Lauren Glenn and I left SFO on Tuesday evening for the first leg of our flight to New York JFK. The flight was about five and a half hours and got us into New York about 7:30 in the morning. We took the airtrain over to our terminal and got some breakfast. After waiting three hours, we boarded the plane and found great seats. We sat on the plane until we were told that there was a “slight technical problem” with the plane and we would have to get off until further notice. Shortly thereafter, I discovered that the “slight technical problem” was actually engine failure. After another four hours, we rebooked for a flight the next day and were driven to a hotel at JFK. We arrived at the airport the next morning and luckily there were no problems with the plane. We boarded, and fifteen hours and multiple movies later, we were in South Africa!!

Lauren and I met our families and went off with them. Lauren drove back to Polokwane, while I waited with Khanya for a plane back to his house. We took a small plane to Polokwane, and were met by his father at the airport. We came back to his house and after relaxing for a few hours, lack of sleep finally caught up with me and I fell asleep at 5:30. I woke up sixteen hours later and here I am.

My first week at Stanford Lake College (SLC) has been such an experience! There are so many aspects of South African life that are just subtlety different from life in America, but all put together it makes this country seem so exotic. One of the first things I learned here was that when I start talking about football, everyone around me thinks I’m talking about soccer. No one here watches American football! It’s such a foreign concept to me, but I have heard that rugby is the South African equivalent and I plan on going to a school game soon. Also, cars drive on the left side of the road, students use the British spelling of words, pick-up trucks are called buckies and a barbeque is a braai. The most unnatural thing is that in South Africa, I am the one with the accent! People seem to be fascinated by my long hair and my fast-paced Californian way of speaking.

My first day of classes went by very quickly. Each class is only forty five minute long and the students go to every class every day. In many of my classes here, we read the text book in class or do classroom exercises out of the book; a lot of the time we even do our homework in class. This was one of the oddest things for me to get used to. I am so comfortable with the Athenian way of learning where we’ll read our books at home and in class have discussions, analysis, and ask ourselves why this is relevant in the world. The only classes where we seem to do that are economics and history, and these also have teachers that remind me of the wonderful ones we have at Athenian. So for me, the classes have pretty easy and homework has been light.

I think that the best things about this school are the people who live here. Everyone has been so welcoming and I have made many friends in just a few days! My roommates, Reneilwe (my exchange partner) and Thandi are amazing girls. We love watching YouTube videos of people auditioning for South African Idol (and yes, these people are just as horrible and hilarious as the ones on American Idol)! Another one of my favorite people is a girl named Atiyah who lives in my hostel. She is so sweet to everyone and she loves to give big, strong hugs. Tonight we were laughing so hard as I was trying to teach her the electric slide! Last but not least, my new friend Aidan has been an absolute riot to hang out with. We went kayaking on the lake with Reneilwe and another friend of mine named Sarah, and we all got soaking wet having water fights and tipping our boats over! The other exchanges are all very fun. There are seven of us all together coming from India, New Zealand, Canada, Germany, and of course the incredible U.S.A!

I can’t believe only my first week is over. I can’t wait for the weeks to come!

This week all of the exchange students were invited to tea at Mr Reid’s (the headmaster) house. Mr Reid had never really met us before. We all sat in his living room and chatted about ourselves, exchange experiences, homes, and schools. Most Round Square schools, or at least the ones represented here, all have outdoor programs similar to AWE at Athenian (though AWE is by far the longest and in my opinion, the most impressive). It was interesting hearing about all of the expeditions and curriculum that the other Round Square schools do.

Mr Ince also organized a trip to Edinburgh for the exchange students. On Thursday morning we left the school at 5:45 in the morning to catch the train for the four hour ride. Once we got to the city, we walked along the high street and down to the Parliament building.  We watched a session of Parliament regarding oil drilling in the North Sea, Scottish economics, and Scottish independence. There is current debate and advocacy for Scotland’s independence from the UK. It was interesting to hear about the two political parties’ reasons why Scotland should become independent and why it should not. After watching the debate, we got to talk to one of the politicians (the representative for the Highlands of Scotland, where Gordonstoun is) and ask him questions. After Parliament, we had a quick lunch and went on a tour of the Edinburgh dungeons. We then had some free time to explore/shop/eat before the train ride home.

