Youth - Jeug

• Grand Prix at dam thrills locals
• Korean students experience hospitality of Paarl

on equal terms for prizes from the best looking boxcart to the fastest down the hill, and everything in between.

There was a track for juniors and a steeper track for older children.

Accidents and great speed marked that event, with some kids sustaining grazes and bumps, nothing the St Johns Ambulance, Netcare and the Stellenbosch Emergency Services were not able to handle.

Each team had three runs down the hill, eventually placing teams in 1st, 2nd or 3rd place in their respective age groups.

After the lunch break, the open class, where you were able to race with whatever your heart desired - a fridge on wheels, or even your mother's washing machine.

This proved very popular and even the standard class box carts entered in this category. The sheer joy on the faces of those competing in this class said it all.

The eventual winner of the open class was the driver of a car aptly named "Ferrari" who was involved in one of the accidents on the day.

In the words of one of the kids: "The day, she was a BIG success, can't wait for next year".

IT was a day of great excitement at Sahmyook SDA Middle School in Wonju, South Korea on 2 January - seeing that many months of planning their first ever tour to beautiful South Africa, were finally brought to fulfilment.

Sahmyook, a school of international standard whose students often go on trips to English-speaking countries, decided to send their principal, vice-principal, seven teachers, and about 30 promising students between the ages of 12 and 16, to experience the rich culture of their foreign English instructors - Hilton and Zenny Slamet of Paarl.

Hilton and Zenny, who haven't been home in the Boland for the past five years, thought it would be a great opportunity to take their students on an unforgettable South African experience.

The Korean group were on a home-stay program, which allowed them to experience SA culture on a hands-on level. Their base was the beautiful Wellington and Paarl area, and they were escourted on their three-week trip, by local tour guide Cecil Driver.

Some of the highlights of their trip were their visits to the Language Monument, Robben Island, Cape Point, Table Mountain, the Cango Caves, Knysna Elephant Park and the beaches of Plettenberg Bay.

The students had the privilege of visiting many top schools in the Boland, and being involved in their educational programmes for a while, including Paarl Boys, Frank Pietersen Music School, New Orleans Secondary and Huguenot Primary School in Wellington.

The principal of Sahmyook was so amazed by the standard and discipline at Paarl Boys, that he has already decided to send his son there next year, to experience South African culture.

There's also one girl from Sahmyook who is interested in studying music at Frank Pietersen, and another who wants to join New Orleans school's ballet and drama department, both for a year.

The students were impressed by the scenery, friendliness, warm weather (seeing that it's snowing in Korea right now), and all the tasty South African dishes.

Because Korea is such an over-populated country, and most people are restricted to apartments, the students enjoyed the spacious homes and swimming pools of the hospitable families where they stayed - in Wellington, Klein Drakenstein, Klein Parys, Charleston Hill and New Orleans.

The students all wished that their time was longer, in order to see more of beautiful South Africa, and they hope it could be made an annual event. - Leigh M Dunn, Korean Times