Kang Huh, Michaelhouse College, 2014

My exchange with Michaelhouse was one filled with excitement from the very beginning.

Getting off the plane at Johannesburg, Akeim and I were quickly separated by the throngs of passengers looking for their bags. By some dumb luck, both Akeim and I were scammed of $20 by "porters" who, claiming that their services were complimentary, led us to our check-in kiosks (to be fair, we were a bit lost).

Feeling conned, Akeim and I reconvened at the terminal and boarded our flight to Durban, where we met our first host brother, Matt Kiln. The Kilns lived in a neighborhood called Garlington in Hilton, a township close to Pietermaritzburg. After watching the Argentinians lose to Germany in the World Cup Final, Akeim and I tucked into bed for another wild day in South Africa.

The next day, we awoke to this:

South Africa takes backyards to a whole new level

Garlington was beautiful. With the sun shining over me, I could almost hear Mufasa saying to me, "Everything the light touches is our kingdom." Marveling at the sheer expanse of the Kiln's backyard, Akeim and I ran about for a bit and played some amateur rugby with Matt. Then, breakfast called, and Matt's mother, Sally Kiln, served us a breakfast of eggs, bacon, and toast. Having been on a plane for more than half of the day, Akeim and I welcomed the food as if we were welcoming a long-lost friend.

After breakfast, The Kilns took us to the Mandela Capture Site, where Nelson Mandela was captured by the Afrikaaners and placed in prison. The museum itself was very simple, but the sculpture out front was a spectacle to behold. From the side, it looked like a bunch of jagged metal rods, but from the front, it was Nelson Mandela's face.

The next day, the Kilns took me (Akeim was all tuckered out) to Karkloof Mountain for a canopy tour, which is essentially an extended high ropes course. We zip-lined for about 30 minutes, which may have been one of the most terrifying 30 minutes of my life. The zip-line course was especially high because we were going along the side of a mountain, so the ground was nowhere in sight. Nevertheless, I made it back down safely, which was certainly relieving.

(L-R): Matt, James (Matt's brother), and me

The next day was definitely one of the highlights of the trip. Early in the morning, Akeim, Matt and I met with our other host brother, Fergus Hathorn. Together, we drove to Imfolozi/Hluhluwe Game Reserves, which is a national park in South Africa. Here, we went on a Safari with Fergus' family, which was full of tea, rusks, and braais.

When going on safari, visitors always try to see the "Big 5," or the 5 deadliest animals to hunt: White Rhino, Lion, Leopard, Buffalo, and Elephants. Of the 2 game drives we went on, Akeim and I saw all but the Leopard.

Guided by the Hathorns and their friends the Kings, we saw myriad animals, or what I called "Live Action Lion King." Imfolozi showed me just how beautiful nature could be...

They look cute, but they're dangerous.

Truly a rare sight: a whole herd of elephants

In the wilds of Africa...

After spending 3 days at Imfolozi, the Hathorns returned us to the Kilns at Durban. After hearing about a big rugby match, Matt took us to see the Commonwealth Games. In this match, the KwaZulu-Natal Sharks faced the Dunedin Highlanders from New Zealand. Before we entered the stadium, we ran into Curtis Turner, who was also on exchange, and Zander Prinsloo, who came to MBA last year. We reminisced for a bit and proceeded to watch the Sharks show the Highlanders what South Africa was made of.

After a week of incredible activities, Akeim and I finally enrolled at Michaelhouse for their Michaelmas term and lived in Mackenzie Hall, where we met 2012 exchange student, Gianluca Truda (who was our housemaster). Here, we were "B-Blockers," or 11th year students. As such, we received special treatment from the younger students, who were obligated to greet us, grant us right of way on the walkways, and open doors for us. Seniority was big at Michaelhouse, and the coveted "B-Block Scarf" let younger students know who really ruled the school.

The coveted B-Block scarf

Mackenzie House

At Michaelhouse, I enrolled in English, Math(s), Afrikaans, Music, Economics, and Geography. The school ran on a block schedule, only having a few periods per day. The day was followed by a few hours of athletics. Akeim played rugby, and I tried out squash, which was basically racquetball. After athletics was prep, a period for students to do their homework. During this time, Akeim and I would usually visit our friends in other dorms, such as Shingi Vambe, who came on exchange to MBA last year, and the boys in Farfield House, where our host brothers lived (shout-outs to Craig, Ben, Liam, Grant, and Nic).

The return of the king: Shingi himself 

(L-R): Fergus, Gerry, Liam, me, Matt

Robert is always happy to see me

From the get-go, Akeim and I were thrust into activities. In our first week, we played a concert at a local restaurant in Pietermaritzburg with some of the Michaelhouse choir boys. These guys would become some of our closest friends here, simply because we saw them so much (shout-outs to Van-Wyk, Bruere, Kurt, Luke, Jono, Dillan, James, and Gerry).

Midway through our second week, the school took Akeim and me to another game reserve, Nambiti Game Reserves. We were joined by the other exchange students from Scotch College in Melbourne and Christ's College in New Zealand (shout-outs to Liam, Jack, James, and Nic). We spent 3 days of pampered life here and saw 4 of the Big 5, and even the elusive brown hyena.

We're nature explorers. 

A buffalo 

A black rhino appears! Finally!

The final week at Michaelhouse was a sad one for Akeim and me, as we knew our time with the Michaelhouse "oaks" was slowly ending. We used this time to get to know the Mackenzie boys better (shout-outs to Wesley, Ben, Jordan, Dan, Luke, Robert, and Reece). After an emotional last day at Michaelhouse, Akeim and I departed from Pietermaritzburg on a Sunday, bringing an end to a great experience.

I'd like to thank the Warner family immensely for sponsoring this program, as it has truly broadened by worldview. I have never once been to the African continent, let alone South Africa, and I cannot think of any better way to have had a first taste than this one. I'd also like to thank Mr. Gioia and the school for making this program available to me. The MBA exchange is a once-in-a-lifetime experience that I am glad I did not pass up.

To future Michaelhouse exchange students- here are some words you should know before going:
- Mint (adj.)- awesome

- Bru (n., pron. "brew")- "bro"

- Kack (n.)- An E-blocker who has to serve an A-block prefect

- Fresh (adj.)- visually appealing, attractive

- Snack (n.)- object of one's affection

- Snack (v.)- to pursue aforementioned snack

- Howzit- What's up?

- Goie more- Good morning (Afrikaans)

- Sawubona- Good morning (Zulu)