On Saturday we had a netball match at The Strathallan School in Perth, which is about 4 hours away. It can be really rough playing in a netball match right after a long bus ride, and unfortunately we didn’t play too well. I played Goal Shoot the whole match and Gracia played Goal Attack. The first half we did really well, scoring 8 points and only down by 5. In the second half we fell apart a bit, and ended up losing 29-10. We stopped at McDonalds on the way back, which seems to happen every time we play an away match.

Today we had inter house table tennis, and Hopeman won AGAIN. It’s been really fun playing in inter house–and it’s a bonus to win all of them.

Seamanship has been compulsory for all students at Gordonstoun since the school was founded and is one example of Kurt Hahn’s experiential education. The exchange students were all in one seamanship group.  On our first day, I admit we didn’t leave the harbor. We were broken up into two groups and talked for the majority of the afternoon about the history of seamanship, safety, our specific roles on the boat, and technical sailing terms. Most of us, including myself, had never sailed before and it was a lot to take in. My group was me, Kaleb (New Zealand), Kate (South Africa), Max (Australia), Bella (Germany), and Aidan (New Zealand). We were on Pole Star with our instructor Ed, who we quickly nicknamed Hagrid due to his hair, size and personality. One of the main goals for the first day was to master the art of tacking, which is essentially switching the side of the mast the sail is on. Pole Star is a 28 foot dip cutter sail boat with no engine and it takes about six people to sail. Our group nailed down tacking to a time of a minute-and-a-half, but learned the next day that there is more to sailing than just tacking.

Day Two was much more fun. The sailing conditions were ideal. It was a warm 8 degrees, the sun was shining, and there was a decent amount of wind. Our second day was a full day instead of a half. In the morning, after rigging up Pole Star and doing some tacking practice runs, we rowed out to sea. Once we were far enough away from the harbor and rocky shore, we set up our sail and began. The morning session was really fun because we actually got the boat sailing on our own. Ed’s goal was to give us more independence and he wanted us to rely on the members of our team instead of him. Once we got the hang of it, he started interfering less and less. After lunch we had our afternoon session. Unfortunately there was practically no wind, so we floated around until we decided that the wind wasn’t coming our way. We drifted pretty far from the harbor and had to row back.

After sailing with Ed for about half an hour on Day Three, he decided that we were ready for him to leave. I skippered once Ed left and I admit we made a bit of a fool of ourselves once our beloved instructor ditched us for the safety boat. After about 20 minutes of trying to tack, we eventually got it and started sailing at a good speed. For the rest of the morning we were sailing pretty well, but I hadn’t really appreciated the difficulty of directing a crew and the need to be a cohesive team while sailing until we were on our own. After lunch, Max had a go at being the skipper, but unfortunately we didn’t have much wind again, and it was even more difficult to get Pole Star moving.

Overall, seamanship was a challenging and fruitful experience, and I enjoyed it.

This past Saturday, the Gordonstoun netball teams hosted a tournament in the sports hall. We have 3 teams at Gordonstoun: the senior team (like Varsity at Athenian), Year 10 team (JV) which I’m on, and Year 9 team (Frosh Soph). The year 10’s did very well, and we won the entire tournament! For the first match we played a team from Inverness and won by a landslide of 51-2. I played Goal Attack and Julia (Australia) played Goal Shoot. We had a rhythm going the whole game and worked really well together. The second match, which due to our enormous lead in the first was the championship, was much closer. We ended up playing the Year 9’s, and beat them 15-7, but had to work much harder for those 15 points. I played Goal Attack the first half and Goal Shoot the second half, with the team deciding to switch it up a bit.

