Student Exchange: Unforgettable Life Experience

Posted on December 3, 2013 by admin

On October 10, I flew out from the Sydney International Airport, excited for the journey to Montreal, Canada. After a 22 hour flight I arrived in a warmer climate than expected for Montreal, with temperatures around 20 celsius. I was given the rest of the afternoon to settle in and to adjust. The next day I was taken on a tour of the city, as well as meeting my host Charlie’s friends. On Saturday, I was taken to Ottawa, the capital of Canada. I was given a tour of the city, where there were many amazing buildings, such as the parliament buildings. Sunday was Canadian Thanksgiving and we went to family friends for Thanksgiving dinner, where we had a roast turkey and pumpkin pie for dessert. It was a different experience, as I had never had pumpkin pie before but after trying it I could see why it was so popular!

Tuesday came quickly and it was finally my first day at Lower Canada College! I was excited but also nervous at the same time. Everyone was so welcoming and helped me settle into school. I was lucky enough to be given the opportunity to play with the school’s football team, training with them Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday night before the final game of the regular season that Friday. I was not able to get placed on the field as the team battled hard to keep their chances of making the playoffs alive. In the end however, they went down by 21 points. This meant the team missed out on playing in the post-season. Although I did not play any game time, being given the opportunity to train with the boys and learn more about how to play the game was a great opportunity.

Three weeks into my exchange Halloween had arrived, with the school having various activities set up – the favourite being pumpkin smashing! The school was full of students wearing different costumes, some being more inventive than others.

That weekend Charlie and his family took me to Toronto. We arrived on the Friday night and I could tell it was a huge city, with many high-rise buildings everywhere. On Saturday we walked around the city, seeing the newly opened aquatic centre, however the line was way too long, so we did not actually visit. We also went shopping at the Eaton Centre, which is near Yonge and Dundas Square, the Time Square of Toronto on a smaller scale. On Sunday before leaving for home, Charlie and I went up the CN Tower, the world’s tallest free standing structure at 553m. The viewing deck is 350 meters above the ground and gives you a great view of the size of the city.

A week later and we were off again, this time to New York for the weekend. Saturday morning we went to Hoboken, New Jersey to Carlo’s Bakery, made famous by the show ‘Cake Boss’ as per my request. Little did I know that the line to get into the bakery would be two hours long! We then headed for New York City to visit the World Trade Centre Memorial. Before going to Time Square, we went to Battery Park and saw a magnificent view of the sun setting behind the Statue of Liberty. We then arrived at Time Square. Everything about it was intimidating. It felt as though you were boxed in by all the surrounding buildings and you couldn’t move because of the amount of people that were there.

The next place we went to was the Rockefeller Centre, where the Christmas tree was in the process of being set up. We also went to the Apple store on Fifth Avenue which is just a glass cube with stairs leading down to the store. The next day we went to the Bronx Zoo where I enjoyed seeing all the different animals although many were not out as it was too cold.

The highlight of my exchange was going to watch an NHL ice hockey game at the Bell Centre. Charlie’s dad taught me all the different rules of the game. The Montreal Canadiens won the game 6-2 against the Minnesota Wild. The atmosphere at the game was electric with employees dancing in the aisles to entertain the crowd as the music blasted around the arena.

My exchange was quickly coming to an end as I said goodbye to all my Canadian friends before flying home on November 29. I soon touched back down in Adelaide after an amazing life experience that I will never forget.

I believe if anyone is lucky enough to have the opportunity to participate in an exchange they shouldn’t think twice about accepting because you will not regret it! – Brandon Blacksell, Grade 11 Exchange Student – Adelaide, Australia

Honoured & Proud To Have Been An LCC Exchange Student

Posted on December 2, 2013 by admin

I landed in Montreal 54 days, 10 hours and … minutes from today. I climbed off my air Canada flight not exactly sure what to expect besides seeing pictures of gigantic moose and cars buried in 50 feet deep snow. But other then that, I expected a city filled with people with saying “eh.” What greeted me was a beautiful city with a vibrant atmosphere that I still can’t explain, filled with some amazing people. 54 days…it is incredible to think how many laughs have been shared, smiles exchanged and unforgettable memories have been made in such a short time.

When Canadians think of South Africa they think of mud huts and starving children, but it’s very far from that! We have huge cities and cars – that’s probably why my first encounters with LCC students went something like this:

“Oh you’re from Africa – then why are you white?”
“Is South Africa even a country? Like where is that”…amazes me since its all in the name!
“What’s your accent British, Australian?”…try South African accent…“Oh yeah, but is that British or Australian”

During my time at LCC, I’ve been given numerous opportunities. The first opportunity I was given was to experience freezing weather on Duke of Ed silver trip. After going on the Duke of Ed trip, I can safely say that I will never complain about being cold back home in South Africa ever again. This was my first experience of camping in the snow…. I don’t think my toes will ever recover. To all those who conquered it with me we are true survivors.

