Exchange report:
James Moxham
Charlotte Latin School, Charlotte, USA

I had no idea what to expect as my plane touched down in Charlotte, North Carolina, but I knew that I was very privileged. Comments people had made, as well as images from the movies, were flying through my head as I landed in the USA; a country I had never visited but one that I would come to love in the two and a half months that I spent at Charlotte Latin School. My experience of Latin, as they call it, was life changing and so very enjoyable. The time spent there will remain with me forever.

Charlotte-Latin is a private, co-educational day school with about 1200 students. It was a very different environment to Hilton and it took a while to get used to the fact that we wore no uniform and there were girls in my classes; it felt as though I was in a different world. I was often asked where I was from and when I replied that I was from South Africa they would look at me strangely, not believing that anything white could come out of Africa, or even that there was such a country. I also now had new challenge-Girls!! I was used to seeing a few girls every other Saturday but now they were everywhere! It was a good change and one that I happily got used to but I now had to wake in the morning and make an effort to look good-this was surprisingly difficult with no uniform.

Charlotte-Latin is in the suburbs of Charlotte, one of the biggest financial centres in America. The school goes from Kindergarten to Matric, or Senior year, as they call it. I was a Junior-the equivalent of Grade 11, although you can be with different grades for different subjects. There are about 100 kids per grade and the school has amazing facilities, including very impressive sports fields and sports centres as well as library facilities and even a dam. The boys and girls really made an effort to help me fit in and they made sure I was doing well. The work ethic is very good at the school and work always came first for the students. The teachers were very good to me, in particular Heidi Carpenter, who is in charge of the Exchange Program. She put in hours to make sure that everything went well for me. The driving age is 16 in America and seeing 16 year olds driving to school in Hummers and the latest cars was also something new for me, and something that I would enjoy as it gave us freedom and opportunities. Rarely did I get into a car driven by an adult; the kids all drove.

Because Charlotte-Latin is a day school I needed to be hosted by a family. It was out of great generosity that the Wards decided to host me. Si Ward spent some time at Hilton last year as an Exchange student and it helped that I had got to know him. Sherry and Sandy Ward were amazing in the way they hosted me and ensured that I had a good taste of American life. I was constantly struck by how friendly and hospitable the American people are and how proud they are of their country.

I was lucky enough in my time there to experience various places. I visited Charleston, which is an amazing city, full of history, on the coast of South Carolina, and even though I was with a bunch of German exchange students who spoke very little English, it was good fun and very interesting. I also went to Orlando in Florida for the American holiday of Thanksgiving. I was invited on this trip by the Davies family; Rich Davies is a Hilton old boy and the man in charge of setting up this exchange initially. He and his wife, Kelly, were wonderful to me and I spent a great deal of time. In fact, without him I would not have been able to watch any of the Rugby world Cup as most people I met had no idea that it was even on or even what it was! I was also taken to play golf on a few of America’s top course, the highlight being a round played at Pinehurst.

The thing I enjoyed most about my experience was the sport. When I was there the great game of American Football was on everybody’s minds and I was lucky to get involved- both by playing at school and by watching live games. I loved every minute of it and was called “African” in practise and I hope that I kept up the African fighting spirit by putting in the odd big hit! I was often stopped short as the players are huge and look like fully grown men. They often put me right back in my place! I was able to watch the NFL games every weekend in Rich Davies’ box at the Bank of America Stadium-home to the Carolina Panthers. Even though the Panthers were battling in their season, it was awesome to witness this phenomenon. I was also able to go on to the field and see the Giants up close-they are enormous. The Latin team, the Hawks, were unbeaten and cruised to their third state victory. They had top players and it was great to watch them and all the fan-fare every Friday night. Another sport that I got involved in was Ultimate Frisbee. This was very different and great fun. I played in a few matches for their side. I tried out many other sports as well.

This Exchange experience has given me a whole new appreciation for Hilton College. I understand even better why it is such a special place; even though I enjoyed the day-boy experience, there is nothing like being in a boarding school and I did miss that element while away. Boarding brings everyone closer and builds great relationships and fantastic memories. This connection with Charlotte Latin is a wonderful thing and I hope it lasts forever.

The time that I spent in America will certainly stay in my mind forever; it has been one of the highlights of my life. It took me right out of my comfort zone and made me see things in a totally different perspective. I feel that I can contribute in a more positive way to everything going on around me because of it. It would not have been possible without the work that Mr Guthrie and his committee put in and I would like to thank them, Hilton and my parents for this life-changing opportunity. I can close by stating that I have officially lost my American accent as it gained a bit too much attention!