Journey to Australia

Posted on January 28, 2016 by admin

Dainelle_Cutler1

It is a little over a week into my exchange and I am having an amazing time! When I arrived
at the airport in Melbourne on January 17 after almost two days of traveling, I was greeted by my fellow exchange student Chloe, her two sisters and her parents. Once we got to their house, I quickly settled in and felt at home right away.

The next day we drove up to a beautiful house in Nagambie, a small town one and a half hours away from their house in Balwyn, Melbourne. Since then, we have been relaxing by the river, waterskiing, tubing and having a blast. I’ve tried new foods since I’ve been here, like Tim Tams (a delicious chocolate cookie treat) and Vegemite (a spread which I don’t really like).

I’ve even been lucky enough to see many kangaroos! I am excited to meet Chloe’s school friends and see what school is like here. All in all, this has been an amazing experience and I can’t believe how fast it is going already.

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

Week Three in Australia: Kangaroos and Country Week

Posted on August 18, 2015 by admin

My third week of school in Australia went by fast. I spent it hanging out with all my new friends at school. It was my third and last week at Bunbury Cathedral Grammar School. On Friday, I said my goodbyes to most of my friends and had them sign my flag. I also signed up to go to Country Week, a type of mixed sports tournament, (instead of a work experience for the next week) and many of my friends were also going. After school that day, we took the bus home and invited a few people to hang out for Kasper’s upcoming 16th birthday. Many of my new friends showed up and we all had a good time. On Saturday morning, they all headed out and Kasper and I decided we would visit the local wildlife park. At this park, you can buy animal food and feed it to certain animals. I saved mine for the kangaroos. We went to see them last and it was really awesome for me because the closest I’d ever come to a kangaroo was around 30 feet away, the time I’d tried to chase one to get a picture of it. Being a wild kangaroo, it was timid and bounced away, but here, they were close. I got to feed a kangaraoo out of my hand and pat it.

The next day I left for Country Week. Country Week is a huge high school sports event and lots of schools come from all over Australia to compete. This year, 3,700 kids were in attendance to represent their schools. I was signed up for the touch rugby team because it was the only sport I was familiar with. I play rugby back home, but touch was new to me. I didn’t play all that much, because I wasn’t familiar with the different rules between touch and regular rugby, but sports were the least important part of the week. I went to Country Week initially because I wanted a bit more time with my friends – and that’s what I got. I roomed with a few of my friends and hung out with the others whenever I could. The week was very entertaining, and I got to learn more on Footie and Netball while supporting the BCGS teams. The week ended with closing ceremonies and BCGS tied for second.

– Garrett Doyle ‘17

Kangaroos, Dolphins, and Skydiving: My Adventurous Exchange

Posted on June 29, 2015 by admin

I touched down in Sydney, Australia, on June 8, exhausted from a 15-hour flight from Vancouver. This probably contributed to me missing my connecting flight to Perth; which was my final destination. I was put on the next flight without any problems two hours later. At 3:45 pm, I walked into the Perth airport. I reclaimed my bags and waited at a coffee shop for my family to arrive. Kasper, my exchange student, Florence, his sister, and Laura, their mother, greeted me and we all drove back to my new home. Upon arrival, I was introduced to Kasper’s father, Torben, as well as their two dogs, Gonzo and Daisy. I ate dinner and went to bed early. Despite serious jet lag, I planned on going to school the next day.

My first day at Bunbury Cathedral Grammar School was a blast. I made many new friends during lunch and recess and I took part in my first field hockey practice on the school team. It was my first experience with this sport, which introduced a few problems. The main one was that we had a game the next day and I didn’t know any of the rules, positions, or how to play. I did fine, aside from accidentally slashing a player on the other team in an attempt to get the ball. I learned the important lesson that field hockey is not played quite like ice hockey.

I signed up to play on the school AFL (Footie) team in a tournament that Friday. I had three days to learn the sport, but with field hockey, I was forced to pick it up in one day. I learned the rules and basic gameplay of Footie by watching videos on YouTube, as well playing for two hours in gym class. I was as ready as I was going to be. It was awesome! We lost every game, but it was still awesome.