I was given the opportunity to go with the LCC debating team to a tournament at Carlton University. This is where my South African accent proved to be quite a commodity. At Carlton, I believe we spent more time debating about how the actual debate (who won extra) than actually debating. I want to thank Mr. George and the LCC debaters who suited up with such swag for a great weekend.

LCC it’s been a crazy couple of weeks. I’ve built a robot that actually moves! Props to my robotics class for the best African jokes. I was able to learn a little French by the best and one and only M. Sigouin. I learned how to create skits using Tibetan throat singing in drama and witness Mr. Shefler blow up many things including Halloween pumpkins. LCC, thank you for making me excited for school every Monday morning. I don’t think I’m ever going to say that again.

I’ve been able to try out, play and watch sports that I would never be able to in South Africa. I tried playing on the Juvenile Basketball team – it is a miracle I didn’t start kicking the ball considering how little I actually knew about the game. I got to be the mascot for my amazing midget volleyball team. I also was able to watch some skilled players play football and ice hockey.

I’m going to miss the African jokes, your ridiculous attempts at imitating my accent but mostly, I’m going to miss your chocolate milk vending machines.

I’m honoured and proud to say that I was an exchange student at LCC. Besides LCC being older then my entire country, the staff and facilities are amazing. I don’t study under a tree on the ground in South Africa but my school certainly doesn’t have its very own rink.

I want to thank everyone who played a part in my exchange. Thank you to my host family, Mr. Shannon, Mr. Neal and Ms. Shadley for graciously welcoming me into your school and country. I could never imagine that I would feel so at home at school on the other side of the world. Its true that every good thing needs to come to an end but this isn’t a goodbye. I will be back.

Just like this LCC pin pinned to my blazer, all of you and our memories will always be a pinned to my heart. Goodbye and thank you LCC. – Carmen Debeer (exchange student from St. Stithians Girls College, South Africa)

Community Service: A Global Perspective

Posted on November 29, 2013 by admin

Throughout my high school experience, I had the opportunity to travel abroad multiple times. These travels included a student exchange to Australia, two Duke of Edinburgh Gold trips to Peru and an International Round Square Conference in South Africa. Each of my experiences gave me a new perspective in terms of community service, the diversity of people in the world and the challenges faced by those in developing countries. Not only have these experiences broadened my global awareness; they have also helped me grow and continue to grow into who I am.

When I arrived in Peru two years ago, it was my first exposure to a developing country. I thought I knew what to expect: barefoot hungry children, worn down houses and desperation. On my first day doing service at a shantytown called Las Palmas outside of the capital city, Lima, I found out my preconception was very wrong. The conditions were worse than I expected: stray dogs roamed all over, dust covered absolutely everything and a rotting stench filled the air. Fortunately, I was also wrong about the state of the people in the community. The children were happy and eager to play with us and each other, and the adults possessed a sense of pride in themselves and their community. The physical labour we performed was not enough. Upon our arrival home, a few friends and I decided we needed to do something more. We started fundraising in hopes of helping improve the community as much as we possibly could.

A few months later, along with other LCC representatives we set off to South Africa for an International Round Square conference. Besides partaking in the conference, we helped out at a daycare and school for kids who grew up in impoverished conditions. We only spent a few hours volunteering: taking care of the kids, painting a roof and playing soccer. I left the service days extremely upset. Between my experiences in Peru and South Africa, I noticed how happy the locals were in spite of their assumed “lack” of materials that we consider necessary for our happiness here in North America such as cell phones, cool shoes and ice cream desserts.

On the plane ride home I began to contemplate – why am I so lucky to have all that I do? What is the point of doing “service” for a few hours when at the end of the day these children’s lives are “unimproved”?

I returned home in a philosophical crisis. I wanted to help, Peru, South Africa, everywhere! I just didn’t know how to do it in a way that would actually help them, and improve their lives.

My friends and I who were already fundraising for the community in Peru decided we could start a micro-loan fund in the community, a lump sum of money that would go to starting businesses for women so they could be self-sufficient and help feed their families. After hours spent discussing how the fund would work with the mayor of Las Palmas, the town, and signing the necessary documents, we handed over the money to the mayor. While the money did end up in the community, we have yet to hear back on the happenings of the fund for the past eight months, so we do not know how it turned out. Unfortunately, all we can do is hope it ended up benefitting the community in some way. This is an example of why even though you may have good intentions, you have to be very careful when it comes to international service and make sure you trust the person dealing with your money.

Fortunately, we were more careful when we fundraised for the daycare we worked at in South Africa. The money was handed over to a woman who we had met and who worked to improve the day care, so she had already successfully dealt with donations like ours.

