School will be closed from 24 December 2010 and reopen on Monday 3 January 2011 We wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Some pictures from the December FCE class of 2010!

Our student, Gloria Pinto, volunteers for a non-profit organisation called ‘Project-Playground’ (www.project-playground.org).  She volunteered to teach children in the township photography as she believes the art of photography is an effective tool for youth empowerment, building confidence, self-esteem and hope. The aim is to uncover the uniqueness of the life in the townships, in Cape Town, South Africa, to the society, through the eyes of teens, in favor of a world without exclusion and a mutual respect for diversity. Yesterday there was an exhibition showing some of the photos taken by the children:

On Friday 10 December we held our Christmas party for EC Cape Town students, the theme was ‘Christmas in Africa’! Check out some of the photos:

The Day of Reconciliation is a public holiday in South Africa held annually on 16 December. The holiday came into effect in 1994 after the end of apartheid, with the intention of fostering reconciliation and national unity. Before 1994, 16 December was commemorated as the Day of the Vow, also known as Day of the Covenant or Dingaan Day. The Day of the Vow was a religious holiday commemorating the Boer victory over the Zulus at the Battle of Blood River in 1838. On the other side of the political spectrum, 16 December is also the anniversary of the 1961 founding of Umkhonto we Sizwe (Spear of the Nation), the armed wing of the African National Congress. – Wikipedia *Please note school will be closed Thursday 16 December. Not sure what to do on your day off? We have a FULL DAY Winelands tour (R375) The tour will take you through the historical and majestic towns of Stellenbosch and Franschoek, where you’ll travel through the vineyards & visit some of the best wineries!

On Saturday 4 December all the language schools in Cape Town headed to the beach to compete against each other in games of soccer & volleyball. Check out some pictures below:  (Find more pictures on our Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/ec.cape.town)

World AIDS Day was commemorated in Cape Town on December 1 with Table Mountain illuminated with red lights.

The full film can now be watched on YouTube. Click on the following link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ocFAo6v9E10

The CPE class of Dec 2010 awarded their teacher Jacques with “ World’s Greatest Teacher” title. Students: Maria Nogueira – Argentina, Jimena Gomez and Carolina Gomez – Colombia & Eldine Chilembo – Angola