ENGLISH SUMMARY OF
Willem Poprok
deur
Derick van der Walt
HOOFSTUK 1: DIE LAND SONDER MELK EN HEUNING (THE COUNTRY WITHOUT
MILK AND HONEY)
This chapter starts with Willem’s mom, Elmarie, doing some spring-cleaning (deeglike
skoonmaak) and it happens every April. Willem is not exactly (heeltemal) like other 14year old
boys: he listens to Juanita du Plessis, for starters (om mee te begin). (She is a popular
Afrikaans singer, but more someone that girls and older people would listen to!)
He also has a poster (plakkaat) of Minki van der Westhuizen on his wall. Willem has questions
about who he really is: he knows he is not “Mr Cool.” Willem’s parents don’t have a lot of
money: he has to wear (dra) Franna’s old school shoes, but he does not mind (gee nie om)
that. Franna is his older brother: the middle one.
Willem and his best friend, Schalk, were so very excited (opgewonde) about high school and
they called it “die land van melk en heuning” but now Willem thinks that it feels like “veertig
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,jaar gelede.” (forty years ago). Both these sayings reference (verwys na) the Bible, which
shows us another thing about Willem and his family: they are religious (gelowig).
High school is actually pretty terrible (nogal aaklig). Willem hates Math and he did really badly
(sleg)in a test. He gets distracted (aandag afgelei) and looks at a photo of him and his dad,
Hans, wearing their green Springbok jerseys in a golden frame (raam) (the frame was his
mom’s idea). His dad seems happy, but Willem looks as though he just wants to run away
(weghardloop). This is all because of the whole (hele) rugby-thing. Willem’s dad loves rugby
and played it as well: he even thought he could make the Springbok team (span) who went to
Twickenham, but injured (beseer) his knee (knieg) before all of that. His father owns (besit) a
butchery (slaghuis) called Blou Bul Slaghuis and the boys all have to work there over
weekends (naweke) in order to help out.
Willem has great anxiety (angs) about a note from the principal (skoolhoof). He tries to look
for it, but can’t find it after his mom cleaned (skoongemaak) his room. He then has to go take
Lydia, his little sister, to the park and thinks that it used to be fun (pret) until (totdat) some
guys at the park started making fun (spot) of Willem because of Lydia.
His mom found the note from mnr. Van Rensburg, the principal. He then asks his mom if she
would please approach (benader) the issue (saak) with his dad. When Willem returns (keer
terug) from the park, he can hear Franna and the girl from next door, Angelique Palworthy,
frolicking (vry) in the branches (takke) whilst (terwyl) smoking (rook). He doesn’t like the
Palworthies very much: he thinks they just pretend (maak asof) to be English, because the
mother is a Botha from Boksburg!
That evening they are having supper (aandete) as a family around (om) the table {another
thing about the family that tells us they still have good old school values (waardes)} and
Coenie, the oldest brother, tells about a fund raiser (fondsinsameling) the matrics have for a
present (geskenk) for the school. Their dad is a bit irritated and asks about whose turn (beurt)
it is to cut (sny) the lawn (gras). Franna complains (kla) that he gets hay fever (hooikoors).
Their dad lets something drop (val) about why the boys can’t do Math, but their mom stops
him before he can embarrass (verneder) Willem any further (verder). From this we know that
their mom always has their back when she feels they are treated (behandel) unfairly
(onregverdig).
They the boys also argue (stry) over whose turn it is to do the dishes (skottelgoed). Willem’s
dad tells him to pour him a drink (drankie) and then they go sit on the porch (stoep) while
listening to Nana Mouskouri, an opera singer from Greece. Flip, the dog, comes over to sit
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,with them. They talk about going to see the principal the next morning and then Willem’s dad
says he doesn’t have to worry about Math too much since he can play for the Springbok’s one
day. Willem’s last thought is wondering surprised (verras) when his dad had become shorter.
That tells us that Willem notices (kom agter) his dad is growing older.
HOOFSTUK 2: DIE DOOIE ARGITEK (THE DECEASED ARCHITECT)
Willem wakes up because of terrible (vreeslike) noise (geraas). It’s Coenie practising (oefen)
the trumpet (trompet) in his outside room (buitekamer), a rondawel. Coenie doesn’t have to
play (speel) rugby because he can’t see very well (kan nie goed sien) without (sonder) his
glasses (bril). That’s why he now plays in the orchestra (orkes), which is not a marching band,
he says. Only Franna ever says something (iets) about the noise to Coenie. Franna pretty much
always speaks his mind! Willem doesn’t mind Coenie; he usually has Willem’s back when
Franna picks (pik) on Willem.
