Student Exchange Melbourne: A Once In A Lifetime Experience!

Posted on April 15, 2014 by admin

I have now been in Australia for five weeks and I am reaching the very end of my stay. I have had an amazing time in this beautiful country; I have seen so many wonderful things. When I arrived the first thing I noticed was the smell of the ocean. School also has shorter days and more periods. We are always outside as to get from one class to another you need to actually go outside and walk to the next class. People here eat lunch outside unlike Montreal where we spend most of our time inside during winter.

During my stay in Australia I have been to the most beautiful beaches I have ever seen. The water is bright blue and the sand is white. The water is always the perfect temperature. There where many different beaches, so if I felt more active, I could go to one with more waves…if I wanted to relax I could just go to a beach with little or no waves. One thing that I like about Australia is that there are all kinds of climates: there is desert, ocean, and rain forests and in winter there can even be snow at the top of some mountains. I was lucky enough to experience three of those climates. If I could stay here for just a little bit longer, I might have been able to witness some Aussie snow. But I have heard that it’s nowhere as good as Canadian snow!

I play a lot of sports such as football, hockey and rugby. Coming to Australia I was looking forward to playing a bit of rugby. When I arrived people told me that rugby was a winter sport and that I wasn’t here for that season. I had to choose a sport to do while I was here, so I decided to start a new sport. I joined a long line of champions in the rowing team at Carey Grammar School. Rowing is a big thing in Australia, kind of like hockey is in Canada. All the best athletes are in rowing as a summer sport. If you are not rowing you are playing cricket, and I definitely didn’t want to play cricket.

My stay in Australia is drawing to a close, I have been here for almost six weeks, I have made many friends and memories and it will be hard to leave them behind. Another thing that I will miss is my great host family. All and all, this was a once in a lifetime experience and I enjoyed it very much. I would strongly recommend it for other students next year. – Zachary-Pierce Pfefferle ’16

Student Exchange Australia: Accents, Animals and Aussies

Posted on March 31, 2014 by admin

I arrived Down Under on March 1, and have lived and tanned with a group of extraordinary people I will never forget! The day after I arrived, I went to the beach, and I saw my first typically Australian scene: bright blue skies, turquoise waters and golden-white sand that your feet sank into.

On Monday, I went to school, and it is going really well. My classes and teachers at Bunbury Cathedral Grammar School are great, and I’ve been able to take part in the school band, which has been really fun.

If I had to compare BCGS to LCC, the first thought to come to mind would be the campus: BCGS is really spread out, and walking from one end to the other takes more than ten minutes…

I am staying in boarding, and really enjoying that as well: I have been able to connect with a whole group of students outside of my grade that I would never have met otherwise.

Although my entire time here so far has been memorable, my favourite part so far has been my visit to the local wildlife park, where I was able to pet and feed a group of kangaroos. I had no idea that they actually hopped, nor did I realize quite how small they are… kangaroos still have to be some of the coolest animals around either way.

Although I miss my family, I am looking forward to my next few weeks here, and I really hope that they don’t pass by as quickly as my first few! – Michael Hamilton ’16

Australia Exchange: Thank You For An Amazing Experience!

Posted on March 25, 2014 by admin

Three days left and still I am wondering where the time has gone? This entire exchange feels as if it has flown by in a matter of minutes. I have made so many good friends here and will definitely miss them, as well as the school. I would like to thank Ballarat Grammar for making this exchange possible, and I would especially like to thank Matt, his brother Dan, Mother Amanda and Father Alan for being such amazing, friendly and welcoming hosts. I don’t think I could have possibly had a better host family! They have showed me so much throughout my time here and I am so grateful for all they have done.

The last two weeks have been nothing but busy (in a good way.) Last week, I was invited to speak with up and coming francophones in the grade 7 French class. I spoke to them about the importance of learning French, as well as life in Montreal. Although they did not understand much of what I said, they all seemed to enjoy the presentation quite well, giving me positive feedback, followed by smiles and “Bonjour Ryan!” as we crossed paths around the school.

On the weekend, we decided to drive into Melbourne, which is about an hour and a half away from Ballarat. While in Melbourne, we were lucky enough to experience the Australian Grand Prix atop the Eureka Skydeck, which is essentially the Sears Tower of the Southern hemisphere. This was a very amazing experience, as I had never even watched The Canadian Grand Prix, which is located in our own backyard!

Later that day, we visited an old, decommissioned prison where Ned Kelly, Victorian vigilante was hung. We took a tour of the prison, which included a bunch of historical information and cells open for public exploration.

