Student Exchange Tazmania: Soaking It All In

Posted on March 19, 2013 by dlevy

About 10 days ago I was fortunate enough to visit Stanley,Tasmania. Stanley is a cute little town on the northwest coast of Tasmania, a three-hour road trip from my ‘house.’ We left Saturday morning and arrived around lunchtime. For lunch we went to a seafood place where I enjoyed a delicious plate of fish and chips. I also drank the best milkshake I have ever had! We spent the afternoon driving around Stanley and stopped at some lookouts with beautiful views of the town that consisted of roughly 500 people. I believe you could walk through the whole town in about two hours.

Sunday morning we went to one of the local beaches. It was great fun to swim and jump in the waves for a couple of hours, especially since it was 30 degrees! Later that afternoon we climbed the Nut, a mountain made up of the core of a volcano. The Nut could be an easy climb, however, the heat made it pretty tough. At the top of the Nut, there were lookouts as well as a path to walk along the summit.

We awoke early Monday morning (we didn’t have school) and headed towards Cradle Mountain a well-known tourist attraction, with a beautiful lake surrounding it. The mountain is home to many animals and plants. You can climb or drive up it, to a certain point, to get a nice view. We did not have the chance to experience the view because it was rainy and foggy.

On our way back home, we made two stops: a Tasmanian Devil Conservation Park and Tasmazia. The devil conservation park was especially interesting. During the tour, I learned so much information about these animals and their habitat – and I actually got to pet one of the Tassie Devils. There is a cancer spreading amongst these animals causing a consistent decline in their population. The park was built so the animals could breed and try to prevent the possibility of extinction.

Finally, our last stop on the way home was Tasmazia. Tasmazia is a huge hedge maze that consists of smaller mazes and little villages. It was honestly one of the coolest things I have ever seen. At Tasmazia, there is also a little café known for their pancakes, which we did indeed have the chance to eat. They were absolutely amazing!!

I have four more days in this wonderful state of Tasmania and then I am off to Sydney for a weekend before boarding a flight home to the snow. As keen as I am to see my friends and family, leaving here is going to be really sad because of all the wonderful people I have met and the constant 30 degree weather. –Leah Salzman ’15

Student Exchange Australia: Adjusting During Week One

Posted on March 14, 2013 by dlevy

A week ago I arrived in Melbourne, Australia to commence my experience as an exchange student at Ballarat Grammar School.

When I first arrived, I met with my family and travelled to my new home, 30 minutes away to a small town where they lived. They greeted me with open arms and helped me adjust to the 16 hour time difference. The family I am staying with has four girls; a nine-year-old named Alice, a twelve-year-old named Grace, a fifteen-year-old named Georgia (with whom I am staying) and a seventeen-year-old named Lucy.

The first couple of days in Australia were difficult because of the time difference, but I quickly adjusted before school started. On Monday, I went to Georgia’s school which is 1 hour away from her house. We took a bus to get there and arrived shortly to the beautiful school. I took all of Georgia’s classes the past school week and enjoyed each of them. She is a year older than me, but we are learning around the same things in math and science. I am doing some of her work but focusing on mine from home.

Every day after school we take the bus home to arrive around 4:30 pm. The past school week has been good so far and I’ve learned many new things. Although I am living around the world from my home, everything is roughly the same here. The biggest differences I have noticed are the accents/sayings, the land (very rural) and the culture. It is very refreshing to experience a new environment full of new people.

This weekend, the family I am staying with and I went to Robinvale for a water ski race. They all professionally water ski in different categories and did very well this weekend (second and third placements). We camped close to the river in tents and it was my first time camping. It was a different experience but I liked it very much. I watched Georgia ski and she was very good. We went out for dinner Sunday night and drove home today.

My first week in Australia has been very good and I am excited to continue living here for the next five weeks. –Arianna Galbraith

Final Days in Straya: The Things I Have Learned

Posted on March 14, 2013 by dlevy

Today is my second to last day in Alice Springs. I go home Friday. After six weeks here I can honestly say that this experience has changed my view on things for the better and has also opened my mind up to a different way of life.

After this morning’s farewell speech in front of the school I feel like I have brought the trip to an end and now all that is left is packing and goodbyes. I have done so much, seen so much and learned so much, all things that I will remember in Montreal. For example, I have learned that not all Australians from the outback are “bogans” and that being killed by animal life in Australia is not that common and not as I was told before coming here. I have learned to appreciate the peace and quiet of country life and I feel like once I get back to Montreal I will seek quiet more often. I have become accustomed to living in the outdoors and going back to a cold and grey Montreal will be very difficult. I have also had a taste of independence and now I crave it and will want more of it as time goes by. I have seen that I am capable of living without the constant support form my parents and that I can be very mature. I have grown as a person and made friends I will remember forever. I will miss my host family and their care but now I look forward to arriving back to my “normal” world and seeing my friends, family and just plain old Montreal in general. I will remember the Outback forever and I look forward to my next life adventure. –Justin Binstock ’15

Machu Picchu: Mind Over Matter

Posted on March 13, 2013 by dlevy

During the past four days, we’ve experienced an unforgettable journey: hiking the Laris trail while on our way to Machu Picchu, one of the worlds seven wonders. Although I was faced with certain challenges due to the change of environment, the spectacular views made it completely worth the effort. The first day was the toughest by far as we reached an altitude of 4450 meters. The trail was extremely steep and the lack of oxygen made it difficult to the reach the top. Not only was the hike physically challenging, it also tested my mental strength. Having a positive mindset helped me push through obstacles that I faced. As I reached the summit, I was overwhelmed by my accomplishment. The view was breathtaking and it brought tears to my eyes (the fact that I survived made me pretty emotional). Not only was the the trek unbelievable, but we had an amazing crew by our side. By the time we arrived at our campsite at the end of each day, our tents had already been set up and the mules had brought our bags down. The exhaustion was definitely hard to cope with, but the nights at the campsite were very relaxing. It was incredible to learn how they are able to cook our food without the luxurious tools that we have at our disposal. Even though the days were long and tiring, I have no regrets and look back on this experience with fondness. –Samantha Adessky ’13

Duke of Ed Gold Trip Peru 2013: LCC Pride in Service

Posted on March 6, 2013 by dlevy

Reflecting on our experiences in Las Palmas, we are proud of the improvements. Even though there is still much more progress to be made, we have no doubt that their living conditions will continue to improve. While it is extremely upsetting to witness their lack of proper housing, food and other materials we are fortunate enough to have, the kindness and compassion the community has shown us has left us with fond memories.

Though the citizens of Las Palmas benefited from our efforts, we believe that they have impacted us to a much greater extent by demonstrating important, yet too often forgotten values in our society like teamwork, kindness and compassion. Even without commodities that we value, they have found happiness in their lives, and have reminded us how to do so in our own.

Although this was our final year of service with them, we hope that the micro-loan project will allow us to maintain contact with Las Palmas and continue to show our support. – Sarah Salzman ’13 and Kelsey Wiseman ’13