by Ginette Bassani (B1)
On Thursday January 29th, we celebrated the New Year 2026 a little late, not with a "galette des rois" (king cake) but with a "Praluline de Lyon" (Lyon praluline). This very convivial moment allowed us to get to know each other better.
by Pierre Grange (level B2)
Firstly, let's correct a common mistake: Boxing Day has nothing to do with boxing, the sport.
Boxing Day
is celebrated on December 26th.
It has been
a public holiday since 1871 in many English-speaking countries.
The tradition is to show charity and distribute gifts to those who are less fortunate on this day.
But since
the beginning of the 21st century, "Boxing Day" has primarily
referred to a day when many shoppers rush to stores to buy discounted clothing.
This day is often compared to Black Friday.
For the past 25 years, the first day of the winter sales in Great Britain
has begun
on December 26th.
Many people celebrate this day without knowing its true origins.
The first
explanation refers to a religious origin.
Stephen, known as the first Christian martyr,
was chosen
by the apostles to distribute alms to the poor.
Another theory suggests that Boxing Day originated in the 15th century, the Age of Discovery, a period during which maritime expeditions were numerous. During these travels, many superstitious sailors carried a box containing money as a token of protection for their adventures.
This box remained closed until their return.
If, by chance, they returned safe from their travels, the box and its offerings were given to the village priests, who distributed them to the poorest members of the community.
Around the
same time, many English-speaking churches also provided an offering box where
pilgrims and other visitors can leave money.
This box
remained closed until December 26th.
Alms (donations, money for the poor) were gathered in the churches' donation boxes
and gifted
to the poor, on December 26th, the Boxing Day.
Traditionally,
aristocrats allowed their servants to take the day after Christmas off to enjoy
time with family and friends.
Before leaving, the host gave them a box filled with gifts and food, most often, the leftovers from Christmas dinner.
Furthermore,
Boxing Day is also a special day for sportsmen.
Indeed,
tradition demands that British football teams (but not only football) play on
December 26th.
This tradition is now spreading throughout Europe, and particularly in France with rugby matches.
For more information, here is a short video in French about Boxing Day.
And one in English here.
And there you have it!
Now we know
a little more about the famous Boxing Day.
Hope you had a wonderful Christmas time!
by Pierre Grange (level B2)
South
Africa is a successful destination for UIAD English students.
So much so
that three trips had to be organized to meet all the requests!
The first
was scheduled for last February, the second from September 15th to 26th.
A third
trip is planned for February 2026, again under the leadership of Melanie
BRUMBERG.
All three trips follow the same program.
Several
articles have already been written for the first trip.
They are available on the English-language blog Students' Corner, as well as on the UIAD blog (article by Aline VINCENT).
This article on the second trip is not intended to be redundant. It simply aims to report on visits not made in February and to offer some photos taken at another time of year when the flora is different from that of February and when certain animals may have been more visible in the reserves.
We landed
in Johannesburg (altitude 1,700 m), at Oliver Reginald Tambo International
Airport, the largest airport in South Africa.
Oliver
Reginald Tambo (1917-1993) was an anti-apartheid activist and president of the
African National Congress (ANC).
His statue
stands in one of the airport halls.
Soweto, an acronym for South Western Township, became a ghetto where Black people were forced to live during apartheid, as they were not allowed to live anywhere else.
The famous
Soweto's Vilikazi Street is one of the most popular neighborhoods in South
Africa and is known as the former home of Nelson Mandela and Bishop Desmond
Tutu, both of whom are Nobel Peace Prize winners.
The two
painted chimneys near Soweto
The 3 Rondavels
Blyde river
canyon
The Giant's
Pots
Day 5 was dedicated to the Kruger National Park safari.
We did two
more safaris (in Hoedspruit and Hluhluwe National Park) and a boat safari in
the St. Lucia Reserve.
Here are
some photos of the animals we encountered during our four safaris:
On the way
to the safari!
We could
see four of the Big Five:
Elephant
Leopard
Rhino
Buffalo
The Big Five are often contrasted with the Ugly Five.
The warthog is one of them (like the hyena, the vulture, the marabout and the gnu).
Other
animals were kind enough to show themselves:
Cheetah
Gazelle
(they are numerous)
Kudu
Gnu
Hippopotamus
Crocodile
African
Penguins
Cape Weaver
Yellow-billed
Hornbill
Ground Hornbill
During a
meal, it's not uncommon to be visited by a greedy baboon who doesn't hesitate
to
climb onto
the tables to finish the food!
We were not
lucky during our stay in Cape Town.
Indeed, in the
morning we were supposed to go to the summit of Table Mountain, it was foggy
and rainy. We didn't see anything...
The cable car going up Table Mountain
In Cape Town, on Nobel Square, you can see the statues of South Africa's four Nobel Peace Prize winners:
- former
ANC (African National Congress) President Albert Luthuli (awarded in 1960),
-
Archbishop Desmond Tutu (awarded in 1984),
- and
former Presidents Frederik de Klerk and Nelson Mandela (awarded in 1993).
At the end
of our trip, we visited the Kirstenbosch wine region.
The "Grand Constance" vintage was Napoleon's favorite wine, while in exile on Saint Helena.
Vygies
Coreopsideae.
Erythrine
Dorotheanthus
bellidiformis
Birds of
Paradise
Protea
Many thanks
to Melanie and Nelly, our local guide, for introducing us to this country with
11 official languages.
Our group at Cap of Good Hope
Click on
the photo to watch the video
It truly serves as a link for this nation, the rainbow nation!
The one who best sums up this state of mind is Siya Kalisi, the iconic South African captain at the end of the 2023 Rugby World Cup final (won by South Africa):
"People
who are not from South Africa don’t understand what it means for our country.
It's not
just about the game. Our country goes through such a lot.
I want to tell the people of South Africa : Thank you so much. This team just shows what you can do.”
This will
be the final word!
by Ginette Bassani (B1) On Thursday January 29th, we celebrated the New Year 2026 a little late, not with a "galette des rois" (ki...
