I have been in Ballarat, Australia for a week now, and I must say that I am having the best time. Traveling all the way here wasn’t the most eventful part of this first week, though after finally meeting my wonderful exchange family it was definitely worth it. Out in Ballarat, my exchange family has a home in a small town called Skipton, which is where they harvest crops and take care of sheep for their wool. The Walker family was extremely welcoming, with a nice box filled with Tim Tams, an Australian flag and some Australian stuffed animals.

Ballarat Grammar School is an amazing school. It’s somewhat different from LCC, with many more buildings, a farm, a pool and multiple boarding houses. Though with many more differences, the people are just as friendly as back home. Over the weekend, I had the opportunity to visit the Ballarat Wildlife Park to see some kangaroos, koalas and wombats up close. I can easily say that a kangaroo is really as cute as you see in pictures. I hope the next five weeks won’t go by too quickly because I am having the most amazing experience.

– Sophie Tellier ’18, Exchange student at Ballarat Grammar School