The Mail-Journal, Volume 23, Number 52, Milford, Kosciusko County, 24 December 1986 — Page 15

Exchange student stays with Haffners

By DEB PATTERSON Staff Writer

“I knew I was going to Syracuse, but they don't have much in the Encyclopedia about Syracuse or around it,” remarked Vivienne Williams, 17, Kempton Park, South Africa. “It’s not a boring town at all.” Miss Williams is visiting in the United States through the Lions Youth Exchange and during her stay in the Syracuse area, she is the guest of Mr. and Mrs. Charles Haffner. Her arrival came after 43 hours of travel time. She left South Africa on Tuesday, Dec. 16. with a group of 12 others in the exchange program. The first stop was in Amsterdam. Holland. From there it was Kennedy Airport, New York, N.Y., Atlanta. Ga., and the final stop. Indianapolis airport. She arrived at approximately 1 a m. Thursday morning, Dec. 18. She was introduced to Mr. and Mrs. Haffner at 10:30, after several hours sleep and breakfast. i She will be in the Syracuse area until January 2, before leaving the Hoosier state and visiting with a Lions family in Hollywood. Fla. Miss Williams will leave the United States on January 20 to return to South Africa. The United States is one place. Miss Williams stated, she has always wanted to visit as she has heard about the country quite a lot through television programs and on the news. She has heard about the various exchange programs, and applied for the Lions Youth Exchange and wrote down the five areas, in order of preference, she would like to visit. Her choices were America. Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Europe. She mentioned she was interested in the Rotary Exchange program. however, that was a one-year program and she felt this would interfere with her studies. This is her first trip overseas She has been in most of South Africa on school tours. She stated she has been to Capetown and Oudtshoorn, which is where the ostrich “come from. Wants Snow During her short visit in Indiana, Miss Williams stated she

I ft ~ |K ■vj *E| k«JF</w / Xfl f Jr * : (/ I ZJIJIJ

SOUTH AFRICAN VISITOR — V ivienne Williams. 17. Kempton Park, South Africa, is currently visiting the Lakeland area through the Lions Youth Exchange. Miss Williams, who arrived in Indiana Thursday, Dec. 18, is staying at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Charles Haffner until Friday. Jan. 2. where she will spend two weeks in Florida with another Lions family. Miss Williams home is 20 minutes outside of Johannesburg, and she and her family have lived in South \frica for the past years moving there from England. Shown in the photo is Miss Williams with Haffner looking over some of the literature she brought with her on South Africa. Miss Williams has spoken to several groups about her country and to students in Ron Corson’s economics class at Wawasee High School. < Photo by Deb Patterson) | DUST A SON DECORATORS ♦ t PAINTING INSURED ♦ X INTERIOR • EXTERIOR CDCC CQTIMATCC X RESIDENTIAL - COMMERCIAL Hitt Cd I IMA ICO ♦ ♦ 457-2313 Quality Workmanship Syracuse X »r <■ Sincere good wdshes for a joyous Noel to o our good friends and customers. May the ' best of this Holiday Season be yours. Bob Troutman ) JJirßUlick ? Eleanor Moore . Business • Personal J 103 Pickwick Place Syracuse .J j, 457-471 ° wl <1 4, w*J ■'Ai f a

is hoping it will snow for Christmas: She remarked it has only snowed one time in South Africa, in 1981. Miss Williams, an only child, will be away from her parents this Christmas, yet she does not mind not being able to spend the holiday’s with her parents. She commented in South Africa they believe Santa carries keys to everyone’s home since there are no chimneys. Unlike the United States, where artificial and real Christmas trees are used. South Africans use "plastic " Christmas trees as their evergreen trees are small and not very sturdy. She also commented there are very few wreaths found. Schools Different Miss Williams has found a difference between her country and that of Syracuse. Wood homes was one of the differences she mentioned and elaborated by stating the majority of the homes in South Africa are brick with the wood homes normally found in the game reserves. Makes of vehicles, schools, television and weather are other areas of differences French and German-made vehicles are common in South Africa with not many four-wheel drive vehicles or tractor-trailers. She remarked there are some tankers which travel into Zimbabwe and Mozambique, however, there are no stops when traveling into these areas and there are two to four persons traveling in the trucks to handle theyooking while driving. There are differences in the schools. Miss Williams, who has attended a Catholic "convent" for girls since 1984. stated schools are operated the same way but there are stricter rules, different curriculum and grade levels. At the Catholic school. Miss Williams attends.. there is no boarding, pupils wear uniforms, are prohibited to wear make-up. jewelry, fingernail polish, and may be expelled or "kicked out" of school for their hair style including having their hair colored. Yet she did state girls who have their ears pierced may wear small earrings and if their ears are double pierced may only wear one pair of earrings. Outside of school time the girls are

