This week was all off campus so made a nice change and a good way to mark my halfway week. From Monday to Friday I was on the year 7 trip to Camp Konka (although you don't actually camp you stay in dorms). This was just outside Rustenburg in South Africa and was an activities week. Sort of like PGL in the UK. We left bright and early at 6.30am with 104 children, four teachers and two TAs (Tamara and I.)
Now normally there is always one bit of drama on these trips and for this trip we had it 20minutes in at the border! Every child that needed a visa had been told in November (and then reminded every month after that) for one Chinese kid, for some reason, did not get a visa and failed to mention this to any of the teachers until we got to the South African immigration. The immigration officer, already very annoyed at having so much work to do so early on a Monday, decided to threaten the bus driver with prison because he, the officer claims, was trafficking a child into SA. Clearly ridiculous! By the way while this was going on Tamara and I were trying to get the kids through as quickly as possible and all we kept hearing was the word prison and were very confused! The immigration officer then changed the drivers punishment to 2000 rand fee. The bus driver started arguing so he then raised it to 10,000 rand! Anyway it ended up with the kid getting the fine and he got sent back so couldn't come on the trip!
So on we went through South Africa, we stopped at a mall for lunch and I tasted one of Mugg and Bean's legendary muffins. (If you are ever in South Africa you must try one!) We arrived at camp konka early afternoon. Tamara and I had our own room, it was similar to the dorms the girls were staying in (sort of 6 small buildings in a circle each with 8 beds and a bathroom in them) but sadly (hahah not so sadly for us) we had to leave our room and move to the poshest ones they have on sight, as one of the girls rooms had a cockroach in so they had to take ours! We even got a bath!!
So everyday we had breakfast at 8, then the students would have activities until lunch. After lunch they opened the tuck shop where the kids spent an obscene amount of money everyday on sweets and fizzy drinks and ice cream. On the last day there it would seem it was the end of the world with the amount they were buying! After lunch there were more activities until 5 and then supper at 6. The activities ranged from team games to zip lining, to rock climbing to paintballing. On the last afternoon they all did the obstacle course which included crawling through muddy water and jumping into a pool of muddy stagnent water which actually smelt. But they all loved it! The teachers and Tamara and I would often go and watch them do the activities, often get involved (I did zip lining) or just chill, read our books and enjoy the biscuits Mrs Kaan brought with her at 10am and 4pm aka cup of tea and biscuit time! So all in all we didn't do that much! In the evenings the students had another activity like drumming or night hike. On Wednesday eveningthey had a disco which we had to oversee, at one point we went to have a look at the dancing as they had all formed a circle around one kid that was dancing but then they turned around and started chanting teachers, teachers, teachers and so all Tamara and I could do was dance, although we escaped quickly!! Serves us for being nosy I guess!
One of the best things was the change from Maru a Pula food! We had chicken korma one night (actual chicken with no bones!!!). The teachers and TAs and our own table inside with special desserts each night, it was great! They also took us on a 4x4 drive which consisted of a hill so steep it seemed vertical! I also saw my first zebra on this drive which was fab!
On Friday we left in the morning and I waited with the cricketers at Wimpy in Zeerust for the other cricketers in the other years to leave MaP and come pick us up and go onto ISSA (International School South Africa) where they had a tournament at the weekend. Because of the delay they had at the border we were in Wimpy for four hours!! But I explained the situation to the waitress and they didn't mind luckily! When we got to ISSA the boys went for practise and I went and had a look round the school which is really pretty and has lots of greenery but I got stung by a wasp ouchy :( . There was also an athletics and swimming tournament happening so more MaP students arrived by bus later on. Athletics was that evening which gave a nice atmosphere under floodlight and then swimming was the next day. I travelled home with the athletes and swimmers Saturday afternoon and have had a nice leisurely day today! So a very busy week all in all but very very fun!
Now normally there is always one bit of drama on these trips and for this trip we had it 20minutes in at the border! Every child that needed a visa had been told in November (and then reminded every month after that) for one Chinese kid, for some reason, did not get a visa and failed to mention this to any of the teachers until we got to the South African immigration. The immigration officer, already very annoyed at having so much work to do so early on a Monday, decided to threaten the bus driver with prison because he, the officer claims, was trafficking a child into SA. Clearly ridiculous! By the way while this was going on Tamara and I were trying to get the kids through as quickly as possible and all we kept hearing was the word prison and were very confused! The immigration officer then changed the drivers punishment to 2000 rand fee. The bus driver started arguing so he then raised it to 10,000 rand! Anyway it ended up with the kid getting the fine and he got sent back so couldn't come on the trip!
So on we went through South Africa, we stopped at a mall for lunch and I tasted one of Mugg and Bean's legendary muffins. (If you are ever in South Africa you must try one!) We arrived at camp konka early afternoon. Tamara and I had our own room, it was similar to the dorms the girls were staying in (sort of 6 small buildings in a circle each with 8 beds and a bathroom in them) but sadly (hahah not so sadly for us) we had to leave our room and move to the poshest ones they have on sight, as one of the girls rooms had a cockroach in so they had to take ours! We even got a bath!!
So everyday we had breakfast at 8, then the students would have activities until lunch. After lunch they opened the tuck shop where the kids spent an obscene amount of money everyday on sweets and fizzy drinks and ice cream. On the last day there it would seem it was the end of the world with the amount they were buying! After lunch there were more activities until 5 and then supper at 6. The activities ranged from team games to zip lining, to rock climbing to paintballing. On the last afternoon they all did the obstacle course which included crawling through muddy water and jumping into a pool of muddy stagnent water which actually smelt. But they all loved it! The teachers and Tamara and I would often go and watch them do the activities, often get involved (I did zip lining) or just chill, read our books and enjoy the biscuits Mrs Kaan brought with her at 10am and 4pm aka cup of tea and biscuit time! So all in all we didn't do that much! In the evenings the students had another activity like drumming or night hike. On Wednesday eveningthey had a disco which we had to oversee, at one point we went to have a look at the dancing as they had all formed a circle around one kid that was dancing but then they turned around and started chanting teachers, teachers, teachers and so all Tamara and I could do was dance, although we escaped quickly!! Serves us for being nosy I guess!
One of the best things was the change from Maru a Pula food! We had chicken korma one night (actual chicken with no bones!!!). The teachers and TAs and our own table inside with special desserts each night, it was great! They also took us on a 4x4 drive which consisted of a hill so steep it seemed vertical! I also saw my first zebra on this drive which was fab!
On Friday we left in the morning and I waited with the cricketers at Wimpy in Zeerust for the other cricketers in the other years to leave MaP and come pick us up and go onto ISSA (International School South Africa) where they had a tournament at the weekend. Because of the delay they had at the border we were in Wimpy for four hours!! But I explained the situation to the waitress and they didn't mind luckily! When we got to ISSA the boys went for practise and I went and had a look round the school which is really pretty and has lots of greenery but I got stung by a wasp ouchy :( . There was also an athletics and swimming tournament happening so more MaP students arrived by bus later on. Athletics was that evening which gave a nice atmosphere under floodlight and then swimming was the next day. I travelled home with the athletes and swimmers Saturday afternoon and have had a nice leisurely day today! So a very busy week all in all but very very fun!
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| prefects seem to rule the school at ISSA- extreme rule! |
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| main school area with cricket field in background |
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| One courtyard of ISSA |
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