| Contributions
from 8th
graders at the American International School of Johannesburg
Welcome to a special section of stories from The American
International School of Johannesburg written in the spring
2011 after Marc Levitt's visit. Thanks to Ms. Jillian Miller,
English teacher at the school for all of her great work!
Marc
Korean in Africa
by Sina L. I just stared outside through the window when I sat on the plane. I couldn’t think of anything because of the tears which were rolling down my cheeks. I bit my lip as hard as I could to stop crying. Actually, I didn’t want to go South Africa. I thought South Africa was like a country of wildness, po... read more
When I Got There…
by Erik S. The airplane was full of people all going in the same direction except for those few people who once in a while would stand up to go to the restrooms. I was sitting in my seat too tired to move and too bored to do anything else than sleeping since I didn’t know whatever it was night or day outside, ... read more
The Salad Girl
by Hadas V. Maya and Shai. It’s not a good idea to put them together. They are like baking soda and vinegar together, which means, an explosion! They are not really excited about seeing each other. I miss the beach, and also Shai, my best friend and my cousin Maya, which means I have to take them both with me t... read more
Where are the Bushmen?
by Steven H. Outside the buildings it was shivering cold. Condensation happened everywhere, out of my mouth, nose and even the cars. The beautiful Korean winter had two faces: gorgeousness of shimmering cloud of snow covering the town, and painfulness of red frozen faces. However, this winter was even more appal... read more
Thinking Aloud About My Home Country
by Bianca-Laura I. Often, feeling a part of a specific place is hard to imagine for me. Teenagers these days experience so much in their lifetimes, the thought of placing their ‘home’ country in a single box is very difficult to do. I guess we feel a part of numerous countries, cultures, and experiences (the ‘global v... read more
Moving Homes
by Sebastian C I remember the first time it rained; I got soaking wet. We had never expected it to rain so much in Africa at first, but we got used to it. My brother said that it reminded him of the weather in the mountainous areas of Peru where we used to go to on quite a few holidays when we lived in Lima. It wa... read more
Welcome Home
by Denise A. How long have I been gone from home?
I breathe in the fresh, humid air; the sky is cloudy, and I can slightly feel the sun tingle on my tanned skin. People are crossing in my path and nudging me. I can smell the hazy smoke coming from the dozens of taxis lined up outside — the temperature mak... read more
I'm Coming Home
by S. Y. Kim I was born in South Korea and lived there for 7 years. I lived there with my mom, dad, and my younger brother. When my mom told me that we are going to U.A.E I didn’t even know where that place was. I thought that the UAE was somewhere near America, but I was way wrong. My mom had to tell me where i... read more
Nothing Lasts Forever
by John S. In the states for three months, it was a quick three months. I never wanted it to end. We all know that nothing can last forever. When that finally hit me, I was already on a plane back to Africa. First class the whole way, it was part of my dad’s new deal. I was moving back to Africa, this was noth... read more
Verhuizen naar een ander land
by Daan S. I never thought it was real when my dad told me that we were leaving. It was a perfect summer day, it was warm and there were no clouds. We were at a public swimming pool when my dad’s new boss called him to ask his kids if they we fine with leaving Holland and going to South Africa. My father asked... read more
The Mirage of McD!
by David J. I was born in South Korea and lived there for 7 years. I lived there with my mom, dad, and my younger brother. When my mom told me that we are going to U.A.E I didn’t even know where that place was. I thought that the UAE was somewhere near America, but I was way wrong. My mom had to tell me where i... read more
Starting a New Life
by Yoona L. “We are moving to South Africa in less than a month, so be ready.” said my dad, when our family was gathered around watching TV. I could still remember his tone of voice and his face expression just like it was yesterday. I got scared when I heard those words, I didn’t want to move again. I didn’t ... read more
Home
by Caelan R. Beep, beep, beep, beep, beep, Boom. The grenade exploded and I narrowly missed death with only a little health left. It was a sunny afternoon and I was sitting in my brothers room playing my favourite game. I was disappointed yet exited to go to South Africa for id been living in the crowded city of... read more
New World in a New Country
by Minsuk H. The announcement came from the pilot, “We are landing in fifteen minutes, thank you for flying with us, and we hope to see you again.” However, in my ear, I heard, “We have good news and bad news. The good news is that, we are landing, but the bad news is that, we are CRASH landing”, the movie from ... read more
Translator
by Gabriela L. “She doesn’t speak English” I said. And it felt like the hundredth time. The man stared at me for a second and returned his look to my mom. Again, I thought. It happens every time we go out. It doesn’t matter how many times I say she doesn’t speak the language, they prefer to try to talk to her than... read more
The Bright Side
by Shani A. My eyelids weighed a ton as I slowly lifted them to take in the sun. ‘Should’ve kept my eyes shut’ I thought to myself, as I noticed that the scenery hadn’t changed for the past four hours. 30 degree heat seeped into the Land Rover as I opened my window to have a clearer view of the Kenyan villagers... read more
Alone in my own country
by Michael M. “Can’t I just stay home and skip the first day, I’m going to be such an outcast”, I said to my mom on the morning of the first day at my new school. I hadn’t gotten a single minute of sleep the night before wondering about how I am going to act now in an International school. I had spent my entire l... read more
Hello, or Not?
by Lou H. “Everyone seems so unfriendly here,” I said.