We woke up quite early (by my schedule) at 9:30 am on Saturday and we headed out to motorbike on dirt trails in the woods. I learned how to operate the gears and went off on the trails for a spin. I came back a tad late and in the distance, close to where I’d started, was a group of about 10 kangaroos bounding across the road into the woods. We got home around 2:00 pm and I ended the day with a run and some training. The next day, we went out kayaking in a bay near the house and dolphins swam around our kayaks.

I got back from the weekend relaxed and ready for the start of another week. Nothing new happened on Monday, but I had my first aquatics class on Tuesday. Aquatics is a class for surfing in the sea, which lasts two hours without breaks. I figured it was going to be a nice day relaxing in the sun. I didn’t think of bringing a wetsuit for the cold water and the wind. Those two hours were quite uncomfortable, to say the least.

After that, I practiced with the field hockey team after school. When I got home, Laura told me I had two opportunities to consider: I was invited to play for the school Footie team for a weeklong tournament, or I could work at the Dolphin Discovery Centre (I’m still trying to decide what to do).

The next day, I had a field hockey game. We lost, but it was still fun. On the car ride home from the field, Laura told me I had the opportunity to skydive over the weekend in Busselton. I signed up to skydive as soon as I got home.

We ended the week early and started our weekend on Thursday at 3:30 pm. I went to Busselton, or “Busso,” for the skydiving trip. Friday was a pretty chill day. We visited a few tourist shops and ended off the day relaxing at the hotel. I didn’t sleep too well that night because I was too excited for the next day.

The wake-up call for skydiving was around 8:00 am. While pulling into Southern Skydivers parking lot I got my first glimpse of the plane. It was a small plane that fit around five people. I got suited up and acquainted with Jake, the person I would be jumping with. Around 15 minutes later, I boarded the plane with three other skydivers and Jake. We took off. At 10,000 feet, the plane doors opened and two people in the plane jumped. We flew another 4,000 feet and then it was our turn. I inched my way toward the open door, with Jake close behind me. We waited a few seconds and, when ready, we began the free fall. The wind blocked out all noise as we plummeted toward the ground at around 200 kilometres per hour. Another skydiver flew with Jake and I for around a minute of the free fall, then separated as we deployed our parachutes.

I’m lost for words to describe the experience, but it felt like I was in a dream, flying high above the clouds. On the descent I had the view of my life, as I overlooked the whole town of Busselton and the jetty from a height of around 5,000 feet. After landing, I thanked Jake and left with my family for whale watching. It was an awesome day. The next day was spent buying souvenirs for my family and friends. We ended the day with a tour of an underground cave called Jewel Cave. It was about 40 metres underground, and when lit up, it looked like a huge, intricate jewel. The next day was dedicated to rest – and I slept.

– Garrett Doyle ’17

Student Exchange: Memories of Thailand

Posted on April 8, 2015 by admin

Sadly, my time in Thailand has come to an end, after six amazing weeks of being among newly made friends and in an exotic new country. I am writing this on the airplane heading back to Montreal, and as much as I want out (because of boredom), half of me wants to turn the plane around and head back to Thailand. I already miss a lot of the food, fruit, and customs of the country and of my exchange school, Regents International School Pattaya. Of course, life must go on, and I have to come back to Canada and readjust to the time zone and the ways here.

Two weeks ago, my roommate, Osman, left to help look after his grandmother. I can tell you, I was really sad to see him leave, even though I would see him in school the next day. He was the funniest guy I have ever met, and I was never bored with him. But, as I said, he left, and I roomed with another one of my friends, Jeenchai. Though not as funny, he was special and entertaining in his own way.

For two weekends, I was hosted by Osman because he had been staying with his grandmother. In the first week, his parents were visiting from Russia, so we went to see a couple of tourist places. On Friday, we saw a Chinese museum and the Pattaya Buddha Mountain. I also got to eat a coconut and lots of passion fruit. The next day, we went swimming in their pool and just relaxed. On Sunday, we went shopping and then I had to go back to school. The next weekend was a more relaxed weekend. We stayed inside a lot because it was one of the only times it rained while I was there. On Sunday, we went shopping for souvenirs because it was my last week there.

