Table Mountain

My House

Fresh Fruit 

Sunset

Waterfall Elandspad

Elandspad Hike

Uniform

Table Mountain

Waterfall Elandspad

Elandspad

Elandspad

Just Another Week in South Africa

First of all I would like to apologize for not posting in a while. I had a busy week, including being ill for two days. Therefore this post will cover my entire AMAZING second week in South Africa.

To start off with I'll go back to last week Saturday. The exchange gang and I went to Ratanga Junction which is one of the main fun parks here in South Africa. We had a great day in the sun enjoying the rides. The best ride was the human slingshot which cranks you up 30m in the air and then drops you. It is basically a giant swing reaching speeds up to 90 km/h. After completing all the rides we went to one of the biggest malls in the Southern hemisphere, called Canal Walk, to have lunch.

The next day my host family took me to Hout Bay. Hout Bay is one of Cape Town's suburbs which lies along the ocean. It is known for the amazing views and the Chapman's Peak Drive, which is one of the world's most scenic drives. As I told you in my introduction I had been in South Africa several times when I was young. We stayed in Camps Bay during our favorite family holiday. To get to Hout Bay you drive past Camps Bay, so a lot of old memories came back to my mind. After Hout Bay I met Seumus' grandparents. Their house is built at the foot of Table Mountain and has an extraordinary view of the harbor and Lion's Head. Both the grandmother and father are great individuals. 

After a great weekend I went back to school. The school days are very long. I wake up at six and come back home around four to five. It is quite an experience to go to Bishops when you are used to RLW. I enjoy the school days, especially hot lunch and meeting new people. Unfortunately I was ill for two days. Apparently a stomach bug has been going around the country. Staying at home gave me a chance to follow the Africa Cup of Nations which started last Saturday. It is a real pleasure to watch African football. Watch for yourself and you will understand why.

Friday was the big day. It was the first day that the whole exchange group came together on a trip. Friday it was time to go on the Elandspad hike. It was absolutely astonishing. We went up into the mountains north of Cape Town. To start of we hiked for about an hour to get to the river. From there on we stuck to the river, jumping from rock to rock, swimming and jumping off the rocks into the pools. It was nature at its finest. The best part was when we went up to the origin of the river, which was a waterfall. We swam in the water, the freshest I have ever tasted, and swam through the waterfall into a small cave behind it. It was there that Lotte, Loic and I looked at each other and said:"This makes school worth it." 

To finish off my week I wanted to go on a speedboat ride along the Cape. I picked up Loic and headed for the Waterfront. When we arrived we went to an atm machine but both of us failed to get any money. Loic's card simply didn't work and I forgot my pin. Not the most intelligent thing my dad told me when I was talking to him later that day. Luck wasn't on our side that day because the speedboat was broken so we had to leave early. However Loic and I finished of our day sitting on a bench on the balcony of Seumus' grandparents in the sun with a coke and chips watching a massive container ship leaving the Cape Town harbor. Can it get any better than that?

Bishops Diocesan College

Today, the 18th of January, 2012, I had my first bishops experience. It was the first day that the school was up and running again, meaning everybody had to come in full suit(check my fb if you want to see it), even though it was 33 degrees celsius. There are many differences between RLW and Bishops that I would like to discuss with you over the next couple of weeks.

The day started of with a church service in the main chapel including an assembly. Everything that happens at Bishops is some way or another related to the chapel. It holds around eight hundred boys, and on a day like this Wednesday it is unpleasantly warm. Luckily we were allowed to take off ties and blazers, which is only is permitted on rare occasions. After the morning service, we had a small break but we were required to be back at the chapel at 10:35 for a guest speaker.

Gareth Penny, a former CEO of De Beers (mining company), flew over from London for this special occasion. He is a former Bishops student, so he knew who he was addressing. His speech covered business and how to be successful in it. It was an extremely good speech, and all the boys were genuinely interested in what he had to say.

After the headmaster had had his word, we were sent off to our classes. I am 15 years old meaning I should be in year 10, but for the day I joined year 11. At Bishops there is a hierarchy amongst the students. The matrics, or year 12, are obviously at the top followed by year 11 and so on. This meant that I could cut in front of all the younger years when I was waiting in line for hot lunch. As we have our "brugers" Bishops have the year 8. These boys are welcomed to the school with a New Boy Orientation. The boys have to dance, sing even give lap dances, and as you know it is a boys school only so you know how embarrassing it could be. After New Boy Orientation I walked into one of my classes and the teacher asked me for my name. I answered Lourents and the class started laughing. Teachers want your surname, and call you by your surname. Students have to call the teacher sir or madam and have to stand up in class when the teacher walks in.

Overall I had an amazing first day of school. I enjoyed the differences between RLW and Bishops, and I will be writing more about this topic. 

the estate

 the view

springbok on the golf course

another view




























mr. turtle

Introduction

Around this time last year I handed in my motivation letter to apply for the exchange to South Africa and now it is reality. After having had my goodbyes and a pleasant flight I was back in South Africa which I last visited ten years ago.

During my eight week stay I will be posting 2 to 3 times a week (when possible), telling you about my adventures and talking about the ongoing issues here in South Africa.

I have now spent my first two days with my host family, getting settled and enjoying the weather. A couple things struck me these two days. First of all the issue of what race you are is huge. A colored person gets into university easier than a white individual. Another big topic is which school is best. Unlike in the Netherlands, schools literally compete with each other in everything. It is extremely competitive, especially when it comes down to sports. I don't what to get into it to much because I am sure I'll be writing about it more in the near future.

Today, during my game of golf (I am terrible) I made a shocking discovery. The estate's neighbor is a nuclear power plant...! I don't mind it at all, it just a crazy thought. I also sorted out my uniform the other day. Black pointy shoes with a blazer and neat trousers. My mother will be proud to see me in that. 

So far the exchange has been great, although it officially starts on Wednesday. I haven't been doing a lot, but I don't need anything more than I have now to make me happy. I'll keep you updated on what is going on, and please tell me what you would like to read about.

I am trying to get some pictures asap, so please be patient :)