“It’s true but they are not. It’s just so different here from Tanzania,” my mum replied.
I nodded my head in agreement and we continued walking down the street. I am originally from Germany, I lived there for seven years before I moved to Tanzan... read more
What Were They Thinking?
by James N. “James, we are moving to South Africa.” My dad said. I couldn’t believe it. I had spent all the eleven years of my life in Canada, and now all of a sudden I was moving to South Africa. What were they thinking?
“Will we have to live in a shack like you see on TV?” I asked anxiously, never befor... read more
What a Welcome
by Katherine W. My best friend, Mikki, who took reading lessons to work on her English, was told by the head masters wife to lose her American accent and speak in proper English.
Bam! As soon as Mikki told me that, I felt like somebody dropped a boulder on my head. When it happened, she was the new girl. Howe... read more
I Can’t Believe This At All
by Jacques R. I woke up one ordinary day. It was no different from any other. I did what I needed to do and when I was done, there was still no sun in sight. It was a dark day for what it seems like. I went to school, nothing seemed out of place. I the school day was the same as any other .I got to school before... read more
Overcoming life
by Kishorkumar K. Life, such a peculiar thing, as the steps to the exit of the plane came closer, a gust of freezing cold wind blew across my tender skin; it felt as if small sharp needles were blown across my face, though it was refreshing. After the refreshing exit, my entrance to the U.K. was laid upon a dull, gre... read more
We’re going to the Supermarket!
by Djordje P. I hate flying. I even detest airports. I don’t understand why people would fly, it is so long and… boring. Regardless, my parents took me all over the world, and that’s a lot of flying.
We arrived at the airport in Paris at around 5 AM, far too early for anything to be working. We picked up ou... read more
Singapore
by Ian M. The first words I heard when i got home from school were "Ian we are moving to Singapore, its official!" I already knew this, but as a joke. As i set my bag down in the corner as i usually do, i smiled a confident, but nervous smile. I was shocked from what I heard, because I heard about Singapore f... read more
Trip Back Home
by Tristan B. South Africa is the place where my home is, but when someone asks me where I’m from, I will say, “I am American, but I've lived in Ann Arbour Michigan, but I also lived in Princeton, New Jersey and in Falls Church, Virginia.” So can I really say I am from one place? Maybe I will never be able to. Bu... read more
Foreign Cultures Side Effects
by Hyun S. H. “Robin, can you come to my birthday party?” Robin is the name I used to use instead of my Korean name when I was in England. Thomas, who helped me get socialized and Thomas, the one who talked to me first when I was new at school, asked me to come to his birthday party. I felt grateful for him as h... read more
Beverly
by Callie R. I grew up in Peachtree City, Georgia in the United States of America. As time has passed, I’ve learned that Peachtree City is a very conservative place where there’s not a lot of crime. Let’s just say the most exciting thing about it is being close to family and driving golf carts around everywhere.... read more
I am from Everywhere
by Abraham L. T. The engines roared to life as I entered the vehicle of flight that is to take me halfway around the world to a new country that I had no experience of and knew little about. As I entered my seat, I looked out the window and saw my luggage being transported into the compartments below my feet. My who... read more
Lost In Spain
by Gwen M. I was eight when I heard the news. We were sitting around the dinning table when my dad announced that we’d be moving to Madrid, the capital of Spain. At that moment I thought it was totally amazing, but when the time came when I had to say goodbye to my friends, I regretted those feelings.
Wh... read more
No Turning Back
by Ralston S. ‘I’m moving to England’, Claudia said to me. My eyes widened to the size of grapefruits and I gasped. I couldn’t speak. I immediately ran to my mom and asked her if it was true. She replied with a nod. I then ran as fast as I could back to my best friend, Claudia, and gave her a hug. I was so wounde... read more
Where Am I?!
by Marielle E. “Selamat datang di Indonesia” Those were the first few words I heard on November 16, 2007. We have arrived in Jakarta, Indonesia and I was having a whirl of mixed emotions: excitement, homesickness and even fear. My stomach was doing front flips and back flips. I had immediately wanted to come back ... read more
This Feeling
by Harmony T. As I stepped off the plane at Johannesburg International Airport I just knew it would be hard to adjust to the new setting. I had never had a driver waiting for me. It was a cold August night. There had been crazy amounts of rain. Just perfect, I thought to myself. My last week at home and this is h... read more
Journey into the Unknown
by Chaanne J. It’s amazing that in just a few words your life could simply come to an end. When my father came back from a business trip he announced the shocking news that he was going to get transferred from South Africa to Brazil and that we would be relocating. We had to prepare ourselves for Brazil started w... read more
I was moving!
by Neema O. My mouth made a small O. Moving? We were moving?
