On January 13, I said my goodbyes to my family and embarked on my long but worthwhile journey to Sydney, Australia. I said adieu to the -17°C temperatures and said hello to the 23°C temperatures. I arrived on January 15 in Sydney after a good flight with ten hours of sleep. As I waited, sorry, as I sweated in line at customs to enter Australia for an hour and a half, I wondered how hot it was going to be outside if it was already that hot inside. I started to regret packing my large warm bathrobe and not one, but five heavy sweaters. As I walked through the sliding doors to the waiting area eager to get out of the airport I spotted Georgie, my exchange and her mother Lynn.

Upon my arrival at Lynn, David, Georgie and Eddie’s (their dog) house, I was welcomed and made to feel like I was at home. I received a disapproving bark from Eddie, which I soon found was because I was wearing black rain boots (it wasn’t raining). Once the boots came off, Eddie and I became good friends. My overweight bags were kindly brought to my room as I sat to take a breather from all that heavy traveling. Shortly after I went up to my room and closed my eyes for a little to prepare myself for the Australian adventures ahead.

It took a couple days for the jet lag to wear off, but when it finally did I embarked on the Australian summer life. It was still the holiday when I arrived so I got to spend some of their vacation with them. On the second day since my arrival, we went to Freshwater beach were we enjoyed the sun and the cool ocean water. We finished the day off with fish and chips while watching the sunset. The following day we went into the city. We took the ferry in so we saw a different view of it before we actually explored within. Once we disembarked, David, Georgie’s father, Georgie and I took ourselves on a little tour around the Opera House, which also had a great view of the Harbour Bridge. We took a look at a cute little market and people-watched. We then finished our day off by eating gelato as we watched a humongous cruise ship take off.

On Monday, Georgie’s amazing grandparents took all of us to Kangaroo Island, an Island south of Australia. It was about a 20-minute flight from Adelaide. A warm and welcoming woman named Melissa who escorted us and a few other people to the Southern Ocean Lodge picked us up. After a 50-minute drive to the lodge and a bit of nap, we arrived at our destination. We got off the little bus and as we approached the doors, two men pushed them open for us. That was something I had only ever seen in movies and ads. As we gradually walked in, we shook some of the staffs’ hands an introduced ourselves but what I saw behind them was breathtaking. The view from the Southern Oceans Lodge main sitting area was amazing. The clear and tall windows, which let in so much light allowed for a constant view of the beautiful ocean and beach. While there, we experienced three course meals for lunch and dinner and endless choices on a menu and buffet for breakfast. I thought I was in heaven!

We did many activities while there. It was the 7:00 am wake-up that we got from Georgie’s parents, that I knew that this was not going to be a do-nothing trip. So we got up, started our day with a wonderful breakfast and did a whole bunch of activities ranging from kayaking, to half-day tours to light houses and the remarkable rocks. The amount of wildlife we saw on this trip was amazing. I saw koalas, wallabies, kangaroos, goanna’s and so many types of birds that I didn’t even know existed. Georgie and my favourite activity was jumping into the beautiful plunge pool, eating and drinking from the open bar, where we had an endless supply of Shirley temples and M&Ms. On the last day I contemplated many times staying there for the rest of my life.

When we arrived back in Sydney, I had a couple of days to relax, catch up on work, and meet some of Georgie’s really nice friends. We enjoyed lunch, ice cream, and toasted banana bread with butter. The toasted banana bread was one of the best things I’ve have had in Australia so far. Vegemite is not my thing and I don’t think it ever will be!

School started today and I had a great time on my first day at MLC. I was a little shocked when I found out you were allowed to take your phone out in class and not get a Friday detention but I’m sure I’ll get used to it! Everyone was so nice and welcomed me to their school. I wore my LCC uniform proudly as I walked through the halls excited to see what I would learn from them and what I could teach them. I can say without a doubt that I have had an excellent start to my trip and I can’t wait to see what is coming up for me. I’ll keep you posted. – Rachelle Collins ’17: Exchange Student at the MLC School, Australia