After a busy few days of late-night rehearsing and tireless painting, preparing for the opening ceremony, the day arrived.
Upon arriving, the crowd was already buzzing in the early morning. Hundreds of students gathered from Mlindzini Primary School, Mbita Primary School and Mlindzini High School.
We quickly realised the emotion involved in this day, seeing how much this meant to the whole community.
As the ceremony began, we experienced many traditional African dances from all 3 of the schools and many inspiring speeches where we learnt how meaningful the relationships between Abbey Gate College and the 3 schools are.
After a high standard had been set it was our turn. We performed an entertaining dance to “Don’t Stop me Now” by Queen, with many up-beat dance moves and even a backflip!
To introduce Abbey Gate College’s culture to Eswatini, the students from the choir performed a piece called “In my Father’s House” and to express our gratitude, we had a moving speech, spoken by Harry and Ava.
The hard work we had put into our performances was truly worth it as we entertained not only the children but also the parents, news reporters, teachers, police officers, the regional Education Officer, builders and the chief’s representative. The whole trip we had eagerly waited for this moment, and it didn’t disappoint.
As the grade zero classroom was handed over the excitement had increased. We felt proud of learning a new skill of being able to build a classroom and we were overwhelmed with generosity from the whole community as we received countless presents including handmade bracelets and many more traditional gifts. Alongside this, we enjoyed traditional food including pap, local beef and chicken, which we thoroughly enjoyed.
We all felt very lucky that we got the opportunity to experience this incredible day.
Nicol
