South Africa Day 1 - Off to the South!

Yesterday, almost punctually at 1 p.m., a new adventure began for 65 singers from the New Chamber Choir. The destination of our concert tour this year: South Africa! Our choir director Thomas Kammel and our manager and choir mother Sylvia Lohse are also there, of course. We are also accompanied by Daniela Burkart, who is helping Ms. Lohse with the organization, and our wonderful pianist Kyoko Kanazawa.

After a smooth bus ride, we arrived at Frankfurt Airport at around half past four, well on time. After checking in our luggage without any problems, we had a few hours to spend at the airport before our Airbus 340-300 was due to take off for Cape Town at 10:15 p.m. During this time, we ate, some worked, watched what was going on on the runway, or strolled through the huge airport. We were also able to get a taste of South Africa's animal world by observing two mice living at Gate Z 23. Boarding started at 9:30 p.m. and, with a slight delay, we took off at around 10:45 p.m. and headed south.

A good eleven hours later, after a quiet but for most of us sleepless flight, we landed in sunny Cape Town at 10:05 a.m. After a short singing performance for the great Lufthansa crew, we left the plane, got through passport control safely and successfully collected all of our luggage. At 12:10 p.m. we left the airport in a fully packed bus and headed off towards Stellenbosch. As soon as we got onto the main road, slums stretched out to the horizon on either side of the road. One corrugated iron hut followed the next, hundreds of power cables ran across the roofs of the huts, countless clotheslines stretched between the huts and piles of rubbish could be seen everywhere with goats running around. The first impression of South Africa was definitely not easy to digest!

On the way to Stellenbosch, the journey took us over an impressive mountain range with clouds hanging in it. To the right and left there was actually quite beautiful nature, with palm trees, small lakes and plantations, but between them mountains of rubbish kept piling up.

At around 1 p.m. we arrived at the "Paul Roos Gimnasium" in Stellenbosch. All of our suitcases were quickly unloaded and we were met by our host families, with whom we would spend the rest of the day. We said goodbye to each other and everyone set off on their own little adventure.

The "Paul Roos Gimnasium" was founded in 1866 and is one of the oldest schools in South Africa. The school's motto is "Pride, Respect and Gentlemanship" and plays a central role in the daily school life of the approximately 1300 boys aged 13 to 18. The school program at the "Paul Roos Gimnasium" is held in English and Afrikaans. The numerous extracurricular activities in sports and culture are guaranteed and expanded through the financial support of the parents.
My host brother told me about the new students' first week at the school, which is a kind of initiation ritual. During this week, the new students are not allowed to look the older students or teachers in the eye; their heads must always be lowered. They have to complete small tasks. They are not allowed to laugh, no matter how funny and silly the tasks are. If you are caught laughing, you have to balance a book on your head for 20 minutes as a punishment. The students then spend the night at the school on Friday night. They are woken up during the night and the headmaster ceremoniously hands the students the tie of their school uniform. Only then are the students allowed to raise their heads and are officially accepted at the "Paul Roos Gimnasium".
The rules for wearing the school uniform are very strict and are closely monitored. For example, if the top button of the jacket is not always fastened, students risk detention. Every morning, students are also checked to see if their shoes are polished. There is also a "hair policy" - hair must not fall into the eyebrows, but must be kept short.
I was very impressed by my host brother's stories. Our everyday school life in Germany is pretty much the opposite. It is incredibly exciting to learn so many new things and gain an insight into the lives of the people here!

Each and every one of us made unique memories with our host family that day. While some visited the "Cheetah Outreach" or saw penguins, others went to the beach to admire a beautiful sunset, strolled through the city, gathered first impressions on a walk through nature or spent a cozy evening at home with the host family over good food.
Tomorrow morning we will definitely all have a lot to talk about and I am already looking forward to the many conversations!