South Africa: Subtle Differences

Posted on February 7, 2013 by admin

Grade 9 student Andrea Naday ’15 is on a student exchange in South Africa, attending St. Stithians Girls School. Here are some reflections on her experience to date:

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I find it very interesting how South Africans speak the same language as us but use different terms and expressions. For example, if a person was annoyed by someone, they’d say “she’s such a rash.” They also say “shame” a lot. If I said someone was sad, they’d say “shame.” They also have an accent similar to someone British. But, South Africans don’t think they sound British at all. When I was talking to Carmen about it, she realized how she was speaking, and how some things they say don’t make sense. For example, South Africans say “tomato” as someone British would say it, but “potato” as we say it (i.e., they pronounce the “a” differently).

Another major difference I noticed was the currency. South African currency is called Rand, but about 8.5 Rand would equal $1. So, you can’t buy much with R10. Basically, anytime you would go out you spend around R150-R1000. It is weird to be spending R350 on some souvenirs: 350 sounds like a big number! So I always have to divide everything by 8 to figure out the approximate value in dollars! But, I have been able to adjust.

Cars are different too. The driver is on the right side of the car, and South Africans drive on the left side of the road. At first, I thought it was very weird, but I have gotten used to it.

South Africa Exchange: Experiences & Perspectives

Posted on February 2, 2013 by admin

I made the U-15 St Stithians’ basketball team, which means that I can spend my afternoons playing basketball in the sun. There are really worse ways to spend one’s afternoons.

On Saturday, January 26, I play my first basketball game for St Stithians, against St. Peters. Saints win. Later on that day, Dirk, Rickus, Jessica, and I go camping and 4x4ing. It is amazing! We set up camp in a gorgeous site, and then, South African-style, I am handed a pellet gun, a .22, a shotgun, and a 234 hunting gun. We shoot cans, targets, and clay pigeons, known to us as clay disks. The Canadian in me cannot help but think of NRA debates. I am forced to reflect on the dangers of giving a gun to any boy. It is heady stuff, and I shamefully admit that it is regretfully easy to forget all my previous reservations about holding real guns when I hit my first clay pigeon with my first shot. If, as I suspect, my career in basketball is cut short, I’m going to the Olympics for shooting discs.

Later that night, we make a campfire and barbecue for supper. It is so cool. I cannot believe I’m on this exchange. The next day, we go to the stream and swim.

And then tomorrow back to school. –David Elbaz ’15

Very “Lekker” South Africa

Posted on January 23, 2013 by admin

I am delighted to report that after two weeks in South Africa, I have accumulated remarkable vocabulary—at least a dozen words in Afrikaans, which rivals the vocabulary painstakingly learned during six years of Hebrew day school! I now know how to say dankie (thank you), baie (very), and lekker (a nice Dutch word which means nice). It is a word used verryyyyyy often. It is used to describe a beautiful place, food that tastes good, and anything enjoyable. For example, “My time in South Africa has been very lekker. Very lekker indeed.”

January 2, 2013

I arrived in South Africa after a 20-hour trip. I am not sure what I expected. I had dimly thought that, since I was arriving from sunny Florida and not from buried-under-metres-of-snow Montreal, I would not be disoriented. I was wrong. I right away noticed that the country- lush, green, HOT- was very different from any place I’d ever been before.

My host family, Hannelie, Dirk, Jessica and Rickus Van Biljon picked me up in Durban. I knew right away that the difference in height between Rickus and I would be an endless source of amusement for my family and friends. In spite of that, Rickus and I instantly got (and still get) along exceptionally well. The whole family was welcoming, warm, just lekker. It’s a funny thing, that. You travel half way across the world, farther than Timbuktu even, and you find that people are just people.

I spent the next few days getting acclimatized and spent the balance of my winter holiday in one of the most beautiful countries in the world. The Van Biljon’s summer beach house is just 30 km from Durban, in Zinkwazi beach. I went to the beach the very first day, swimming in an ocean at once refreshing and warm, lazily talking with Rickus. I enjoyed myself very much, especially when I paused to think about home and what I would have been doing in Montreal. Napping at the beach is the best way to get over jet lag. During that first day, I met the Van Biljon’s family friends, Gustav, Sanelle, and their children Emma and five-year-old Duncan. They say that you can know a person by the company that he keeps. Well, Gustav, Sanelle, Emma and Duncan are extremely nice, which confirmed my opinion that the Van Biljon are great people.

The next few days—still my vacation—were just as “taxing” as the first. We took long walks on the beach, swam at least three times a day, debated the relative merits of American football and South African rugby. Rickus and I are both fluent in sports talk. I was introduced to cricket when the family watched the South African-New Zealand game. I must have been in hockey withdrawal, because I totally enjoyed that.

