesting. Also because we did a chapter on astronomy in Understanding Science so I knew some things about William and John's discoveries. After her story and slide show, a guy called Henny performed a satirical and very funny show. Later, after some refreshments, the whole school walked to the Church for a 'birthday' ceremony. Quite a lot of old Herschelians were present in the Church to celebrate the existence with us. We singed hymns, listened to biblical stories and prayed. After the church ceremony we went back to school and then it was time for the grade 8Th's welcoming. All the other girls formed an arch and the grade 8Th's had to run under it the whole way. Then our school day was over and we could go home and enjoy our lovely Friday afternoon.
In the evening Lily, Cleo and I went to a birthday of a friend down the road. It was really nice and we saw a lot of Cleo's friends which I knew from other parties.

On Saturday Lily and I had to wake up quite early (for little old me it was, as I LOVE to lie-in), at 9.00 to watch Thomas' cricket match against Saks. We watched the game for a couple of hours and then got quite hungry, so we decided to go get some food from Spur, a well known steakhouse. Eddie, the driver was also at the cricket and he was so sweet to drive us to Spur. We ate there, and once our tummies were full we decided to walk back to the cricket. As we arrived at the entrance fence we realised that it only opens when you drive towards it from the other side. We had a problem, so we had the choice of: walking for 10 minutes to get to the other entrance, or...climb over the fence. That's exactly what we did, scratched shins included ha ha.

On Sunday, the plan was to go up Table Mountain, so we arrived there with the whole family(without Tom though) but then we got a disappointing message that we're not able to go up because of the strong wind. Thankfully, our day wasn't entirely ruined as we went for a drink in Camps Bay and had a divine(!) lunch at the Radisson hotel.

We have two weeks left unfortunately:(...

Love,

SA-lover, San

Weekend

Hey hey,

On Friday 9 Feb. Debbie and Gail took Nienke, Kirsten and me to Boulders Beach in Simon's town. It was raining, which prevented us from going to Cape Point. Boulders Beach is the area where you can see the African 'Jackass' penguins. These birds are endangered and flightless. Although it was raining, the penguins weren't hiding so we could see them and take photos. They were very sweet and comfortable with humans. After taking photos and getting wet we went to a couple of souvenir shops (yes, we definitely act like tourists ha ha). Then we had lunch in a small restaurant and it started pouring even worse, I had the feeling I was in Holland!
After lunch we drove to Chapman's peak, which was quite scary for me because I'm afraid of heights and we were driving very close to the edge! However I was blown away by the magnificent view from the mountain, it was beautiful.

That evening we were invited to Kristina's birthday dinner at Waterfront. We had pizza's at Primi Piatti which was nice! We had a lovely dinner, with 15 other girls, which included a lot of laughing and loud chatting as we girls are like that sometimes..*cough*.

On Saturday Kirsten, Nienke, Megan, Amy, Caroline and I went to the cheetah farm, Spier. It was absolutely amazing! Not only was it fantastic to see these beautiful endangered wild cats, we were also aloud to stroke an adult cheetah. We weren't allowed to touch Joseph's(as our cheetah was called) tail, head or legs. We were only allowed to stroke his back. We were warned that if he would roll over or stand up that we had to stand up and walk away. That's why we had to kneel close behind him so that we could easily stand up. We were able to get a couple of good photos with us stroking the cheetah. We also saw the cubs, they were very cute, but of course, one day they will become just as strong and dangerous as the adults. It was such a nice experience and I will never forget it!

That night we had two parties, one of Vicky's which we went to first. She is in our grade at Herschel. When we arrived I couldn't believe how big her house was. I wouldn't even call it a house, as it was almost a palace. There were quite a lot of people, but it wasn't packed. Most people were outside and there was a DJ(Shane, Cleo's friend btw) inside. So the people who wanted to dance were inside and the others were outside on the patio or in the garden. I had a lot of fun and thankfully we knew a lot of people there from our grade.
We left at around 22.30, which wasn't the best moment as it was pouring outside. We had to run to the car (which was quite a long run because her drive-in is very long) and by the time we got into the car everyone was wet. We went to Chrome, a club, which was hired for the Cupid Evening After party. We had an absolute blast, although it was quite packed. I really enjoyed the evening, and surprisingly we knew a lot of people there too! That night I slept over at Kath's house because Lily was away for the weekend.

