Miles Curry, Michaelhouse, South Africa

Thrilled and ready to see the world, Ferriss Bailey and I were headed to the southern tip of Africa, South Africa. After flying to Atlanta, we boarded onto the South African Airways plane around 2 o’clock. After the 16 hours of reading, sleeping, and watching movies, we arrived in Johannesburg (or Joburg as the locals call it). Lizzy Vambe, the mother of Shingi Vambe, a Michaelhouse student who will be on exchange at MBA later this fall, was holding a sign that read MBA and showed us the way back. We rode the new Joburg train system that was built to accommodate the influx of soccer fans during the World Cup. When we hopped off the train, Mrs. Vambe drove to the Vambe family’s home that night. However, when we were getting into the car, I made the mistake of walking to the front right side of the car and opened the door only to find the steering wheel and driver’s seat. The drive was particularly fun not because Mrs. Vambe was driving a BMW but rather because the steering wheel was on the right side and she was driving in the left lane.

When we arrived at the Vambe’s stunning house, we were greeted by Shingi and his two younger sisters, who were all very fun and kind. The next day, they took us to the Lion Park where we saw Zebras, Impalas, Leopards, Giraffes, and of course the almighty lion. We also had to opportunity to feed the Giraffes and pet the lion cubs.

The next day the Vambes took us to the only place in the world where two Nobel Peace Prize winners, Desmond Tutu and Nelson Mandela, were born on the same street - South Western Townships, better known as Soweto. Soweto is an urban area of Joburg that borders the city’s southern mining belt. However, certain areas in Soweto suffer severe destitution; those areas are known as squatter camps. Fortunately, one of the locals named Mo gave us a tour of one of the squatter camps named Kliptown. At the start of the tour, Mo told us that by the end, we would be grateful for our personal living conditions. He was right. The houses were shacks; each water tap was shared by forty different families; and living quarters was tight. But, improvements are clearly being made. For example, at the end of the tour, Mo showed us Kliptown Youth Program, a phenomenal program that provides education and upbringing for young children in Soweto. The students develop computer skills and are provided tutoring, food, and simply a place to be. While squatter camps such as Kliptown are underdeveloped and considered third world, they are still rich in joy. A joy independent of  outside conditions, independent of whether they have or don’t have Ipads, golf clubs, and a large house. Soweto is saturated with incredible people with the same joy and strength as Nelson Mandela.

After staying with the Vambe family, we then went southeast to a city called Durban, where the Prinsloo family picked us up. After a short drive from the airport, we drove into Zimbali Estate, which was absolutely immaculate. The houses of Zimbali each had a view of the ocean and resort style architecture. There were multiple pools, a world class golf course, luxury hotels, and a private beach. In fact while the South African president, Jacob Zuma, was in Durban, he stayed in the house neighboring the Prinsloo’s house. So, I think it is safe to say that both Ferriss and I enjoyed our temporary resort lifestyle.

After having a relaxed first day when we swam, played golf, and watched movies, the Prinsloos, Ferriss, and I drove north to Hluhluwe, where we went hunting. Hluhluwe is actually a Michaelhouse student’s pineapple farm that produces twenty percent of the world’s pineapples. Both Ferriss and I shot guinea fowl and buck later at night.

After a fun hunting day, the Prinsloos took us to Umfolozi, the second oldest game reserve in the world. We saw two monstrous elephants, a giraffe, zebra, impala, wildebeests, wild hogs, a rhino, and more. While we were unable to spot the sneaky lions and leopards, it was truly an incredible experience to see the beautiful South African terrain and wildlife.

Our stay with the Prinsloos then came to an end, leaving Michaelhouse as our final destination. Michaelhouse is a very traditional, all-boys boarding school from grades 8-12. Michaelhouse students and teacher actually call grades “blocks”, and instead of using numbers they use letters. So they will tell you that Michaelhouse goes from E Block to A Block. The school is located in Kwazulu- Natal, which is simply a place with hilly lands and sparse population. But, that rural setting made for fresh air and wonderful views in the mornings and afternoons.

Michaelhouse has 8 different houses in which the students dorm: Baines, East, Farfield, Founders, Mackenzie, Pascoe, Tatham, and West. Each house has members from all the blocks, and there are about seventy students in each house. While I stayed in Mackenzie (which is clearly the best house) and Ferriss stayed in Founders, we had the opportunity to tour each house. We found that they all have their own unique feel.

Ferriss and I dormed with C Blockers; however, we took B Block classes. It didn’t take long for Ferriss and I realize that Michaelhouse is a very traditional place. The dress code requires the students to wear dress pants and black dress shoes. A specific blue Michaelhouse shirt and either a blue, gray, or white sweater (they call them jerseys). And on formal events they have to wear a coat and tie, which they call “number ones”. There are roll calls in the mornings and weekends, prefects, and restrictions on which grass certain students can walk on.

Nonetheless, both Ferriss and I found Michaelhouse students and teachers to be incredible people. We played soccer, golf, basketball, cycled, random social games, and simply chatted during breaks. We both have built a lot of friendships. I guess when you eat breakfast, lunch, dinner, and essentially live with a good group of guys, you build strong relationships despite the amount of given time.

While we were at Michaelhouse, Ferriss and I were able to go to a few places. We went to Ushaka, which is a water park in Durban. While we were there, not only did we ride water rides but we also toured an aquarium. Finally, the day before we left a mathematics teacher, Mr. Stevens, drove us into Drakensberg, scenic and utterly beautiful. After walking a trail just over a mile, we saw ancient cave sketches named Bushman Cave Drawings. We then drove back to Michaelhouse and stared out to the sunset, for we had just finished our last full day in the magnificent country of South Africa.

I want to give a special thanks to MBA and Mr. Beth and Dudley Warner for creating the Warner Exchange Program. It was truly a life-changing trip that I will never forget.