On Sunday we had inter house netball, and Hopeman continued to triumph and won inter house yet again! However, the matches on Sunday were much closer, plus I played against girls who I would usually play with on the Year 10 netball team. We barely beat Plewlands in the first match 8-7, which was close up until the final seconds. The next match against Windmill was also a nail biter, but we prevailed with a 13-10 score. So far, Hopeman has won the squash, volleyball, badminton, cross country, and netball inter house competitions! Inter house has been a highlight while I’ve been at Gordonstoun, plus it’s fun to help contribute to my house’s success.

International week was last week, and the intent was to celebrate the diversity and many cultures here at Gordonstoun. All of the refectory meals were from different places all over the world, including Mexican food, Italian, Chinese, Indian, and African. We also welcomed two new exchange students, Bella and Laura (both from Germany). So far at Gordonstoun, I have met people from Australia, Germany, Spain, China, Pakistan, South Africa, New Zealand, Scotland, England, Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland, Wales, Russia, Nigeria, Italy, Argentina, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, United Arab Emirates, Austria, Kazakhstan, Greece, Azerbaijan, Ukraine, France, and Switzerland. The internationalism here has really been a highlight for me, as I’ve made friends from all over the world just by traveling to one place.

The inter house cross-country race was on Tuesday, which Hopeman won! We ran the 3K cross country track. Although it was a sunny day, the track was quite muddy. We ran up to the Headmaster’s house, around the lake, up Dead Dog’s Hill, and around and down the North Lawn in front of G-house.

On Wednesday it snowed all morning, but turned into dumping rain after lessons ended. After netball and dinner, the CBs (color bearers, aka prefects) put on Olympic-type games for us to play in the light of international week, instead of our usual nighttime activities on Wednesdays. The CBs also played international films throughout the week.

Thursday was Valentine’s Day, and it is quite a holiday here at Gordonstoun. Students can purchase carnations or Barber Shop songs to send to other students or faculty. The Barber Shop is a group of Year 13 boys who go around and sing to people throughout the week–it can happen at meals, during class, or even at chapel. Though I didn’t get sung to, it’s pretty funny to watch, as the victims are made to stand on a table, chair, or pew (depending on where they are on campus) as the Barber Shop sings songs to them in front of everyone.

Friday was National Dress Day, and everyone paid a pound to the Round Square club to dress up in their own clothes (all of the money being raised went to sponsoring students at Starehe and the charity Facing the World http://facingtheworld.net/). Nearly everyone participated, and it was really cool to see everyone in what they would wear at home. I tried to wear what I would usually, and wore yoga pants, an Athenian sweatshirt, Uggs, and a Giants hat. The Hopeman girls also had face paint.  I painted  two USA’s across my cheeks, and carried my American flag with me all day to be patriotic. Students and faculty got really into it; I saw a matador’s costume from Spain, flags from all over the world painted on faces, a multitude of traditional hats, dresses, and trousers, and much more. Friday night a group called Blazin’ Fiddles put on a performance, and a few Hopeman girls and I went to watch. It was authentic Scottish music, and was fun to listen to.  After the first half, people started reeling and dancing in the pews.

Saturday we had another netball match, which we lost by 10 although we played significantly better than the match in Glasgow. I’ve picked up the game pretty well by now, and it is really fun playing a team sport while on exchange, especially because I’ve gotten to know girls who I wouldn’t have otherwise. Saturday night was the Valentine’s Ball, which took place in the sixth form center in G-house.

On Sunday the weather was a toasty 11 degrees celsius (around 50 degrees Fahrenheit). It was sunny and a bit warmer for the first time, so I celebrated by wearing shorts, flip flops, and a t-shirt down to lunch. We also had inter house badminton, and continued our domination in inter house competitions and won! It was also Hopeman’s house show that night, and the Year 10’s put on a number to contribute. The common room was jam-packed with people. Overall I’ve heard that our show was really good. (We have a lot of musically talented students in Hopeman.)