On Sunday we slept in late, which was awesome as we don't get to do that a lot here. We had a very relaxed day just doing homework and chilling. I had a wonderful week, very busy but it was worth it...

Yesterday, Wednesday, I got my first Afrikaans grade back. I'm in the first language class and they had to do a listening comprehension. I decided to try it as well, and what do you know, I was 2Nd best in class! I was so surprised, but very happy. Mevr. Nel, our teacher, gave Pascale(she had 100%) and me(85%) a rose for our results which was so sweet!

Tomorrow we have only two(2!) weeks left here, and we still have so much to see and do!!

Love,

San

P.S. I can't put photos on at the moment as my internet at home isn't working, I'll put them on ASAP!

Kirstenbosch and Robben Island

Monday after school, Debbie and Nikki took Nienke, me and Kirsten to Kirstenbosch what is known to be the most beautiful garden in Africa. I must say that it was absolutely wonderful. It was huge, clean and green ha ha! You could smell the nice and earthy air. Another highlight of Kirstenbosch was the very nice souvenir shop with an extensive assortment. All three of us spent a lot there on presents to take back home, it was quite expensive but they had such lovely things!

On Tuesday we had our first JUMP HI lesson after school. The kids are so sweet! Lily's and I teach Anitha, and she is 10. All the kids speak Xhosa, but fortunately Anitha can speak English quite well which makes it much easier for us! It feels great to be able to teach these kids maths, they are really enjoying it! So am I!

On Wednesday our whole group of Herschel, Bishops and St. Cyprian exchanges went to Robben Island. We had to meet at the Waterfront to go on the ferry that would take us to Robben Island. It was a very hot day but it was quite cold on the ferry, so I was glad that the sun was shining and warmed me up once we got off the ferry. Two busses were waiting for all the people to start the excursion. We drove around Robben Island and stopped at some places. The guide in the bus told us about the history of the spot or building and what it is used for now.
I found a good description of Robben Island, it basically summarises everything the guide told us:

"For nearly 400 years, Robben Island, 12 kilometres from Cape Town, was a place of banishment, exile, isolation and imprisonment. It was here that rulers sent those they regarded as political troublemakers, social outcasts and the unwanted of society."

"Never, and never again shall it be that this beautiful land shall ever experience oppression of one by another."- Nelson R Mandela 1994

When we arrived at the prison, our other tour guide was waiting for us. He was an ex-prisoner himself and could tell everything in detail about the cells and prison life. It was very surreal to imagine people spending many years of their life in this place. The guide was quite difficult to understand because of his accent, but I didn't really mind as we saw everything with our own eyes, and seeing these extraordinary elements does more to a person than words. It was a very special place to visit and I think it's impossible to leave South Africa without having visited Robben Island. It is a very remarkable place with a great and sad history.

