South Africa | | Page 10

As my exchange reaches the ¾ mark, I have realized how much South Africa has to offer the world. I hope that during the World Cup people notice how beautiful it is. Last weekend I hiked up the tallest mountains in South Africa, the Drakensberg. As I took a break at the peak of the mountain and took in the beautiful view, I realized how spectacular South Africa is.

People who know me well, know that I have a quite bad fear of heights. This hike required me to address this fear. At a certain stage of the hike, we had to climb chain ladders up the face of a cliff. Standing at the bottom, I thought “there is no way I’m going to climb that,” however, I eventually made my way to the summit. I definitely wasn’t the quickest one up the ladders, but I still made it to the top and for me this was a great achievement. Once I was on the top of the mountain I was really glad: I had climbed the ladders because the view was like nothing I had ever seen.

Last week I also attended a professional rugby game between South African and Australian teams. The atmosphere in the stadium is quite impressive. I think it’s fair to say that rugby fans come second to Habs’ fans. I also noticed how huge rugby players are. I’ve been told that rugby players are the perfect athletes because they have to have endurance and strength at the same time. I can definitely see why this is.

I am now looking forward to my next adventure as we are going on a safari in the Kruger Park this weekend. — Julien Miller ’12

LCC grade 9 student Julien Miller set out on January 13th on a two month student exchange with Saint Stithians Boys’ College in South Africa.

Here are his first impressions of his student exchange experience:

Going on this exchange is possibly the best decision I’ve ever made. I’m simply loving it here. I could really get used to not having to wear a coat and boots every time I leave the house. However, yesterday we had a massive thunderstorm and it even began to hail. Although, I’ve seen my fair share of storms, I had never seen a storm like this one. I was surprised when the family I’m staying with told me that these storms are quite common for summers in Johannesburg.

Everything at school has been terrific. The teachers are very nice, and the workload hasn’t been too much of a problem as I discovered that I am ahead of the curriculum here. As well, there is a great selection of sports to play. I am currently deciding whether to join the water polo or cricket team. –Julien Miller ’12

Tag Archives: South Africa

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First Impressions of South African Student Exchange