Round Square Pre-Tour and Conference 2022

A party of 16 student delegates from Girls’ and Boys’ College landed in Munich, Germany on the morning of Sunday 11 September eager to begin their European pre-tour. After visiting the world famous Hofbrauhaus for a hearty supper, everyone turned in, exhausted from the journey and eagerly anticipating our first day at Gut Warnberg School. Our activities included a fascinating city tour of Munich, a thought-provoking excursion to Dachau, and walks around the Olympic Park and BMW Museum, but before we knew it, it was time to bid farewell to our wonderful host families and to head to our next host school: Landheim Ammersee.

The next stage of our tour began with coffee and cake followed by rather drizzly rafting races on the lake, but we were cheered by the sight of a double rainbow. Stamina was needed for all the walking over the next few days: we hiked along the Garmisch-Partenkirchen Gorge through winding grottos, past impressive waterfalls; ate a picnic lunch at the foot of Germany’s tallest mountain – Zeukspritzer – and clambered up the windy path to Castle Neuschwanstein of Disney fame.

Our time in Bavaria was soon over and we had to catch several trains to reach Paris, lugging hefty bags up and down station steps, jostling crowds of intent commuters. It was not an uneventful journey, but those stories are best left for another day, so we will move on to our thankful arrival at Maison Lafitte and Ermitage School. Unfortunately, our travelling woes continued the next day, but it did not deter our students from embracing all the delights that Paris had to offer: Versailles, Monmatre, Sacré Coeur, the Champs Élysées, Arc du Triumph, a tour of the Louvre and of course, a trip up the Eiffel Tower. The history and grandeur of the sights was breathtaking.

On the morning of Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral, we left Paris at 8am. It took a full 10 hours to reach our conference destination: Oxford University. The opening ceremony, cultural evening, keynote speakers, barazas, Ceilidh and connects were all amazing, but the best thing was the excitement and interaction between all the delegates: 1500 in total from countries all across the globe.

The second installment of the conference took place at Latymer Upper School in London. For our service morning we cleared overgrown bramble and scrub to create sustainable grasslands, and our adventure day consisted of a riverboat trip along the Thames from Westminster to Greenwich, as well as an exploration of some of London’s landmarks. On our final evening, we had a gala dinner and much fun was had by all.

Our pre-tour and conference were a whirlwind two weeks. We crammed in so much that it felt like a lot longer! Here are some of the special memories that the delegates reflected on:

“I’m used to a busy house,” chirped Josephine, our first ‘host mom’ in Germany. “I have five children. You four will be like my children.”

It was our second day in Munich, and four of us friends were picked up from the train station by our host family and taken to the place we would call home for the next couple of days. We were all were nervous but excited as we had no clue what to expect, but Josephine was the most warm, welcoming and adventurous ‘host mom’ with whom we could have hoped to be placed. Emma, Becks, Jozi and I really got to experience authentic Bavarian home-life.

The first thing we did when we arrived at our new home was lug our bags up steep flights of stairs to the second and third floors where we were sleeping. I was on the second floor so, thank goodness, I didn’t have a monumental number of stairs to climb with my 23kg suitcase. As soon as we dumped our bags, we got straight to work in the garden. No resting or sitting down for us! We headed out into the huge forest-like garden looking for apple trees. Armed with a pool net and a broom handle, we knocked the tree branches, catching the apples in nets and tote bags, filling up the wicker baskets with the fallen fruit. Next, we went to the front of the garden to pick the most delicious purple plums I’ve ever seen in my life. We caught a few of them in pool nets but the majority were collected when I was given an umbrella and told to stand under the tree. Josephine then shook the tree making it rain juicy plums. It was amazing!

After collecting the fresh homegrown fruit, we were shown how best to peel and cut them while gathered around the kitchen table, exchanging stories about our lives in Germany and South Africa. The fruit was then combined with a sweet batter and the outcome was that we made the most delicious plum and apple cake for dessert for later that night, along with some of the best memories and connections that I will hold close to my heart forever. My first taste of Germany truly was an incredible and unforgettable experience!

– Isabella Strydom, Grade 11

Walking into a place of death and suffering, my skin immediately filled with goose bumps: Dachau Concentration Camp. Never in my 16 years of living has a piece of history ever felt so horrifyingly real. Learning about World War 2 and Nazi Germany at school, I thought I was well-prepared for what I was about to see and hear in this Death Camp, but nothing can prepare you for the feeling of standing on the same ground where thousands of bodies were once pilled. So many different emotions overwhelmed me: guilt, anger, sadness, horror.

