As I sit at the airport in Los Angeles, waiting for my flight to Montreal, I am struggling to find the perfect words to describe the second half of my exchange. This is because during such a short amount of time in Melbourne, so many memories and friendships were created and I am still in shock that it is already over.

Three weekends ago, I went to Sydney with Chloe, her mom and her younger sister. While we were there, I climbed the Sydney Harbour Bridge, saw the opera house, went surfing for the first time at Bondi beach, and went to Taronga Zoo. Everything we did was so much fun and I’m so happy I got the opportunity to see Sydney too!

The following weekend, I went up to Mount Buller, which is the mountain my exchange family skis at three hours away from Melbourne (its elevation is 1805 m and it has 22 lifts). We stayed at their house at the top of the mountain for one night. Chloe and I hiked to the summit and the view was amazing! Of course, their winter is in July and August so there was no snow when I was there.

Friday, February 26, was my last night in Melbourne. Chloe and I invited a bunch of her friends from school over to her house to say goodbye. It was the most fun night and I was so sad to be saying goodbye.

This exchange was even better than I expected, not only because I had an amazing experience, but also because I had a once in a lifetime opportunity to travel to a country across the world, learn about a new culture and broaden my horizons. Six weeks ago, I was scared to leave Montreal and step outside of my comfort zone. Now that it is over, I am sad that I had to leave a country I had only known for a small amount of time, yet felt so connected to. ‘Til next time Australia!

P.S. Chloe arrives in Montreal in a couple days and I cannot wait to see her and show her around Montreal!

– Danielle Cutler ’18, Exchange Student at Carey Baptist Grammar School