The entire school was required to take part in a singing competition on February 13 and we prepared in the weeks beforehand. All three houses had a house song that they needed to sing and personalize, along with picking a song that was to be performed. My house sang Impossible by James Arthur.  Another house sang Some Nights by FUN and the last house sang I’m a Believer by Smash Mouth and Neil Diamond. On the day of the competition the entire school gathered in the chapel, where each house performed their songs and was judged by the Headmaster and an alumna. Sadly, my house came in last place (we still don’t understand why) but we had the most spirit.

The next day was Valentine’s Day. During chapel, the prefects handed out carnations that students ordered for other students. That night was the Valentine’s Day formal for the entire 6^th form (juniors and seniors).  Everyone gets all dressed up in nice dresses and suits and goes down to the library to have drinks and take pictures before going into the dining hall for dinner. In preparation for the formal, a friend and I built an arch for the students to take pictures under. For the formal, each student had an assigned seat and each table had two members of staff. During the formal, we not only ate but we gave a toast to the school and to the Queen of England, and one student gave a speech.

The day after the formal is known as half term (a week long break).  A lot of people went back home, which left the school pretty empty. For half term, I am currently staying with my great aunt who lives right outside of London. To get here I had to take a 30-minute taxi ride then a two-hour train ride down south to London.

While in London, I have explored all of the touristy areas like Oxford Street and the London Eye. I have also been able to meet up with a few students that are staying in London.  We went to Camden Market and took the tube (similar concept to BART) all around London. Later this week, I plan on going back to Oxford Street to go shopping and buy some souvenirs! I head back to school on Sunday night, with only have a few more weeks until my return to the US.

Already, I am starting to feel the sadness that will await me when I leave at the end of March. I have made tons of new friends and many friendships that I know will stay strong even after I leave.

After taking the train back from Edinburgh on Tuesday night, I went to stay at my friend Eliza’s house for the rest of half term. After getting settled at the Forsyth’s house on Wednesday morning, Eliza and I took her dogs on a walk and then rode bikes to Hopeman, one of the nearby villages. We met up with Lizzy and got ice creams (I know, kind of crazy to eat ice cream in 0 degree weather). The Forsyths live in between Hopeman and Duffus, on a farmhouse in the country. They have 2 donkeys, 8 chickens, a rooster, 2 dogs, and 2 rabbits. Eliza also has 2 brothers, Billy (16) and George (13) who also go to Gordonstoun

On Thursday, we went skiing on Cairngorm Mountain, the same spot where I did the winter skills weekend. Skiing in Scotland is a bit different than California because it is colder and windier, with shorter and narrower runs. I was a bit rusty, but it was clear skies in the morning and pretty fun. Trees don’t really grow on the Cairngorms because of the wind and poor soil, and in the afternoon when the wind picked up, I couldn’t really tell the difference between the snow I was skiing on and the sky. It was a bit disorienting, and we finished around 3 in the afternoon.

The next day we went into Inverness and just hung out until term began again.

Laura and I got up at 6:15 on Saturday morning to take the train down to Edinburgh, where we stayed with her host family, the Kings. After Elizabeth and James (her host mom and dad) picked us up at the station, we went back to their flat for lunch. Edinburgh is broken down into the “old town,” which was built in the 1600’s, and the “new town,” which was built in the 1800’s. It reminded me very much of Mary Poppins. The sounds of bagpipes echoed through the cobble stone streets. After lunch, Laura and I went exploring and got to be tourists for a while. We stopped by Edinburgh Castle, and walked down the High Street, which is the oldest part of Edinburgh. Edinburgh is really not very big, especially compared to San Francisco or New York City. We walked around the city for the rest of the day, exploring both the old town and the new town.

I woke up at 10:30 the next morning, feeling refreshed after my first opportunity to sleep in since I’ve arrived in Scotland. Laura and I had breakfast, and once Mrs King got back from walking the dogs, I went on a run through the city and up to Arthur’s Seat, the local dormant volcano. I did get a little lost, but utilized my map well enough and found my way. I admired the amazing view from the top in Arthur’s Seat, the stone chair perched on the old volcano.

