Student Exchange: Colegio Anglo Colombiano

Posted on April 15, 2014 by admin

I can’t find the perfect way to describe how amazing my student exchange has been. Not once have I regretted my decision to travel to Colombia, nor to extend my stay an extra two weeks. After only a day, I felt like I was a part of Gabriela’s family and that I belonged in the school. I was welcomed with open arms and have made so many lifelong friends and met so many interesting and kind people. The bonds that I have created here are irreplaceable and truly incredible.

This experience has broadened my horizons because I had the opportunity to learn from teachers from a different culture, with different teaching styles. I also had the opportunity to interact with and make new friends from all around Colombia since I had the chance to travel around the country.

The process of applying to go on an exchange abroad can be a little scary, especially for someone like me who hasn’t really been away from my family for long periods of time, but once I stepped off the plane all my nervousness turned to excitement.

The eight weeks I spent in Colombia were packed with activities. I went to school for the first three weeks at Colegio Anglo Colombiano, which is an international school located in Bogotá, Colombia. Bogotá is the capital of Colombia and in my opinion it is the city that never sleeps. On the weekends there are parties both Friday and Saturday and they dance until morning. There is an abundance of people, cars, places and things to visit. The school is beautiful; when the students aren’t in the classrooms they’re outside. All the hallways which connect the classes are outdoors.

After my first three weeks, Gabriela, her family and I traveled to Mesa de Yeguas, Barranquilla and Cartagena for Gabriela’s spring break. These were all beautiful tropical destinations that I was privileged to be able to visit. To anyone considering doing a student exchange, I strongly encourage it. This has been an incredible experience that I will never forget. – Mikaela Ludwick ’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

La jolie France – Semaine 2: Les nouvelles découvertes

Posted on March 28, 2014 by admin

Tout le monde me parle en français, et je comprends tout. Ils étaient surpris que je parle si bien et ils pensent que je n’ai pas l’air d’être Québécoise.

Quand j’ai commencé l’école au Lycée St-Vincent, j’ai senti qu’il y avait une atmosphère très différente qu’à LCC. Les classes sont très différentes; quand on sort de nos classes, on se retrouve dehors. Personne n’a d’ordinateur, car il n’y a pas de Wi-Fi. Nous sommes très chanceux d’avoir l’avantage d’utiliser les ordinateurs en classe et nous devrions plus apprécier le fait de travailler avec des MacBook. Chaque matin pour arriver au lycée, on prend l’autobus qui dure à peu près vingt minutes.

Cette semaine, j’avais l’opportunité de rencontrer les correspondants qui viennent d’Angleterre, d’Espagne, et de Toronto avant qu’ils repartent. Les Anglais et les Espagnols restent pour seulement une semaine, et la correspondante de Toronto reste trois semaines. Avec le lycée, chaque jeudi, tous les correspondants font des sorties à Paris.

Ce jeudi-là, on a visité la Tour Eiffel, L’Arc de triomphe et le Musée D’Orsay. On a pris beaucoup de photos quand nous avons marché autour de Paris et on a découvert beaucoup de nouvelles choses intéressantes! C’était magnifique de visiter Paris, finalement, car mes rêves ont commencé à se réaliser. – Ilana Singer ’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: 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