On February 5, 2016, I left Montreal to go to Melbourne, Australia. Because there were no
direct flights to the city, I had to take two flights. The first one was to Doha in Qatar and after a six-hour layover, the second flight went straight to Melbourne. After leaving my parents and boarding the plane on my own for the first time, I had a million thoughts go through my mind. I was extremely excited to be able to meet Tomas for the first time as well as all his classmates at Carey Baptist Grammar School. However, at the same time, I was a bit nervous since I did not really know what to expect and I’d be going to a new school, living with a host family and meeting new people. Fortunately, after getting settled in on the plane, I got rid of those thoughts by falling asleep because it was already 11 pm.

When I finally woke up, the plane had already begun its descent to Doha and it was a very pleasant 13-hour flight that actually felt kind of short. Unfortunately, because of my flight schedule, I had to wait in Doha for six hours. But surprisingly, this was not boring at all. In fact, the airport was very modern and equipped with many different shops, services and amenities. The lounge there was over the top and unlike anything I’ve ever seen; there were two restaurants, shower rooms, sleeping rooms and even a man-made lake. Plus, the staff there was very nice and helpful and they took very good care of me during my time in Doha.

Finally, I got on the last flight of my trip and watched movies until I arrived at Melbourne. When I set foot in this new country, more questions started to arise. Will Tomas and his father come to pick me up on time? What if border control tries to stop me from entering Australia? Nonetheless, all my questions were answered when I breezed through customs and met Tom and his dad.

My first few days at Carey were a blast. I met many new classmates and got to know my host family a lot better. They were all very nice and friendly, which made me feel at home and remind me of my friends back in Montreal. However, everything here is quite different from Canada and I learned that through a few amusing events. For instance, after being picked up from the airport, I thought that my fellow exchange student was driving since he got into the left side of the car, but I was wrong because Australians drive on the right instead of the left.

All in all, I am very excited and I can’t wait to explore and experience Australia even more. I am very grateful for this opportunity and I am eager to make the most out of it!

– Terry Xiao ‘18, Exchange Student at Carey Baptist Grammar School