January 5, 2013

We went to Crocodile Creek, where the welcoming sign “ Nice to eat you” has been thoughtfully corrected to read “ nice to meet you,” no doubt to soothe the tender sensibilities of tourists like me. The crocodile farm was la lot of fun (and instructive too). When our tour guide wanted to introduce us to a crocodile that was hiding in the water, he would tap the crocodile in the face until the crocodile would try to bite him and in effect leap out of the water. South African crocodile tour guides are a different breed. I was able to hold a newly hatched crocodile, and a four-year-old crocodile. It was a little scary, but pretty cool too. The bottom of crocodiles is unbelievably soft, which, as the guide thoughtfully pointed out, explains why people want shoes, handbags, and belts made of alligator skin. We then went to check out the snakes, a definite highlight for me. Snakes are just soooooooo cool. My favourites were the black and green mambas. The inside of their mouths is black, and when they attack, it is truly scary. When they move, a full third of their body is off the ground. Just the stuff nightmares are made of. Another favourite is the vine snake, the most poisonous snake in South Africa. The vine snake is so good at camouflage that it took me a full five minutes to spot it. I had a fantastic time, but then I thought of all the times that I visited zoos in Montreal. I’d always think, “ thank goodness those snakes and animals are not indigenous to Montreal. Thank goodness they live in far away places like South Africa.” Of course, my very next thought was “Um. But right now, I’m in South Africa”… Like I said, just the stuff nightmares are made of.

I am so comfortable here, so happy, that I am always a little surprised when I realize that there are endless differences, some subtle, some not so subtle between South Africa and Canada. This is the coolest thing about this trip, the way I at once feel adventurous, disoriented, foreign and comfortable and familiar. It sounds like an oxymoron, but it is not. It is just great. But definitely, not every cultural reference that we take for granted in Montreal is a reference here. Les Miserables is not a classic here, but is simply a very new movie, and To Kill A Mockingbird is unknown. Robert Munsch does not exist here. Imagine that! As for me, well, I cannot tell you all the things I don’t understand. I very smoothly try to pass my ignorance for jet lag.

Right after the crocodile farm, we went to see The Life of Pi (very, very good). Just when I think that there are too many cultural differences between our two countries, I see something that reminds me that there are plenty of universal interests, like any Hollywood movie.

I also saw a movie called Spud, which is also a story about a kid going to a boarding school in SA

On one of our last days on the coast, we went to Ushaka Marine Land and Water Park in Durban. That was extremely fun. The aquarium was a vast shipwreck, very original. The fish were fantastic. We went to see a seal show, which was good, and a dolphin show, which was really VERY cool. The dolphins threw balls, and even played basketball under water. Very impressive. I heard that from the Van Biljon’s deck in Zinkwazi, you could catch dolphins swimming. There are things like that, which make me so happy to have chosen South Africa for my exchange.

January 9, 2013

Back in Jo’burg. I met Rickus’ friends from St. Stithians, explored the neighbourhood, and went on a hiking trail in the botanical gardens around the estate. I had a really amazing time on the hike. The scenery on the hike was amazing. I went with Rickus and on of his friends Kyle who is also extremely nice and with whom I get along very well.

January 14
Going to pre-tea at St. Stithians before the first full day of school starts. Definitely an adventure. Tomorrow, I’ll be sleeping at the Mount Stephens boarding house, and Wednesday, I’ll actually start school. It is all a little surreal, very exciting, and a little daunting. I’ll keep you posted.—David Elbaz ’15

MS Pride: New Beginnings, Nouveau Départ

Posted on January 21, 2013 by admin

Before our winter vacation, M. Maurice chose a few Middle School Pride representatives for an at-home conference experience. Liaising with Appleby College and St Mary’s Academy, I, along with a few other students will be getting to know students from these schools over Skype. But the project doesn’t end here. As well as having video conferences with them, we also must define an activity that will be completed and evaluated by the end of June 2013. We have already been given our first task, which is making an iMovie to present ourselves. In a two-minute video, anything that we love doing inside and outside school will be put into this presentation.

