“I‘M having sleepless nights, dreaming about my trip overseas,” says Port Elizabeth schoolboy Sibulele Mjingwana, who won a three-week educational trip to the United States after entering an English writing skills competition.

Sibulele, 16, a Grade 11 pupil at Walmer High School, leaves for the US tomorrow morning.

“My family, friends and teachers can‘t stop talking about it. I‘ve stopped counting the days until I get on the plane – I now count the hours,” he said yesterday.

Sibulele was among 40 pupils from his school who participated in the English Access Micro-Scholarship Programme sponsored by the US Embassy and the Mandela Bay English Academy.

The pupils were asked to write an essay about their background and what winning the trip would actually mean to them.

“Sometimes I dream about Washington DC, Philadelphia and San Diego, which are the three places I will be visiting during my stay. I can‘t wait to see what these places really look like, because in my dreams they look fabulous.

“During the past few months, I‘ve been gathering information about South Africa so that if anybody asks me anything about my country, I‘ll be able to answer them. My clothes are also packed and my friend promised to lend me his camera. I want to capture every good moment of the trip.”

The US State Department‘s English Access website says the micro-scholarship programme provides a foundation of English language skills to “non-elite”, 14 to 18-year-old pupils worldwide through after-school classes and summer learning activities.

Access students gain an appreciation of American culture and democratic values, increase their ability to participate successfully in the socio-economic development of their own countries, and gain the ability to compete for and participate in future US exchange and study programmes, according to the website.

Sibulele will leave Port Elizabeth tomorrow morning and will catch a connecting flight to Washington from Johannesburg, where he will be joined by another pupil who won the competition in his region. They will represent South Africa together.

About 11 countries are participating in the worldwide micro-scholarship programme.