I kept asking myself the same questions, “How does one person have the power to decide who lives and who dies?” “How can people be so cruel?” “How could this be allowed to happen?” The thing that made this experience so real for me was the distinct smell that lingered at the crematorium 77 years on. It made the camp feel like it was still remembering those deaths, still hauntingly alive. The four hours we spent at Dachau opened my eyes to the full horror of one of the darkest times in world history and to man’s inhumanity to man.

Gemma Donnelly, Grade 10

Gabriel woke up before us and rode down to the bakery to buy warm croissants and pain au chocolat. Our host-mom said we needed to have a “proper” French start to the day. That day we were supposed to go to Versailles, but instead of us taking an hour to get to the Palace, we encountered blocked escalators, cancelled trains and closed lines, only arriving three hours later. Like true South Africans, we made a plan and, although we’d missed our tour, we were able to enjoy the stunning landscaped gardens. Our host family phoned us to make sure we were okay, and we told them the whole story while munching baguettes on the Palace steps. Chantel said to us, “Don’t worry my girls, we’ll make up for it and have a crêpe party tonight”.

I decided to let Maxime and Gabriel make their crêpes first: I needed to make sure that I knew what I was doing before I tried out the professional crêpe machine. It was one of those big flat circle gridles like the ones you see in crêperies all over Paris. I held a ladle full of traditional buckwheat batter in my left hand and the swirly stick in my right. Gabriel and Maxime showed me how fast I needed to swirl the batter to make a perfect crispy circle that wasn’t too thick or too thin. Carefully, I poured the batter onto the hot plate and made one quick twirl with the swirly-whirly. That night, we ate homemade pancakes at our crêpe party while listening to Elton John and Billie Joel. There was laughter and celebration and singing until we’d eaten one too many Nutella crêpes. It’s incredible that delicious food and good music can bring people together no matter which language you speak.

Jozi Nupen, Grade 11

The best moments on any trip are always the unplanned, spontaneous ones and this was no exception. We were out and about on the streets of Paris when I decided to take a quick, unplanned detour and rushed into a flower shop on the Champs-Élysées, threw €10 onto the counter, grabbed a sunny bunch of flowers, and run back out of the shop to keep up with the rest of my group as we rushed to the Eiffel Tower. The flowers themselves were rather insignificant and didn’t last very long, but the memory of joyfully walking around Paris with my bouquet in my hands will stay with me forever. Other such detours and spontaneous decisions were made during the trip, like our unscheduled excursion to Buckingham Palace, window-shopping at Harrods and being allowed to skip evening activities at school to go out for a meal in a traditional English setting with Mrs Hanly and Dr James. All of these will remain as some my best memories of the whole tour.

Becks Bennett, Grade 11

It was a historic day to arrive in England: Monday September 19, the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II. But we were so involved in the Round Square Conference that, apart from a minute’s silence and a rendition of “God Save the King,” at the opening ceremony, we didn’t really have much chance to think about it all; not until Saturday 24 September, that is. The delegates staying at Latymer Upper School in London spent an adventurous morning exploring the sights of the City of London from the deck of a boat cruising along the River Thames. We saw Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament, St. Paul’s Cathedral, Tower Bridge and many other impressive sights. Afterwards, our teachers decided that because some of us had never been to England before, we would go on a walking tour. We made our way along the Embankment and stood under Cleopatra’s Needle, ambled up to Trafalgar Square and then, my all-time favourite, strode along the flag-clad Mall to the gates of Buckingham Palace. Words cannot describe the breathtaking experience it was to stand where, just a week ago, so many mourners had watched the state funeral. The Palace itself is so intricately designed with so many small details one wouldn’t even think to look for, I was totally in awe. All in all, I can say this day was one filled with excitement, laughter, love and marvelous memories that I will always treasure.

Fifi Mugadza, Grade 10

All the memories and experiences I had on the Round Square International Conference hold a special place in my heart. There were so many highlights that is was difficult to just pick one, but if I had to, it would be the cultural evening in Oxford. All the schools from the different parts of South Africa ended up sitting in the same area of the theatre and our energy was electric. No matter how good or bad the performance was on stage, the South African contingent would give an enthusiastic standing ovation. We would sing and clap along, our South African spirit in full bloom. It was such an amazing evening as it reminded me of how special we are as a nation. The South African delegates may not have known each other from a bar of soap but, because of our shared culture, we were automatically connected. I absolutely loved my experiences in Europe but, if anything, this trip has given me a new-found appreciation for my country and our people.

Emma Peacock, Grade 11