Three days left and still I am wondering where the time has gone? This entire exchange feels as if it has flown by in a matter of minutes. I have made so many good friends here and will definitely miss them, as well as the school. I would like to thank Ballarat Grammar for making this exchange possible, and I would especially like to thank Matt, his brother Dan, Mother Amanda and Father Alan for being such amazing, friendly and welcoming hosts. I don’t think I could have possibly had a better host family! They have showed me so much throughout my time here and I am so grateful for all they have done.
The last two weeks have been nothing but busy (in a good way.) Last week, I was invited to speak with up and coming francophones in the grade 7 French class. I spoke to them about the importance of learning French, as well as life in Montreal. Although they did not understand much of what I said, they all seemed to enjoy the presentation quite well, giving me positive feedback, followed by smiles and “Bonjour Ryan!” as we crossed paths around the school.
On the weekend, we decided to drive into Melbourne, which is about an hour and a half away from Ballarat. While in Melbourne, we were lucky enough to experience the Australian Grand Prix atop the Eureka Skydeck, which is essentially the Sears Tower of the Southern hemisphere. This was a very amazing experience, as I had never even watched The Canadian Grand Prix, which is located in our own backyard!
Later that day, we visited an old, decommissioned prison where Ned Kelly, Victorian vigilante was hung. We took a tour of the prison, which included a bunch of historical information and cells open for public exploration.
After lunch, we made our way over to the ETIHAD stadium to watch Carlton play Port Adelaide. Being the first time watching Australian Rules football, I was quite confused at first, but eventually understood the concept, as it is much simpler then American Football. I had a great time at the game and we had a lot of fun.
Last weekend, we went to Matt’s vacation home in a beautiful region called Halls Gap. Halls Gap is located within a valley surrounded by Rocky Mountains. The area is full of wildlife. Kangaroos were such a common site in Halls Gap, they were essentially like squirrels! We saw them everywhere in huge packs of 30! Right next to Matt’s house is a large clearing where we saw hundreds of kangaroos sprinting past the window each day, a couple of rabbits, kookaburras, cockatoos, a family of deer, emus and even an echidna! While there, we went driving in the mountains and rock climbing! – Ryan Hawa ’16