After lunch, we made our way over to the ETIHAD stadium to watch Carlton play Port Adelaide. Being the first time watching Australian Rules football, I was quite confused at first, but eventually understood the concept, as it is much simpler then American Football. I had a great time at the game and we had a lot of fun.

Last weekend, we went to Matt’s vacation home in a beautiful region called Halls Gap. Halls Gap is located within a valley surrounded by Rocky Mountains. The area is full of wildlife. Kangaroos were such a common site in Halls Gap, they were essentially like squirrels! We saw them everywhere in huge packs of 30! Right next to Matt’s house is a large clearing where we saw hundreds of kangaroos sprinting past the window each day, a couple of rabbits, kookaburras, cockatoos, a family of deer, emus and even an echidna! While there, we went driving in the mountains and rock climbing! – Ryan Hawa ’16

Student Exchange Australia: Passionate About Rowing!

Posted on March 20, 2014 by admin

The past few weeks have gone by so quickly! It felt as if I was just starting to settle in when I realized I would be leaving on Sunday, March 16. I was having so much fun I decided to ask my parents if I could stay longer. So I am now in my official second last week here in Ballarat, Australia. It has been such a wonderful experience not only meeting new people and seeing a different culture but also being able to live in a completely different place.

Last weekend, Clare brought me to her farm, which is about an hour and half drive from her house. The farm is in the middle of nowhere, the closest house is 5 km away and it’s Clare’s grandparents’ house! They have so much land, which is really cool because you can do anything. When we got there, we went horseback riding on their own horses. Later that day, we went motor biking which was extremely fun. I had never ridden a motorbike before but it was very cool to have complete control of where I was going. The next day, we went to Melbourne to go shopping and in the evening went to the musical Grease, which I thought was a great show. Overall, it was an exhilarating and busy weekend.

My exchange partner Clare coxes the Senior 1^st Crew for the rowing team at Ballarat Grammar. I have been going to many of her practices including the early ones at 6 am! I usually go on a motorboat with their coach Bill to watch them and of course he coaches them. This has been such an incredible experience. Bill is one of the most inspiring people I have ever met. The way he talks about the sport just shows you that he is so keen and passionate about it. He has taught me a lot about rowing over the past few weeks. Last week, he even let me try to row with the other girls! I am lucky enough to be able to go to the Australian Nationals next week in Sydney. All the best schools will show up to compete against each other. I will be there to support the Ballarat Grammar team! Unfortunately, I will miss the final since I am leaving on the Saturday of that week.

I am very excited to see my family and friends again but at the same time I don’t want to leave! Hopefully the next two weeks don’t pass by too quickly. – Clara MacIntosh ’14 (LCC Exchange Student @ Ballarat Grammar in Melbourne, Australia)

Student Exchange Australia: Loving Every Single Moment!

Posted on March 17, 2014 by admin

After 30 hours of travel I finally arrived in Bunbury, Australia. The city is a lot smaller than Montreal, and a lot warmer too. My exchange family was so welcoming and took care to make me feel right at home. Georgia is so sweet, I couldn’t have asked for a better exchange partner!

After resting from my long flight, we visited an Australian wildlife park where I got the chance to see all the lovely Australian animals. I even saw some Redbacks, a type of poisonous spider native to Australia. One of the highlights of my trip to the wildlife park was getting to feed a kangaroo, something I had been really looking forward to.

Bunbury Cathedral Grammar School is such a change from LCC. Their campus is very spread out so that to get from class to class, you have walk outside as all the courses are in different buildings. Everyone here has been super friendly and I’ve made many great friends. My favourite class is food technology, where we cook delicious meals and get to eat them afterwards.

Last week there was a swimming carnival at school. Instead of going to class we went to the swimming pool for swim races and relays. We were split up by house, and you got points if someone in your house finished in first, second or third place. The house with the most points at the end of the day won the carnival. It was such a fun experience!

Going on exchange was probably one of the best choices I’ve made. I’ve been here for almost a month and my exchange has been going by so fast. One time, we drove up to Perth, the capital of Western Australia. There was a sculpture competition on the beach, and I was able to see some beautiful Australian art. It was amazing to see all the detail these artists put into their work.

Last weekend we stayed in Yallingup, which has some of the most beautiful beaches in all of Western Australia. Needless to say, we spent most of our time at the sunny beaches, where we tried (unsuccessfully) to ride the waves. The next day we visited Ngilgi cave, named after Ngilgi the good spirit who lives there, according to aboriginal legend. It was a spectacular sight; the underground limestone cave was lit up in all different colours and stalactites hung down from the roof.

I’ve been here four weeks so far and have loved every single moment. I can’t wait to see what new adventures are to come! – Alexandra Gardilcic ’16