I (W * ■ /

allowed to do as they please, she stated. Sporting events have some difference, as there is rugby for the boys, field hockey for the girls and netball (similar to basketball). There is also volleyball, which she stated a club has started up in her school. Other sports include cricket, tennis and swimming. Students start school at the age of six by attending grade one and advancing to grade two. Once grade two is completed, the students don’t go into grade three, but “Standard One” up through Standard Five, which is equivalent to seventh grade. The, South African high school is Stan- • dards Six, Seven, Eight, Nine and Matric (10th grade and short for matriculation). There are written exams all the time, at the end of each semester, according to Miss Williams, who added when you’ve reached Matric or 10th grade, the exam is over what has been learned since starting school in grade one. Throughout the 12 years of school, students must take compulsory language which is English and African. Depending upon if you attend a public school or Catholic school, students are taught Zulu and Northern Sotho languages, along with the black language. Once at the high school level, students may choose between French or Zulu as a study language. High school courses are that of compulsory language, math, science, geography, history, speech and drama, home economics, and a foreign language. The school year begins in January, not in September as it does here. She stated there is one American school for those Americans living in South Africa who cannot adjust to the different curriculum in the area she lives. The schools are three stories with the first two floors housing the classrooms and the third floor the library. The majority of the schools are situated in the shady areas and near some of the large trees found in that country. Often windows and doors are left open during school as there are few with air conditioning. State Owned The television is operated by the state and only on at set times during the week. Miss Williams stated “Breakfast TV" is on from 6-8 a m. and then again at 3:15 p.m. until the programs end. Television One handles programs where on Monday. Wednesday and Friday, programs are in English until 8 p.m. and then African until programming is finished. On Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, the language of the programs is reversed. Television channels two and three are "black stations” with broadcasting and in “black” language. Channel four has English movies on after 9 p.m. Miss Williams stated there are programs on television teaching how to speak Zulu and Northern Sotho. Also, there are such sporting events as the Indianapolis 500. basketball, football and tennis games shown periodically on the South African television stations. For popular movies to reach South Africa from America, it takes six months, and one month for popular songs. Different Seasons Summer in the United States is June. July and August. Not so in South Africa, the same with spring. fall and winter. It very seldom reaches the temperature Greetings or ths Season’ 3 We wish all our friends the merriest and the most prosperous Christmas ever! We are proud to have you as our patrons. Miller Heating Air Conditioning A Rofrtgofatton Wawasee Village 457-5341 Syracuse

nJ — ■ w** ■

SOUTH .AFRICAN SCHOOL — This photo shows the Catholic “convent” in which Vivienne Williams attends near her home in Kempton Park, South Africa. The school, which is three stories, no longer boards students. Miss Williams stated pupils must wear uniforms, are not allowed to wear jewelry or fingernail polish, have their hair styled a certain way or are not allowed to wear make up. She commented she attended a public school until 1984. Her father had done some work for the principal of the public school and did not like him. and stated he was not sending his daughter to a school where he did not like the principal. The closest other school to their home was the “convent” or Catholic Girls School.

of 100 degrees in Indiana, but it does in Miss Williams’ country. The weather patterns are very funny, according to Miss Williams, who stated their seasons depends on the weather conditions. Winter is from the end of June until August. Spring is September and October with summer being November through April, followed by fail from April to June. Temperatures, which are measured in Celsius rather than Fahrenheit, range from 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) in the summer time to -10 degrees Celsius (14 degrees Fahrenheit). Owns Stores The Williams family has lived in South Africa for 12’a years.

e L > I> Warmest thoughts and best V,’ wishes for o wonderful holiday and a very Happy — New Y ear 1 ® * R. 3 Syracuse 457-4601 >

“Hello” to our many friends and neighbors who have done much to make the ' past year a f ' memorable one I W . for us. we Ur - Z g I thank you mos * hear ***y i Maple Leaf Farms, Inc. Serenade Foods, Inc. Milford

moving there from England. Her parents both own hardware stores, one 10 minutes away from their home and the other in Brentwood Park, just out of Bnoni. She commented her family lives on a highway and it is 20 minutes away from the center of Johannesburg. She added the streets of Johannesburg are narrower than Indianapolis for a city w ith over a million people. During her stay in Indiana, the Haffners will take her to see Mammoth Cave, several Wawasee Warrior basketball games, and to Tennessee and Atlanta. Ga. When she arrived in Indianapolis, the Haffners took their guest to see the Hoosier Dome and Union Station. Miss Williams has been asked

to give several speeches to local clubs during her visit and spent her first full day in the area speaking to the students in Ron Corson’s economics class at Wawasee High School. Canadian lumber The Reagan Administration moved to impose a 15 percent penalty duty on Canadian softwood lumber imports to offset what it claimed were illegal subsidies by Canadian provincial * J* X AMerry Christmas Best wishes to all the friends who have patronized us. main channel MARINA Nell & Gory Webb

Wed., December 24,1886 — THE MAIL-JOURNAL

Lots of laughter, Lots of cheer! That’s our wish for Christmas and the new year! LEVERNIER’S BODYSHOP Corner Emeline & James Sts. 658-9587 Milford Copyright ‘ 1986 by Hook Drugs. Inc Bring Your Holiday Film to Hook’s for Developing and Printing Developing and J | Printing of Color | _ Print Film d -Disc 126 ’2O and | "Disc Deal- FRtF replacement disc with sbol-Our 35mm process gives you Spectra Colo' x 6 glossy prints no added cost Coupon must accompany order I Coupon cannot be used m fP—*Al . conjunction with other otters. Ay ~~W> I Limit 1. thru 12/29/86 'SSB' j [ Slide or Movie A I Processing >___| I 24 o-36 exposure slides. Wnjp I I Super Bor Bmm movies I Coupon must accompany ■ order. Coupon cannot be ■ used in conjunction with other | Limit 1. thru 12/29/86. I | — J FREE replacement disc with each disc processed •••••• deal Receive a coupon for a FREE clear plastic album page with each set of prints We use state of the art equipment and Upflßjfti only Kodak products to assure you the finest quality possible. SYRACUSE 457-4000 R R 1, Box 1-C, Pickwick Rd. Mon. Sot 8:30 A.M.-9 30 P.M. Sun. 9 A.M. 7 P.M. NORTH WEBSTER 834-4772 SR 13 South Mon. Thru Sot. 8:30 A.M.-9:30 P.M. Sun. 9 A.M.-7 P.M.

3