On Monday, Laura and I took a tour of Mary King’s Close, one of the underground neighborhoods that slopes from the High Street. It was not always underground, but in the early 1800’s, the close was covered and more buildings were built on top, level with the castle. It was really cool seeing how the first people to inhabit Edinburgh lived, but I’m quite fortunate that I was not one of them (though the living conditions did improve once sewage pipes were installed). Mary King’s Close is rumored to be one of the most haunted places in Scotland, which also gave the visit an edge. After the tour, Laura and I did some cashmere shopping and had lunch at The Elephant House, where J.K. Rowling wrote the first Harry Potter book. I was shocked to learn that there are two versions of the first book and movie: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, the American version, and Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, the version that British children have grown up with. The stories and movies are the same, but the name of the stone was changed, and according to http://www.pottermad.com/philosophers-stone.htm, it was renamed to due apparent inconsistencies with the American and British understanding of the word “philosopher,” which could have potentially damaged US sales.

On my last day in Edinburgh, Elizabeth, Laura, and I went to visit the Britannia, the decommissioned royal yacht. It was really neat seeing where the royal family would go to relax. The Britannia was commissioned in 1953 and sailed around the world until 1997, when the government decided it was too expensive to keep running. The Britannia was still using its original engines when it became a tourist destination.

Due to internet proxy issues, I have been unable to post for a while, and the following post is from 2 weeks ago.

The last week before half term break has been busy as ever. On Monday, we did something in English that I haven’t done in a long time in a literature or English class: read. We went to the library in the Round Square building, and Mr Richardson told us to grab our novels and read for the period. It was very refreshing to read for pleasure, and incredibly surprising that it was an activity in class, instead of students having to use their own time to read for fun.

On Tuesday I played in my first netball match ever. Our match was in Glasgow, a good 5-hour bus ride. We left at 7 in the morning and got there around noon. We had half an hour before the Year 9’s had their match, so we went to Costa’s Coffee to eat lunch and grab a hot drink. We watched the Year 9’s play—they ended up losing–and then got back on the bus to drive to the school where we, the Year 10’s, would play. Unfortunately we got the wrong address, and it ended up taking us an hour and a half to get to the correct school. After beginning the match an hour later than planned, we soon discovered that the team we were facing was very good. The Year 10’s made it to the gold league this year, and would need to win this match in order to stay in it (unfortunately we lost 36-6). However, I had fun playing both Goal Shoot and Goal Attack, and even though we lost by a lot, played well considering the circumstances.

On the drive home we stopped at McDonalds for dinner and, let me tell you, the quality is just the same as in the US. We also hit another unexpected obstacle when a tree fell in the road, causing us to have to turn around and take another route.  This added another hour and a half to our journey. We spent a total amount of 13 hours on the bus that day. Even though it was, well, long, I got to know Gracia (Spain), Flora (Scotland), Marnie (Australia), Julia (Australia), Angela, and Rhiannon quite well.

I also experienced a Scottish rainstorm. It started Wednesday afternoon and continued to rain harder as the day went on. The wind was picking up, whipping the rain in our faces as we walked to the theatre after prep. The chamber orchestra and chamber choir at Gordonstoun was invited to go on a music tour to South Africa, and they were performing at home before they left. A few Hopeman girls and I walked the kilometer from our house to the theatre in the pouring, blustery rain, and then from the theatre to dinner. We ended up looking like we just took a shower with our clothes on, but the music was totally worth it. The performance was amazing, and now I understand why Gordonstoun’s arts programs are so famous.

On Thursday Mr Ince and Miss Gibson took all of the exchanges to Loch Ness, Urquhart Castle, and Inverness, which was a very fun trip. Though I didn’t spot Nessie in the black waters of up to 700 feet deep, Urquhart was pretty cool, along with visiting the city.

Friday was the last day of term, and starting today is half term break.