“B-but what about m-my friends, a-and the school?!” I exclaimed in surprise. I had known that my dad had gone for an interview, but not for a position in South Africa!
“Besides,” my mom said, “You were dying to leave this place anyway.”
... read more
The Chameleon
by Bryan W. ‘We are Moving’, were my parents favourite words after living 2 years in a country After a while my family didn’t take it as much as a shock any more but instead as a lifestyle. Our next destination was England from Senegal and from what I heard there was a lot of expectation from that country; we h... read more
The Elevator
by Ben G. Ding. The elevator door opened with a muffled mechanical whirring, stirring me momentarily from the dream world which I had been residing in so often over the past 24 hours. As the elevator door began to open thoughts swirling back into my head with the force of the blizzards I had become so accusto... read more
I have no nationality
by Mariano E. The crisp April air whipped through the open window of the white Ford Bus as it went through the security gate and skimmed past several luxurious houses. The wheels shrieked as the Ford halted to a stop; two Brazilian girls stood up, heaved the door open and headed for their house. At the back of th... read more
Realisation
by Sanath J. SAA flight 207 touches-down at Chatrupathi Shivaji International Airport, in Mumbai. The local time is five minutes past midnight and the plane has come to a gentle stop at the designated gate. The engine gradually dies down and passengers begin to disembark from the aircraft. Along with my parents,... read more
Living Out For the First Time
by Paula “Girls we have to talk”, those were the first words I heard when I got home after school. We were in the middle of May and it had been raining all day and the smell of recently cut grass was imprinted in the air. My dad was sitting in the TV room and he had just arrived from Denmark and he looked wo... read more
The Good Ol’ U.S.A.
by Neil G. For me, the moments I remember are the ones that have the biggest impact on my life, or are strange and outlandish. I remember the feeling of an autumn chill as my friend came up with the bright idea to ride down the nearby hill and jump the ditch, with no ramp. So one by one my friends and I would ... read more
A Trip Back to My Home
by Marley H. “Mom hurry up, we are going to be late!” I shouted from the warm car. Tonight we were headed to the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport to catch a plane to America where we would be spending the summer with my aunt, uncle and two cousins. I was truly excited because I hadn’t seen them in two years d... read more
I truly feel like I'm at home
by Elisa B. I’ve lived in five different countries, yet the country I feel most attached to is the only one where I haven't lived in, Italy. Sometimes I feel obligated to say I'm Italian because all of my family lives there and my passport is Italian, but I'm not. Every summer I go to Italy, and when I'm there ... read more
Journey Through My R.O.O.T.S; Route of Overcoming The Struggle
by Ibrahim R. As the plane set off for lift off, I felt my body sinking into the seat. With gravity pushing down on every fibre of my body, I noticed the world spinning around me. Not from the sudden change in my environment, but from contemplating what awaited me. I was flying from South Africa and It had been t... read more
Journey to the United States
by Anthony K. It was the end of my school year I and said to myself, “I glad I'm coming back to Canada.” I went with my parents to the airport to take a flight to Canada but before we could even get to that, we took a flight to London first. The flight to London took ten hours; while we were in the plane, I drank... read more
It’s not Goodbye, It’s Just See You Later!
by Jasmine B. When I was 9, my biggest worry was who would want to play with me at recess, or who would share their last piece of cake with me. Everyone wanted someone they could always be partners with and a best friend to play with their stuffed animals. I glanced back upon my line of friends for the final time... read more
Two Nationalities, One Choice
by Nicolas Z. Its 2002 and the FIFA World Cup is happening, the biggest event in the world, I am five years old and while I cant remember much from when I was five that summer during the World Cup is one of my earliest and clearest memories. At the time I lived in the place where the cup was taking place; South K... read more
Roots and routes through conflict
by Moses N. We’ve all lost someone or something in our lives, right? When we lose them as we grow, we eventually let go of the weight. If we lose it while we’re still very young, it’s quite bad, even when it’s a family member.
This is only something that I feel inside every day. It’s just that I have always re... read more
Where Is Home?
by Claire P. Where are you from? For me this is one of the hardest questions to answer. Well, my parents are from America, I say, but I was born in South Africa and have grown up all over the world.
I honestly can’t remember what I thought when my parents told me we were moving to Africa. I guess most ... read more
Water in my life…
by Kamil C. Have you ever been a swimmer on a professional swimming team? I have, and even I was one of the best swimmers in Poland and all of Europe.
But let’s start from beginning. The first time when I was at an amateurish competition for third graders. During my first race I won the freestyle, that’s w... read more
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