Par ailleurs, l’idée du Café Équitable est de retour et est sur la bonne voie. Avant les vacances, Ryan et moi avons frappé un mur, mais nous sommes prêts à recommencer et à essayer encore. Dans la première version du projet, les élèves du Middle School Pride devaient cuisiner des muffins aux bananes, vendre du chocolat chaud et du café équitable. Maintenant, notre projet sera coordonné avec celui du Bake Sale, pour qu’il y ait plus de personnes impliquées et moins de difficultés. L’activité se déroulera en février. – Christina Papageorgakopoulos ’16

Procès simulé au Palais de justice de Montréal

Posted on January 8, 2013 by admin

Le 20 décembre 2012, la classe de droit a eu l’opportunité de réaliser un procès simulé au Palais de justice de Montréal. Celui-ci était présidé par l’Honorable Juge Perreault, juge en chef adjoint du Québec. Pendant plus d’une heure, les élèves ont fait preuve de professionnalisme et ont démontré leur savoir-faire devant une audience (famille et amis réunis) très attentive au sort de l’accusé.

Voici quelques extraits de leurs réflexions :

Je trouve que le procès simulé m’a vraiment aidé à comprendre comment se déroule un procès, parce que nous pouvons étudier autant que nous voulons, nous ne saurons jamais comment être avocat sauf si nous essayons. – Brian Brotto ’14

J’ai été très surpris et content qu’on puisse faire le cas devant un vrai juge! Il nous a expliqué que si nous avions une objection, on doit parler au juge et non à la personne avec qui on s’oppose. – Matthew Filgiano ’14

J’ai été très nerveuse de témoigner devant les parents et tous les autres gens qui étaient au procès. C’était ma première fois devant un juge et au Palais de Justice. C’était vraiment un honneur pour moi de présenter ce dossier au chef adjoint de la Cour du Québec. Je suis tellement honorée qu’il a pris le temps pour nous aider. – Jennifer Ben-Menashe ’14

Aujourd’hui j’ai réalisé que faire une carrière dans ce domaine est une option. Malgré le fait qu’on ait perdu, ce qui est le plus utile dans mon cas, c’est la leçon que le juge nous a donnée en nous expliquant comment améliorer nos questions et nos objections. – Thomas Boucher-Charest ’14

J’ai appris plein de choses. Premièrement, c’était une expérience mémorable. C’est quelque chose que beaucoup de personnes rêvent de faire pendant leur vie, et le fait que j’ai eu la chance d’y aller aujourd’hui est absolument fantastique. Depuis les premiers pas dans l’édifice, jusqu’au départ, l’expérience était absolument inoubliable. – Luca Saputo ’14

Aujourd’hui, j’ai beaucoup appris. Le plus important, c’est qu’un procès n’est pas aussi formel que je le pensais. C’était plutôt très pratique et très raisonnable. Ce n’est pas du tout comme à la télévision. J’ai trouvé que le juge a fait un travail spectaculaire. Il nous a enseigné qu’il y a une certaine façon de poser des questions ou de s’adresser à un autre avocat. – Nicholas Dumoulin ’14

Aujourd’hui, j’ai vécu une expérience que je ne vais pas oublier. Depuis longtemps je regarde des émissions à la télévision comme «Law & «Order», mais je n’ai jamais participé à un procès. Ce n’est pas du tout comme à la télévision! J’ai appris ce qui se passe vraiment au Palais de Justice. J’ai aussi appris comment ben faire des objections, car je ne savais pas comment les faire avant. – Jeremy Wiener ’14

Le procès m’a fait découvrir le fonctionnement du système judiciaire. J’ai appris que c’était interdit pour un avocat de mettre des mots dans la bouche de son client. La bonne manière est de poser des questions pour que l’accusé puisse présenter sa propre version. Comme l’Honorable Juge Perrault a dit : « Les juges ne veulent pas entendre ce que les avocats pensent, mais ce que les accusés pensent. » – David Rosenberg ’14

J’espère que nous allons faire un autre procès simulé dans le futur, mais, la prochaine fois, je veux essayer d’être une avocate, juste pour être capable d’avoir la chance d’avoir une expérience avec cette profession. L’objectif de faire tout cela est de nous montrer la réalité du travail dans le domaine du droit. – Arielle Supino ’14

À l’entrée, j’étais un peu surpris par l’édifice. Je ne pensais pas qu’il serait si grand. J’étais très impressionné quand j’ai appris que le palais de justice du Québec est le deuxième plus grand au monde. En entrant dans la salle, j’étais un peu nerveux, mais quand le procès a commencé, j’étais correct. J’ai trouvé que Juge Perreault a fait un très bon travail en nous expliquant ce qui était acceptable ou pas avec les questions et les plaidoiries. – Nicolas Tabet ’14

Au cours de la journée, j’ai eu la chance d’être entourée de gens importants. Passer la journée au Palais de Justice m’a donné l’opportunité de réaliser combien j’apprécie le droit. La première chose que j’ai apprise, c’est l’importance de la formulation d’une question appropriée et la possibilité pour les avocats de les réfuter. – Arianna Silla ’14