Wow!! What an awesome weekend it has been! The annual Choir Camp was held at Sumcay Camping Grounds this year and to say that we had fun, would be a huge understatement.

Our weekend started off with a long practise session in the school hall on Friday and although the hot weather made it difficult to get anything done, we pushed forward and like true Riebeek ladies, got through the practise sucessfully. The first event we held at Sumcay was the Talent Show. Everyone participated in groups and showed off a variety of talents like acting and singing. All the acts were so entertaining that we ended up having TWO overall winning groups. We ended the night by watching a heartwarming video put together by the Matrics in honour of their senior choir career.

Our next practise started early on Saturday morning. We got off to a rocky start but thanks to Mrs Zietsmann, Miss Van de Westhuizen and Timothy, by the second hour, we were doing well. The session ended just in time for lunch and during that break, we were given time to take a dip in the pool and relax. Meanwhile, Mr Jonas drove a small group of girls to Mr Nzo's house and on the way back to camp, they got a chance to work together on  improving the Xhosa song. Mr Nzo was very impressed that we composed our own Xhosa Song and kept complimenting us on it, which was very humbling and encouraging. We spent the next fews hours perfecting the Xhosa song with the entire choir. We tapped into our creative sides as we came up with fantastic moves that are guaranteed to wow any and all crowds. Mr Nzo's advice and suggestions really helped tremendously, and for that we are unbelievably greatful.

 After that session, we called it a day for serious choir work and instead got together in our voice groups and participated in Mrs Zietsmann's Sing Off competition. Each voice group performed an acapella song of their choice and wowed our judge, Mrs Woods. Competition was tough, but in the end, the first runner up was the First Soprano group and the winner was the First Alto group.

Sunday was filled with mixed feelings. On one hand we all looked forward to going home, but on the other we didn't want to leave. Mrs Mapoma started off the day by giving us an inspiring talk about walking in the light of God and as a choir, and as individuals, putting our faith in Him. After that we had a very productive yet short practise before heading home at 10h00. Mrs Zietsmann closed off the day by reading us this quote, "A funny thing about life, when you accept nothing but the best, you often get it."

Naqeehsa Koester said, "Thank goodness for camp! I feel so much more confident about the music. I'm ready to tackle any competition!". Ambesa Daniels enjoyed bonding with her roommates and with her voice group, the second Altos. Chulumanco Mayi's favourite moment was when her voice group won the Sing Off competition. Pumela Kondile and Lisa Duruwe enjoyed working on the Xhosa Song moves.

Firstly, we would like to thank Miss Van de Westhuizen, Timothy, Mrs Mapoma, Mr Jonas and especially, Mrs Zietsmann for taking time out of their lives to spend a whole weekend with us. Thank you to Mrs Zietsmann's colleagues for keeping our tummies filled with delicious food throughout the weekend. Finally, we'd like to thank Mrs Woods for her everlasting support and love.