On my last day, and for the first time, I wore my LCC suit to school – all the other days I only needed to wear a shirt, pants, and shoes, because of the heat – and yes, I was sweating most of the day. I had to wear the uniform because I’d made a promise to someone that I’d wear it on the last day. At the end of the school day, after getting our grades for the term, everyone said goodbye to me. They were all upset that I was leaving, and they also said that I should’ve been there for the school Songkran (the Thai New Year) party the next day. I was told it was really fun, but sadly, I wasn’t going to be there. It was a very sad day. I got back to the boarding house and immediately started to pack, because I had to leave in seven hours and I’d barely packed. I took a break for dinner, and I’m glad I went, because it was the school Songkran dinner. It was a feast, and I can easily say that that was my favorite meal there. There were two appetizers, four main courses, an amazing dessert, and then lots of different fruit. I was challenged to eat a whole chili pepper, and I did. The next five minutes of my life was spent eating tons of fruit and breathing out sharply to get rid of the spice. It was a fun last experience in Thailand.

More quickly than I’d expected, my time to leave the school had come, and sadly, I walked down the same corridors I had walked down 100 times before to get around the school, but this time would be the last. As I got on the bus, I took one last look at the school that had become my home for the last six weeks of my life. I would miss it. I said goodbye to all the boarders and the staff who had welcomed me when I’d arrived, and then I left for the airport. After a total of twenty hours in the air, and three hours sitting in the airport, I am back in Montreal, welcomed by the thing that most of the people in Thailand have never seen, and the thing I haven’t seen in six weeks: snow. – Eli Samuel ’17, Exchange Student at Regents International School Pattaya

Ma quatrième semaine à Paris

Posted on April 8, 2015 by admin

Déjà ma 4ième semaine à Paris terminée! Je me sens finalement comme chez moi ici. Les activités que nous avons faites cette semaine étaient sublimes. Premièrement, mardi soir le 26 mars, ma famille d’accueil a décidé de me faire une petite surprise. En fait, pour moi c’était l’une des plus grandes surprises de ma vie, un évènement qui constituera ma meilleure expérience à Paris.

Ce soir-là, alors que je lisais mon livre d’anglais tranquillement, je reçois un appel de Marc Jablonski, le père. Avec une voix pressée et excitée, il me dit «Ryan! Habille-toi, on va visiter un musée!», sachant que je ne serais pas trop enthousiasmé par une sortie au musée. Marc préparait ainsi la surprise pour que ma réaction soit inoubliable. Et il a eu raison. Lorsque Marc m’a donné mon billet bleu, je suis resté bouche bée devant Le Stade de France remplie d’une foule incroyablement bruyante. J’allais vivre l’expérience d’un match de soccer, France contre Brésil avec 80 000 autres Parisiens. J’étais en manque de mots, ébahi et ne pouvant pas parler pendant 2 minutes. Même si on (je parle de la France bien entendu) a perdu 3-1, cette expérience a été fantastique et le jeu était excitant. J’ai tellement apprécié cette opportunité qui m’a été offerte, une expérience que je ne vais jamais oublier.

La deuxième activité qu’on a faite cette semaine était la visite d’une gallerie d’art au Grand Palais. Comme je l’ai mentionné avant, personnellement, je n’aime pas trop les musées ou les galleries. Mais d’abord, on parle du magnifique Grand Palais sur les Champs-Élysées, construit pour l’expo universelle de Paris en 1900. Ensuite, ce que j’ai vu dans cette gallerie a changé ma perception de l’art et éveillé mon intérêt. C’était une œuvre d’art, créée par Manuel Merida, un vénézuélien, qui s’appelle Cercle Bleu Outremer. Cette œuvre consistait en un grand cercle rempli de poudre de vitre, qui tourne très lentement, de sorte que ces fragments tombent lentement lorsque le cercle tourne graduellement. J’ai immédiatement téléphoné à ma mère pour lui raconter ma découverte et la convaincre d’acheter l’œuvre!

En conclusion, ma quatrième semaine était évidemment un grand succès. Encore une fois, c’est incroyable de penser qu’il me reste seulement 2 semaines. Je suis devenu attaché à la ville de Paris et les gens qui habitent ici et je vais avoir de la difficulté à leur dire aurevoir. – Ryan Garber ’17, Exchange Student at École alsacienne