Round Square: A Global Experience

Posted on October 11, 2012 by admin

September 29

Tonight we visited the Blue Moon cafe. Sitting on a hill facing the stage, we ate, chatted with some of our new friends, and heard from local artists. The musicians, many of them alumni or even students of our host school, played a mix of their own music (in a South African style) and songs we knew and could sing along to. We also had the experience of looking up at the South African night sky, free of light pollution. This enabled us to see all of the stars in their full glory – there are, after all, different constellations in the Southern Hemisphere.

So far, I believe I can speak for all of us when I say we are having a blast. We’ve all made friends from the four corners of the globe, listened to speakers on a range of topics on the theme of coexistence, and participated in a range of adventure and service-based activities. Personally, my baraza group (a sort of discussion group) includes two Canadians, a Bermudian, three South Africans, a Brit and two Indians. Our speakers have included an Emmy-winning documentary filmmaker, a motivational speaker and the first African to climb the Seven Summits (he has also made an unassisted trek to the South Pole). We also had an “adventure day,” where we participated in our chosen adventures and made even more new friends, since we weren’t in our barazas or our school groups.

We have had amazing sessions with the Jump! Foundation, a group which encourages participation in leadership. In one activity, our right hand became our “heart,” and our left, our “sword.” The objective of the game was simply to survive. By the second round, we learned to band together in groups of 2-4, and the third round featured people in groups of 30. We eventually learned to follow the objective to the word : there really isn’t a need to kill each other at all to “win” at the game.

We’ve had an amazing time, and Tuesday will definitely be a sad day, as it is the last time we will see many of these people. — Andrew Hamilton ’13

Round Square: Gripping Adventure

Posted on September 27, 2012 by admin

September 25, 2012

Today we had another very early 5 am wake up call, however, the scenery awaiting us was very different. We woke up underneath the bright African stars and witnessed the beautiful sunrise. That night we had all decided to sleep outside, and although it was a little chilly it was all worth it. After eating a packed breakfast in the bus, we headed to the Magoebaskloof Adventure Camp for a day packed with excitement.

We began our day with a canopy tour over the beautiful mountain waterfalls. This consisted of 11 zip lines reaching a maximum height of 50 meters above the ground. I was going to have to face one of my greatest fears to be able to finish the tour. The tour started off with two practice zip lines, only about six meters high to give the zip liner a little confidence but then the third one comes with a shock. The zip line goes from six meters high to about 30 meters! Let’s just say it didn’t take very long for the little tears to roll down my face! After realizing I could get through that zip line I started to calm down and actually enjoy the ride. In the end I was very happy I decided to do the canopy tour and I was very amazed by the beautiful views you could actually see when looking down from 50 meters above!

The second activity was another great experience. We were about to take on a two-hour tubing ride down the river. Being Canadian, I figured when the South Africans said “the water is quite cold,” it wasn’t actually going to be very cold. There was no way it could compare to spring swimming in Lac Brome. My body was shocked when it felt the 12-degree water! Paddling hard was the only way to stay warm. This turned out to be actually very amusing since it didn’t only involve floating in a tube down the river, but actually jumping off cliffs and sliding down rapids. It was a long but very exciting day, and it ended with a nice warm dinner awaiting us at the Mashutti lodge.

So far we have had a wonderful trip and cannot wait for the days ahead! — Melanie Allan ’13

Round Square: Children Welcome LCC Students With Open Arms

Posted on September 27, 2012 by admin

: It didn’t really matter what we did with the kids, all they really wanted was love. Many of these children were orphans or neglected by their parents. It was incredible to see how much they appreciated just a little one on one time with us. We will always remember the children we met and the day spent at the school.

: This is one of the girls from the day care centre. As one of the youngest children there, she hadn’t seen people like us before and was frightened by our new white faces at first. However, as the day went on, she warmed up to us and we learned how much she actually craved attention.

: It was amazing to see how so little could go such a long way with these kids. We were given only two boxes filled with a couple of toys but this was enough to entertain them for an entire day. No matter where we are in the world, face paint seems to be a big attraction to the children. Whether it be the LCC BBQ or the daycare centre in Africa, it brings us closer to children.

: The Marie Daycare Centre has a very limited budget, however they make due with what they have. Their roof was originally a patchwork of materials donated or found. Here is Zach, he was lending a hand to Jack with installing a new stable roof.

: On September 24 the Marie Daycare Centre welcomed us with open arms. As we pulled into their driveway, the kids were waiting for us with eager smiles and waving hands. Our responsibilities for the day were to help clean up the center as well as entertain and care for the underprivileged children.

Round Square: Thrilling Experiences in South Africa

Posted on September 25, 2012 by admin

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

Round Square: Eye Opening South Africa

Posted on September 25, 2012 by admin

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September 22, 2012

The first thing that is noticeable are the fences. They literally surround everything. Although oddly enough, the only place that wasn’t fenced in was the Porsche dealership! Crime is a huge issue here, and the reason why we won’t be going into the city.

South Africa may be on the rise with a growing middle class, but severe poverty, unlike anything we see in Montreal, is still running rampant. There’s the rush hour traffic of workers commuting to Jo’burg, passing right by little shantytown-like huts with broken tin roofs and no doors.

After about an hour’s drive out of Jo’burg, we arrive in The Cradle of Humankind, a UNESCO world heritage site and the home of one of the most important archeological dig sites on the planet.

We also visited a non-operative gold mine. As the owner was explaining a few things, we saw monkeys climbing in the trees around us. Needless to say we couldn’t focus much after that. The cave was pretty cool, we saw a few bats and, fortunately, no spitting cobras.

We then toured the museum, which houses several important Hominid fossils. The artist’s reconstructions of the fossils caught all our attention. Despite minor physical differences, they all looked undoubtedly…human.

After lunch, we headed out to the reserve where we were staying, observing rhinos, ostriches, antelope and wildebeest on the way. After a traditional “braii” (BBQ) and a lesson on the local astronomy, we headed off to bed. An early 5:00 am start tomorrow! — Zachary Dionisopoulos ’13