S. Africa native finds work at Glendale Heights fest

When Monique Nortman, who hails from from Johannesburg, South Africa, told her parents she'd like to spend the summer on the other side of the world, they thought it was a great opportunity and encouraged her to go for it.

Monique and her friend, La-Shune van der Westhuizen, also from Johannesburg, searched the Internet and found a local agency that specialized in work trips. That's how they found The North American Midway Entertainment carnival company and signed up to escape South America's winter for a summer adventure by working for the carnival in the suburbs this summer. They'll travel with the company to South Carolina in the fall.

On Tuesday, they were setting up for tonight's opening of Glendale Heights' Summerfest at Camera Park, 101 E. Fullerton Ave. The festival runs through Sunday. For details, visit www.glendaleheights.org.

Nortman and van der Westhuizen, recent high school graduates, have been here since April. They are experiencing America from the vantage point of the carnival's popcorn and caramel apple wagon. Rather than spending a lot of money they don't have on the usual tourist spots, they're seeing everyday America, and making money at the same time.

"It's all been good." Nortman says in Afrikaans-accented English, which is somewhat similar to Dutch.

What do the women like best about America? The nice clothes, they say, which are less expensive here. They like jeans, especially the stylish ones with big holes, and the apple-bottom ones, too, which they say you can't get in South Africa.