LCC students have travelled to South Africa to attend the International Round Square Conference. Before activities get underway, the group has taken the time to learn a little about the country. Here are some reflections:

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September 23, 2012

Today we woke up after a few hours of sleep plagued by raging thunder showers, ready to face the chilly 5:00 am air. After a hearty breakfast, we headed to the Ann van Dyke Cheetah Breeding Centre, where we witnessed cheetah’s run at 75 km/hour speeds. This was followed by petting a live cheetah, which, thankfully, we all survived!

The rest of the morning was spent touring the breeding centre; we saw various animals including ostriches, wild dogs, vultures and feisty honey badgers. We even had a grass spitting competition, in which Mrs. Shadley participated by spitting the masticated grass as far as she could…

Upon our return to the expansive game reserve we enjoyed a picnic lunch. After lunch, the group packed into two safari trucks and drove into the gated “predator” section of the park. There were wild dogs, lions and cheetahs roaming the untamed grasses and relaxing in the sun. Our jaws dropped in awe while watching several lions feast on an animal carcass.

As the sun started to set into the scenic African landscape, we gathered for a drumming session. Most of us felt unsure about our drumming talent, but the instructor kindly taught us some really cool beats. Once everyone caught on we played games and even sang and danced!

For our final activity of the evening we were split into groups of five to cook “Potjekii”, a special South African stew. After the meal was prepared, we got together for dinner before heading back to our tents for the night. So far, we’ve been having an amazing time and we can’t wait for the days ahead! — Sarah Salzman ’13