Bishop's College Exchange 2017

Charlie Ma in South Africa

On July 9, 2017, I left Nashville to start my exchange to Bishop’s College in Cape Town, South Africa. After a day of travel, I landed in Cape Town in the night and met my host brother, Will Linley. After a much needed night of sleep, we hit the ground running. The Linleys were nice enough to take me with them on vacation for the first two weeks, so I was able to travel across South Africa and see more than just Cape Town. After a two hour flight to Durban, a city on the east coast of South Africa, we drove for three hours to another South African city, Drakensberg, and spent time at Cathedral Peak, a nearby mountain range. My days at Cathedral Peak were filled with beautiful hikes and games of squash, tennis, and golf.

After five days of breathtaking views at Cathedral Peak, the Linley’s took me to Umzolozolo Game Lodge at the Nambiti Game Reserve to see the African wildlife. We would go on two game drives a day, each three hours each: one at six in the morning and one at four in the afternoon. I was able to see elephants, rhinos, lions, giraffes, ostriches, and kudu just to name a few. The highlight was seeing a lioness bringing back a dead warthog for her cubs. After three days on the game reserve, we went back to Durban to spend time with the Linley’s family. On the drive to Durban, we stopped at the Nelson Mandela Capture Site where I learned about the rich history associated with South Africa. During our days in Durban, Will and I went on a segway tour of the city, went on a tour of Victoria Street, a street filled with African markets, and spent an afternoon at uShaka Water Park. My highlight in Durban was going on the World’s tallest rope swing at 288 feet which started on top of the Moses Mabhida Soccer Stadium. After two weeks of vacation with the Linley’s, we finally went back to Cape Town to start school.

School at Bishop’s has its definite similarities and differences compared to life at MBA. To start, the uniform at Bishop’s is different than that of MBA. Boys at Bishop’s can choose between wearing a suit, clothes resembling that of a boy scout’s uniform, or their Bishop’s athletic clothing. Also,  Bishop’s is a Catholic school which means that every morning began with 45 minutes of chapel. In addition, Bishop’s uses a “house” system where each boy belongs to one of a dozen houses, much like the “cardinal” and “silver” teams MBA has on field day. The buildings themselves are motel-style where students enter each class from the outside. Like MBA, students at Bishop’s are required to play sports after school. While I was at Bishop’s, the school was in preparation for its Classical Pops, a concert that happens every three years that I was able to watch. During my time in Cape Town, not only did the Linley’s take me to see the sights, but I also went on outings with the other exchange students at Bishops. On the school outings, I went on the Hop On, Hop Off Bus where I toured the city of Cape Town and was allowed to get off whereever I wanted. I also went to Robben Island, where Nelson Mandela spent 27 years in prison.

The weekends in Cape Town were action packed as the Linleys tried to take me to as many places possible during my stay. Of course we hiked Table Mountain and Lion’s Head, but I was lucky enough to have spent a night living on top of Table Mountain. The views were absolutely unbelievable! We drove around several of the beautiful beaches in Cape Town and made our way to the Cape of Good Hope. We went to Kirstenbosch National Botanical Gardens, V & A Waterfront, went kayaking in the ocean, visit Stellenbosch, and went to the Cheetah Outreach Center. Will and I were able to go to a Cape Town rugby game, where, unfortunately, the Cape Town Stormers lost in the quarterfinals. The MBA boys at Michaelhouse were even to come to Cape Town and I spent a few days on outings with them.

All in all, my month in Cape Town was truly unforgettable. It was an eye-opening experience to meet new people and experience new cultures. Many thanks to the Linleys who hosted me during my stay. Also, I would like to thank the Warner Family, Mr. Gioia, and Mrs. Scholer for all they did to my this once in a lifetime opportunity possible.