First time it happened to me in Loftes when I was going to watch a Bluebull game. I walked pass a short, well-tanned man who was just a nobody to me. Then my host mom stopped me and said that I should go and get an autograph from him. Apparently this man was the main coach of the Springboks, Pieter de Villiers! Before the game I got the chance to see the Blou Bulletjie Mascot and took a picture with him, or perhaps I should say it. During the game, this same evening, when we were walking through the audience, people suddenly got hysteric. This time the center of the attention was Victor Mathfield, one of the best rugby players of the South Africa. I didn't have the chance to take a picture with him, because apparently he didn't enjoy the company of screaming kids, which I totally understand... The third time I met famous people (that I'm supposed to know), was at the Jacaranda walk. This time I actually knew a few of these people that were Mandla, Hilda and Oubas from 7de Laan. But the star of the day was Ryk Neetling, the best swimmer of SA, but still unknown to me. I got his autograph and a picture but it's still hard for me to remember his name, to be honest. Culture hits you in a weird way, in pieces, like in a puzzle. Some times I find it very amusing, like told above. I'm very lucky that I've met all these people, even though I've been in South Africa just for a couple of months! Let's just wait where I get if I keep up this speed...!
Emmi Korkalainen (from Finland and now in Pretoria)
SOUTH AFRICA ON ICE My time here in South-Africa has so far just been amazing with new people I meet every day, both at school, with the family and in the figure skating club. I did figure skating at home in Norway and I really wanted to go on with that during my exchange year here in South Africa. Therefore I wrote in my host family letter that I would like to live close to an Ice rink. Youth for Understanding told me that it could be quite hard finding a family like that. But as we all know YFU can fix everything ;) The result of this is that my host sister also does figure skating. We practice together four or five days a week. Monday, Wednesday and Saturday we practice in the