Houston, Texas in the United States of America (USA) is where Grade 11 pupil Revash Orie (17) of Florida Park High School will spend most of his matric year.
Revash is one of 19 other South Africans to be selected by AFS Interculture South Africa, a non-profit organisation that promotes intercultural learning to spend an academic year in the USA. Revash will depart for the home of the brave and the land of the free on Thursday 22 August and only will return to South Africa on Thursday 1 July 2014.
According to the official website www.afs.org.za, “Each year, AFS Interculture South Africa makes it possible for South Africans to welcome in their homes and experience the friendship of hundreds of participants from about 40 countries around the world.
“The same intercultural learning opportunities are provided to tens of South African citizens to live in a foreign country and learn a new culture, a new language, in short, you learn ‘a new way of seeing the world’.”
According to the bright Revash, “The aim is to create a peaceful environment where no stereotypes are made or generalisations are brought up among cultures”.
Revash’s reasons for applying are to change how people view South Africa and cancel the negativity.
“I want to teach Americans about South Africa and how it has developed. People outside South Africa are scared of our crime rate, but I want show them it is not all there is, and that we as a country are doing all we can to eradicate it.”
He adds, “When we say Africa to Americans they think just wildlife, but I want to prove that there is more to Africa. While the world is developing, Africa is developing with the rest of the world.”
Revash adds that he hopes to make his trip an adventure.
“I’ll be making it an adventure and find out more about myself, while teaching others about South Africa.”
Besides Revash making friends, he will be giving presentations at a local school in Houston about life as a South African, his family, the country and everything in it as well as how it has developed.
Revash says that a great example of how the country has developed is the 2010 Fifa World Cup.
“Fifa president Sepp Blater himself gave us nine out of nine as host nation. He said that no country is perfect and that this was a good example of how the country had developed.”
Revash’s host family in the USA has been confirmed as Mrs Randi and Mr Doug Eaton. Randi is involved in education and Doug in engineering.
Good luck Revash!
