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: 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)

La Jolie France – Semaine 1: Le voyage de l’année est enfin arrivé!

Posted on March 20, 2014 by admin

Je suis finalement arrivée en France le 16 mars à huit heures du matin après des mois d’attente pour rencontrer la famille de ma correspondante Marie. Dès que j’ai récupéré mes valises à l’aéroport et que j’ai rencontré la famille de ma correspondante, mon trajet a commencé!

La famille était très sympathique lorsqu’ils m’ont souhaité la bienvenue dans leur maison. Les parents de Marie, Xavier et Emmanuelle, cuisinent tous les repas dans la maison et ils sont vraiment bons. Sa petite sœur, qui s’appelle Léonora, chante tout le temps dans sa chambre et ça éclaire toute la maison. Enfin, il y a son petit frère qui s’appelle Noé, et il aime jouer avec des legos. Il n’y a pas un moment ennuyeux dans cette maison. La famille habite à Chantilly qui se trouve une heure en dehors de Paris, avec une population d’environ 11 000 habitants.

À Chantilly il y a des maisons qui ont l’air anciennes, mais très classiques et élégantes. Il y a beaucoup des choses à visiter dans cette ville. Par exemple, il y a le Château de Chantilly, L’Église Notre-Dame de Chantilly, l’Hippodrome de Princes de Conde, et bien sûr, beaucoup des magasins et restaurants à côté de sa maison. J’aime beaucoup le paysage, et la température est beaucoup mieux comparée au froid de Montréal. J’ai hâte de commencer l’école et de rencontrer les amis de Marie! – Ilana Singer ’16, Lycée St-Vincent à Senlis