Boishaaier 2018

A Sunset Like No Other Many South Africans and various foreigners who have had the privilege of vis- iting certain parts of the Garden Route can safely say that it is a place of true natural beauty. I am fortunate to have a house in a small seaside town, too small for a certain type of person to enjoy. In my lifetime, although it consists of only eighteen short years, many people have referred to it as a one-horse town. I always laugh, shake my head and say that it is barely a one-pony town, but the beauty and calm that you experience there is like nowhere else. Throughout the years I have experienced uncountable sunrises, sunsets and nights full of stars, but there is one particular sunset that stands out above all the others. There are places in this town that only a handful of the lucky locals know about, one specifically where many of my fondest memories took place. Towards the end of the town there are bushes that stretch all the way to the point of the bay, for about two kilometers. A twenty-minute walk resulting in scratches and perhaps an ant bite or two takes you deep into the bushes where there is a small wooden deck. Hidden from sight by the trees and bushes that cover it, stands a rather average, old and pretty weathered deck. Fully prepared my closest friend (who has grown to be more of a brother to me) and I take on the trek to the deck, which could very easily be the fiftieth time we did it. We haven’t been counting, to be honest. We packed in a variety of things to eat and drink – we planned on staying there a long while. The day that led up to our mission, as we liked to call it, was pretty much the same as every other. It consisted of long hours in the sun, surfing and relaxing. The sky was cloudy but not too cloudy. Our geography teacher would refer to it as “intermittent coverage”. On this deck we lay for hours, conversing about plans for the future, girls, friend- ships and anything else that popped into our minds. Without noticing the sun started to set, slowly. The sound of our music playing was the only thing we were focusing on. I sat up and looked towards the horizon, a breeze blowing through my hair and cooling the usual hot air. After experiencing many sunsets here, it initially seemed like it would look like it usually did. My friend tapped on my shoulder and pointed. All he said was, “Wow.” My jaw pretty much dropped to my chest. The sky was turning pink and the clouds were a shade of pink that, until that day, I thought was not naturally possible. We sat for another hour watching the sky, in a state of absolute mes- merisation. Another memory that I will never forget. CHARLES HÖRNLEIN (GR. 12D)

The Enemy Within Most of us don’t live in the present tense. We dwell in a mental space where our regrets and grudges from our past compete with our fears about the future. Fears of the incomprehensible. Grudges which grant us comfort and regrets in shortcomings. Time however is the dime which can make or break these inhibitions. Your greatest discourager in life is you. This only further substanti- ates the saying which states, “The strength of a man who conquers himself, is greater than that of him who conquers a million men in battle.” Mankind fail to see that they fear what they do not under- stand, subsequently showing that most people do not know them- selves well enough. On the other side of fear is success; like a seed sown into the ground, it has to grow through its own dirt to blossom like a man has to overcome his own mental restrictions. Grudges carry resentment and often weigh you down. The unfortu- nate result hereof is that once you’ve put it down, that is where you often remain. Resentment is usually directed at those who have done wrong onto us … But that’s just ironic because offence can only be taken, not given. The bitterness we harbour within us when done wrong poisons only ourselves. Cleanse your bodily temple from this inequity and realise that if you do not let grudges go, you and all your ambitions in life will die. Choose life. Regret is a self-inflicted punishment. It may be because of missed opportunities, failed attempts or most significantly: wasted time. Regret is often accompanied by the instigator such as criticism in defeat which instils an air of incompetence. Over time your disap- pointment will leave the memories of others, but will linger on your own. Funnily enough, when push comes to shove we all leave the memories of society, so time devoted to wallowing in your sorrow is wasted time as every second we inch towards an inevitable oblivion. The greatest weapon any man can have is a well-equipped mind, so do not cower at the thought of a daunting task; believe in yourself and your insight. Time waits for no man, so don’t be anchored down by regrets and resentment. All of this can only be achieved by your- self, so believe in yourself. I end with this African proverb, “If there is no enemy within, the enemy outside can do us no harm.” NEO MASIPA (GR. 12D)

Who am I? Who exactly am I? Why am I the way I am? These are the questions I often ask myself. I know I am an “odd” individual mainly be- cause most I have met have at least at one point asked, “You know you’re odd, right?” So why exactly am I how I am? Perhaps who I am is a result of my experiences throughout my life. I have been raised for the first eight years of my life by a single mom. Therefore I’ve not had much in the form of a father figure for a large part of my life. Maybe that is why I do not adhere to the typical view of how a young boy is expected to act andwhat he is expected to be interested in. I cannot re- call any point in my very existence on earth where I have been interested in sports, fast cars, drinking. The latter lack of interest likely has to do with my father’s history of alcohol abuse. So as an only child raised by a single mother it makes sense why my relationship with my mother is a close one. It was a diffi- cult adjustment for myself when my mother married but I developed a good, strong rela- tionship with my stepfather; although, we still don’t do typical father-son activities together

My cousin Auden is without a doubt my old- est and closest friend. We have been in the same class and school for the past years. My favourite board game and primary school ac- tivity was chess, which I learned from him. Many of my interests aside from debating stems from copying him. Even how hard I work on my academics is merely because of how good he is at it. Another one of my peers who also had a large impact is my friend Kian. He was the only person at Paarl Boys’ High I knew before I came there. I had met Kian when we stalemated in chess at the Bo- land chess trials. Kian helped me get out of my shell and become more mature as well. So in conclusion, I am Lucian Wade Abra- hams. A very eccentric youth, very different from all his peers and that’s okay. “I am a sunflower in a garden of roses.” I am proud of who I am as I am the product of my life experiences and more importantly, the peo- ple in my life. I am grateful for every person who had an impact on me and who shaped

and don’t share any interests aside from some interest in world politics. The highlight of my experience would prob- ably be when I was in a car accident as a young child. I was hit by the car while cross- ing the street. The experience does not haunt me but considering the driver of the car that hit me was someone who lacked a driver’s license and was merely joy-riding with his father’s car, it makes how come I have such a love for road-safety and refuse to get behind the wheel until it is perfectly within the law – regardless of how many times my uncle has asked me to let him teach me to drive. Other than my experiences throughout my life, the biggest impact on who I am comes, I believe, from the people in my life. My non- existent father is the first on my list. I have sworn to myself that I would abstain from al- cohol unless for religious purposes, even after I am of the legal age. My mother who always loved and spoilt me is, I believe, the reason I have such a high opinion of myself. When it comes to peers, the one who has had the big- gest impact would be my cousin Auden.

BOISHAAIER 2018 / Kreatiewe Skryfwerk / Creative Writing

me into the person I am today. LUCIAN ABRAHAMS (GR. 11C)

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BOISHAAI 150 YEARS