Clifton and Stellenbosch

Hi everyone,

On Friday evening the 2Nd all the exchanges went to Clifton beach for a nice picnic while watching the sunset. It was such a lovely place to have a wonderful evening. The weather was perfect and it was very warm even at 19.00. Everyone brought delicious snacks and drinks and we all just relaxed and enjoyed the sun and beautiful view. Bronwin, Kristina, Georgie and Carla came as well, and then Bronwin decided she wanted to have a swim in the ice(!)cold water. Kath, Nienke and Kirsten joined her and it was very fun to watch them. At around 21.00, Debbie took Lily and me to Stellenbosch because we were staying with Cleo for the weekend.
Stellenbosch is very well known for its wine, and it's an Afrikaans town. Cleo goes to the university of Stellenbosch which is Afrikaans as well. She stays at the academia and has her own small room there. I'd say the campus was huge, and it's very different from the Dutch student life. We went this weekend because on Saturday there was a rag for the first years. They all built floats and dressed up. You could feel the vibe even on that Friday evening before. Almost everyone was outside, some just sitting on their balcony with friends, others walking around and partying. However, this evening, we didn't go anywhere and just stayed in Cleo's room. When we were ready to go to bed, two friends of Cleo were in a jolly mood and decided to stop by. I had such a laugh because one of the guys wanted to show off his 'brilliance' by demonstrating his spelling skills. We had to say a word, any word, preferably a long one and he would then say within 2 seconds how many letters that word had. It was so amazing to see him actually getting it right every time. After that we went to bed, I slept on a matres in the 'living room' and Lily and Cleo slept in her bed.
The next morning we woke up very early, at 6.30, and at 8.00 we were already having breakfast at a cafe. After that, we went back home and I met some of Cleo's friends. We sat outside, and although it was only 10.00, it was boiling! It's always hotter in Stellenbosch, it can get up to 40 degrees when it's 35 in Constantia.
Then, at 11.00 we went to see the rag, it was so nice and the floats were so well made. I think the students did their very best to make the prettiest floats. The whole day was very hectic and we had so much fun. I met a lot of new people, also a lot of Cleo's friends, and even some that don't go to Stellenbosch University were present that day!

The next day, lunchtime, Cleo, Me, Lily, Debbie and Peter went out for lunch in Groot Constantia. It's such a pretty place, the weather was lovely and I really enjoyed the view. Groot Constantia is a wine estate that was founded in 1685. It has some examples of Cape Dutch architecture and furniture. Nowadays you can also buy art there, or visit the museum. I really liked the bohemian vibe and it was just so nice.

Khayelitsha

On Wednesday, the 31st, we went on a tour of the township Khayelitsha. We left at 8.00 from school, as this trip was organised through Herschel and Bishops, which is a very famous boys school. We first drove to a church, which was quite special because it had been closed for some time. The story goes back to the years of 'apartheid', when people fled into the church because they were followed by the police. Eventually the police ran inside, with all their guns and sticks, which was a disgrace for the church and it was considered less holy.
We met the whole group and guide in the church, because besides Kirsten, Nienke, Me, Megan and Caroline from Herschel, some girls and boys from other schools came with us. Two American exchange boys, and about 8 girls from Germany, Canada, Australia, USA and even Thailand! It was a large group but everyone was very nice. After listening to the guides story we drove to Khayelitsha. I could immediately see the difference from the rich part of Cape Town and the poor townships as we were driving on the main road. The two sides were literally divided by the road and fences.
We visited Mama Amelia's 'house' during the township tour. This woman takes in all the abandoned children from the area. The police bring small infants found somewhere on the street and teenagers are also under the care of Mama Amelia. At this moment, she has about 95 children, from the age of a few months on to 18, living with her. She gets help from a couple of volunteers, but basically she does everything for these kids. When we arrived there the small children ran up to us and were so excited to see us. It was such a heartwarming experience for me. The kids were so sweet and lovely, they wanted to hug us all the time. They just loved the camera's, they found it very interesting that they could see themselves after the photo was taken. The teenagers weren't there because they were at school, but still we received a lot of entertainment from the smaller kids. We all sat on the floor, as one, or a couple of children climbed on us and started hugging us. We couldn't stay for long because we would mess up their daily rhythm. All of us made a donation to Mama Amelia, to help her a bit with the wonderful work she is doing. When we went outside, every single child was holding our hands and took us to the street, where they all stood in a row and started singing a goodbye song. It was adorable and it was quite sad to leave them. Later we went to a place nearby to have lunch. Next to the lunch spot there was a souvenir shop. We bought quite a lot of things there because the profit went to a HIV/AIDS help society. After lunch we drove back, left with a very satisfying feeling of being able to help by supporting the community and interact with the kids.
Although seeing the poor side of Cape Town and the very different lifestyle, I was surprised to see that the community didn't seem sad at all, as everyone tries to make the best out of their living. This left me with a slight feeling of hope, as I could see that they are willing to fight for a better future. It was such a wonderful and educative experience.