La jolie France – Semaine 5: La dernière semaine avant les vacances de pâques

IMG_4674Ce dimanche les parents de Marie voulaient que j’aille à leur travail avant que je reparte, alors toute la famille est venue. Quand je suis rentrée dans la salle, j’étais très surprise, c’était si grand. Leur travail s’appelle « Kidzy », et il y en a cinq ou six en France, car c’est une compagnie qui appartient à la famille Chrétien. Kidzy est une grande salle où les enfants peuvent jouer; une plaine de jeux. Il y avait un grand espace de jeux avec plusieurs activités, une piscine à balles, « air hockey », une petite course de voiture, et des tables pour les fêtes des enfants. Il y a beaucoup à manger chez Kidzy ; des gâteaux, des glaces, et pleins d’autres choses que chaque enfant rêve de manger. Quand tous les enfants ont terminé leurs fêtes, Xavier, le père de Marie, a fermé la plaine de jeux pour que nous puissions manger. Après le repas, moi, Marie, Léonora, et Noé sommes allés jouer un peu dans les jeux. C’était une journée pleine d’activités et d’adrénaline.

Cette semaine est ma dernière semaine au Lycée St Vincent. Je suis très triste de dire au revoir à tous les amis que j’ai rencontré, et tous les professeurs qui m’ont accueilli dans leur classe. C’était intéressant d’apprendre beaucoup sur cette école et les différences entre ce lycée et LCC.  Je vais avoir plein de souvenirs dans ce lycée, avec tous les gens qui m’ont accueilli avec gentillesse.

Cette semaine est aussi le début des Pâques juives. Comme la famille de Marie n’est pas juive, une copine dans la classe de Marie m’a invitée a célébrer les fêtes avec sa famille pendant les deux soirs importants. C’était un autre changement qui était difficile pour moi, mais ils étaient vraiment gentils et accueillants. Sa famille vient d’Allemagne et les traditions que j’ai chez moi étaient presque les mêmes qu’ils ont. J’étais fascinée par leurs traditions et c’était enrichissant de voir des juifs hors de Montréal.  — Ilana Singer ’16

Student Exchange Melbourne: A Once In A Lifetime Experience!

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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: Colegio Anglo Colombiano

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

La jolie France – Semaine 4: Lille et la crème chantilly

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Ce weekend, nous sommes allés à Lille pour une réunion avec le groupe « Les Écoles du Désert », et pour voir les cousins de Marie. Les Écoles du Désert est une organisation qui aide les enfants qui habitent au Burkina Faso; pour distribuer les outils nécessaires pour l’école, comme des cahiers, des stylos, etc. Les enfants entre onze ans et treize ans peuvent gagner la chance d’y aller. Il y a environ soixante-quinze enfants qui gagnent, un dans chaque magasin d’une chaine en France et en Belgique. Il y a deux ans, Marie est allée aider les enfants au Burkina Faso. Chaque année, ils ont une réunion avec tout le monde qui est allé aider les enfants. Pendant la réunion, on a regardé un film des enfants qui y sont allés cette année. Après le film, il y avait des apéritifs et des desserts français.

 

Après cette journée intéressante, nous sommes allés chez les cousins de Marie. Ils habitent dans une ville qui s’appelle Louvil. On a dormi chez eux et le lendemain nous avons marché dans la petite ville. Dans les rues, il y avait des gens qui vendaient des choses dont ils n’avaient plus besoin et quatre manèges. Léonora, la petite sœur de Marie, a acheté des bracelets à la vente. Après notre tour, nous sommes allés sur les manèges et nous avons mangé des crêpes et des gaufres. C’était très amusant et très bizarre qu’il y ait tout ça dans une petite rue.

 

 

Cette semaine la maman de Marie, Emmanuelle, m’a montré comment faire la vraie crème Chantilly. C’était magnifique et vraiment délicieux. D’abord, on doit acheter la crème liquide entière et un bol froid; s’il n’est pas froid, ça ne va pas transformer en crème épaisse. Après, on la mélange avec un batteur électrique pour qu’elle soit plus épaisse. On peut ajouter du sucre ou un colorant alimentaire si ça te plait! – Ilana Singer ’16

Duke of Ed Gold Trip 2014: Camaraderie, Collaboration and Cooperation

2013_14_DukeEdGold_CostaRica_092I can honestly say that the Duke of Ed Gold trip to Costa Rica was one of the best experiences of my life. I got to push my limits, I learned how much I was capable of leaving my comfort zone, I made some awesome new friends and participated in so many incredible activities that I never dreamed I could really do.

 

After a very early start, I mean a 4:00 am start; we arrived in San Jose in the early afternoon, I was quite tired. I perked up though that evening, when I discovered a scorpion in my hotel room, an unnerving intro to Costa Rica!

 

Our adventure began in earnest the next day with a five day hike. This was grueling and intense. We hiked for a couple of hours a day in various degrees of difficulty. We climbed over massive rocks, hiked up monster hills all in the unbearable heat. While the hike was difficult, we got to enjoy the fantastic and beautiful landscape and scenery. There were waterfalls; the sky was as blue as can be, and we were surrounded by incredible and unspoiled nature. During the duration of the hike, we stayed in tents, which was an interesting experience. We really got to embrace nature.

 

Once the hike was over, I felt relief but I was also proud that I persevered and endured the trek. After the hike, it was time for adventurous activities. We stayed at a lodge for a few days where I learned that life could be simple, uncomplicated but happy. The lodge didn’t have any doors or windows, and any insect and animal was free to come in, and they did! We learned to make chocolate out of coco beans and we got to live among turkeys and roosters that would wake us up at 5 am every morning.

 

I even mustered the courage to rappel down an 85-foot cliff. As well, during our time at the lodge, we helped to build a special garden shelter. We cut bamboo from the forest, and we had to transport it down a hill and across a river back to the lodge. That in itself was an adventure. But I think what made this trip extraordinarily special was the camaraderie, collaboration and cooperation within our group and the great support with and encouragement from the teachers who accompanied us.

 

 

It was an amazing journey, where I got to discover a lot about myself. I shelved my comfort zone and I took risks, and I ended up having experiences that I will never, ever forget. – Jennifer Ben-Menashe ’14

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