Their mom announces (kondig aan) that Franna’s room is next on the spring-cleaning list.
Franna gets a big fright (skrik) and while (terwyl) everyone is busy getting ready (gereed) for
school, he comes to Willem and hands (oorhandig) him a brown, SEALED (geseëlde) envelope
(koevert). Willem tries to see what’s inside: it looks (lyk) like magazines (tydskrifte) with
women on the front pages …
Willem and his dad drive (ry) to school to see the principal. They didn’t make an appointment
(afspraak). On the way (oppad) in, Willem notices (sien) a poster (plakkaat) of the newspaper
(koerant) on the tree opposite (oorkant) the school entrance (ingang): a well-known (bekende)
architect (argitek) died (gesterf) in his sleep. THIS IS IMPORTANT FOR WHAT HAPPENS LATER!
We find out that Willem got 19% for Math for the first term. Only (net) Paul Siebert got less
(minder) and he is now in grade 8 for the second time (keer). Mnr. Van Rensburg, or Voete, as
the kids call him, suggests (stel voor) that Willem go to extra classes that a doctor Schoeman
teaches. He is retired (afgetree) and lives in the area. Voete asks what Willem wants to be
some day and Willem doesn’t know what to answer since (aangesien) he doesn’t know what
he wants to do after school. He knows he does NOT want to be a butcher (slagter)! He thinks:
vet (veearts), detective (speurder), IT expert (rekenaarkenner) and then he says: “An
architect.” Voete is pleasantly (aangenaam) surprised (verras) by this and says Willem should
consider (oorweeg) a subject (vak) like Art (Kuns). Juffrou Blom is the new Art teacher and
she is also going to help with wood work (houtwerk) as well as coach (afrig) the junior rugby
teams. Art is Tuesday and Thursday after school and then Willem it hits (tref) Willem: nobody
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, would expect (verwag) him to do everything! He knows nothing of art, but it has to be better
than rugby!
HOOFSTUK 3: DIE CULTURAL EXPERIENCE
Willem has a plan regarding (rakende) the rugby issue: he will tell his dad that it is all too
much. Schalk told him about someone in his cousin’s school in Johannesburg who cracked
(ingegee) under (onder) all the pressure (druk) and lost (verloor) his memory (geheue). They
found him two days later on a train (trein) near (naby) Beaufort-Wes without (sonder) him
even knowing how he got there.
Willem and Schalk start talking about the extra art class and the new teacher. Schalk says he
can’t believe (glo) a woman can coach (afrig) rugby. (whatever, boys!)
Juffrou Blom looks like a man with her big body (lyf) and short hair. She wears jeans and
tekkies and a long, black shirt that hangs over her jeans. In art class, Willem sits next to (langs)
Mia: a girl with messy (deurmekaar) red hair and clothes (klere) that seem (lyk) as if they are
too big for her. There are ten kids in the class: seven girls and three boys. He knows Desmond
Hozapfel from Biology: a bit of a weird (vreemde) kid that shuffles (skuifel) instead (in plaas
van) of walks (loop) and looks like he’s from another (ander) planet (planeet). And of course
(natuurlik): Varkie.
The teacher talks about a painter (skilder), Matisse, and when Willem sees the old paintings
(skilderye), he is not impressed (beïndruk). Mia moves a toffee (toffie) closer (nader) to (aan)
Willem without looking at him. That is like an awkward (ongemaklike) gesture (gebaar) of
friendship
Juffrou Blom calls Willem “Wickus” by accident (per ongeluk) when the bell (klok) rings (lui).
She tells him to get his act together (himself regruk) since he is a term (kwartaal) behind
(agter) and then asks him if he plays rugby. He says sort of and doesn’t answer when she asks
what that means (beteken). He then walks away, but looks back and sees how she smokes
(rook) a cigarette (sigaret). He thinks juffrou Blom is weird, but Willem thinks he likes her. She
says what she says likes she means (bedoel) it.
HOOFSTUK 4: DIE POPROK
Willem watches (kyk vir) Pietie Palworthy while he’s busy gulping (inprop) down his lunch
(middagete). Willem wants to kill (doodmaak) Pietie because he is forever (altyd) throwing
(gooi) poor Flip with lemons (suurlemoene). Willem asks his mom if Lydia is going to have a
party (partytjie) on her birthday (verjaarsdag) the following week, but she replies (antwoord)
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