The last two weeks in Melbourne have been absolutely wonderful. Time flies when you’re having a good time! I still can’t believe I’m heading back to Canada tomorrow. As much as I want to see my friends and family back in Montreal, I don’t want to leave what has become my second home yet. I have developed a lifelong connection with my exchange, Erica, and her family, the Gikovskis. Luckily, I have made many memories here that I will cherish forever.

Contrary to being “Down Under”, as Australia is known, last weekend I went to the Eureka Skydeck, the Southern Hemisphere’s highest viewing tower. It was absolutely stunning looking over the city 300m in the air. An elevator transported us from the ground, to the 88^th floor of the tower within 45 seconds! My ears got blocked so I ended up shouting with my already-very-loud voice at Erica and her dad. (It probably didn’t help that I was already half deaf from going to a One Direction concert the night before. It’s fascinating how loud teenage girls can scream…) I had to yawn about ten times before my ears finally popped! The view was gorgeous: the blue river running through the city, the open green land where kangaroos lived, the mountains in the horizon, and even the tennis courts where I watched the Australian Open a few weeks ago. It’s not something I could see when I’m standing on flat ground. After getting a 360° view of Melbourne and all its landmarks, I went on the Edge. Basically it’s a glass cube that projects three meters out of the building with me standing in it. It actually wasn’t all that scary! It was fun to see miniature people and tiny little cars running around through the glass floor while I was on top of the world!

My last weekend here was full of fun (at least for me!). I had told my family a few weeks ago I wanted to see something historic in Melbourne. Yes, it seems really weird and nerdy and the Gikovskis looked at me like I was from space and not Canada. But I don’t feel like I have really gotten to know a city if I haven’t seen it’s history. This weekend, Erica’s mom, Anna, took me to the Melbourne Museum. Despite Daniel’s (Erica’s little brother) protests, we dragged him along. We saw lots of dinosaur bones, and other animal skeletons. The history part was interesting as well. It’s amazing how much Montreal and Melbourne have in common. I really enjoyed my trip to the museum!

On Sunday, we took another trip to the zoo. This time, we went to Healesville Sanctuary, a zoo featuring Australian animals. My first stop was the koalas, which were absolutely adorable! They pawed at tree branches and took their time chewing the leaves before proceeding to take a nap. Australia has many species of exotic birds (unlike the seagulls and the pigeons that poop everywhere in Montreal…). I got to see these upfront and personal at the Spirits of the Sky Show. One bird swooped so close to my ear, I thought it would clip some of it off! I also saw emus, kangaroos, platypus, dingos and many different types of venomous snakes. I heard someone say to their child, “We are really lucky to live in Australia. We have the top ten most venomous snakes in the world!” I don’t know if she was being sarcastic… My favourite animal I saw at Healesville was the Tasmanian devil. It was like a huge, chubby black mouse that jiggled when it ran. It was really cute! It became less adorable when I saw it eat its dinner: a dead wombat. Is it a coincidence I also saw wombats that were alive at the zoo a few hours before?

I can’t believe I’m leaving Australia tomorrow morning. Six weeks have zipped right by me. I’m very sad to be packing my bags, I will not only miss Melbourne, but I will sincerely miss the Gikovskis who have been truly wonderful to me. I could not have asked for a better family to stay with. From the moment I arrived, they made me feel like part of the family. They have made every experience here fun and unforgettable. I will miss Emilyan’s jokes, Anna’s laugh, Erica’s stories, and Daniel’s craziness. Daniel was the little brother I never had (my brother from another mother) and Erica was the person I could turn to and have a good laugh with.

Today, I did not say “G’day mate!” but “G’bye.” I’ll even miss the times my friends laughed at my imitation of the Australian accent. I knew the day would come where I would have to say goodbye to my friends and my family, but I did not realize it would come so soon.

Words cannot describe how I feel about Australia and the time I have spent here. I can ramble on for hours and it still would not serve the experience justice. I think this exchange has had a big impact on me. I will return home with a different perspective, as a more independent person and most importantly a lifelong friend! – Lucia Huang ’17, Exchange Student at Ivanhoe Grammar School, Australia