Ultimately, one of the greatest lessons I’ve learned from these experiences is that it’s important to learn about the world, because exposure is the first step to help making it a better place. Although in my life I hope I discover the “best” way for me to do service, there is certainly no right answer. Once you are exposed to an issue, it is very difficult to simply forget about it. Whether it’s in the city of Montreal or some remote village in India, it is important to realize what matters locally and internationally, and to do your best to help. – Sarah Salzman (Pre-U ’14)

Student Exchange: Internationalism Changed My Life

Posted on November 28, 2013 by admin

I am born of Polish parents. I am an American citizen. I live in Canada, but I am a citizen of the world. It’s funny how things happen. Three years ago, I was introduced to the idea of a student exchange. I saw and heard so many things about students traveling abroad, and I made it my goal to experience an exchange on my own. I wanted to go somewhere completely foreign, someplace that no one I knew had gone before, so I chose Thailand.

From the very first moment I stepped onto Thai soil, Thailand became my home. I spent six weeks atThe Regents School in Pattayain boarding and I had the time of my life. I played basketball, did cross country running and played in their school band. I took weekend trips to pristine island resorts with my local friends and did a bicycle trip through the slums of Bangkok. Every weekend, I would get the opportunity to volunteer through different clubs in the school and help out at a local orphanage for handicapped children with my friends. In my boarding house alone, I met more people of diverse backgrounds than I could have imagined. I made friends from Bhutan, Lithuania, Armenia, South Africa and South Korea, just to mention a few. When it came time to leave, I felt like I was a movie character – as I looked out from the back window of the moving car on the way to the airport, all of my friends stood in a line, crying and waving goodbye. I, too, was in tears and didn’t want to leave.

Many people may say that their exchange was wonderful or enlightening, but my exchange experience changed my life. After having discovered a new exotic world and making unbroken friendships, I decided that my travel to Thailand would not stop there. I made it my goal to go back the next summer to see my friends, and on top of that I wanted to try something new and volunteer abroad. That’s when, with the help of my father, I found the Mercy Center and embarked on a four week independent volunteer trip to Bangkok’s biggest slum – Klong Toey, the “Slaughterhouse”.

I was extremely nervous because I was going to live by myself in a major city where crime and corruption was supposed to be very widespread. In the taxicab on the way to Mercy Center I obviously had thoughts racing through my head of, “Oh. Maybe I should turn around now. It’s not too late.” But chickening out was not the answer. I had traveled 26 hours and there was no turning back.

What really made me push forward, though, was the idea that I would be doing something useful and unique. The service I was going to do was not meant for me, but for the people in need. To turn back would be selfish and irresponsible.

Before I knew it, I was at the entrance of the Mercy Center, with a big purple suitcase in hand.The Mercy Centre, established by Father Joe Meier, is an emergency organization that takes care of families that have been exposed to human trafficking, rape, AIDs, sickness and any disaster. Many kids that live at the Mercy Centre are there because they have lost their families or were abandoned.

So I spent my summer working in the “Slaughterhouse”. The struggle started on my first day, when I was told that I would be teaching English to kids of all ages. Now imagine yourself in my position.This wasn’t a “read to your buddy for an hour” situation. I was a 15-year old girl that had to make a lesson plan before the next morning, get familiar with 20 students in my class and teach them. Oh yeah. I forgot to mention. None of them spoke a word of English and I had no idea how to speak Thai.

What made everything easier, though, was that all the kids were so sweet and wanted to help me do my best. They were super attentive and worked so hard in class – they really wanted to learn. After my first full day in the classroom, I was ecstatic. I loved my students and could not wait to see them the next day! When it was time for lunch for my pre-school students, I would go to the outdoor basketball court and play soccer on the smooth surface with the older local kids. I was really bad at soccer, but they still always let me play with them and taught me so many tricks.

Over my four weeks, I got the chance to work with kids from the ages of 6 to 18 and even worked on the organization’s farm outside of the city once a week.

There, I truly didn’t feel like I was doing community service, but living a normal life in a city that never sleeps.When I wasn’t working, I was spending time in the small alleyway home where I lived with eight Thai university students. I had only a tiny room with a bed and a fan, so with Thailand’s rainy season and 30+-degree weather, AC was something I had to learn to live without.

As you can imagine, it was truly a parallel world with a completely different culture, language and society rules but I soon blended in with the help of the locals’ open-mindedness and friendliness towards me.

In the end, my whole idea of this volunteer trip being only for the people in need was wrong. By the end of my trip I realized that the students I was teaching, helped me more that I could have imagined. They taught me responsibility, perseverance and acceptance. They accepted me as their teacher and they cared for me from day one.

I never imagined that going on an exchange would have done so much for me. Taking that chance three years ago helped me build a bond with the country and the people that I see myself revisiting for the rest of my life. I am going off to university next year, but I have promised myself that I will take at least six months of my four years in college and go back to the Mercy Center to live and volunteer full time.

The internationalism that I gained from going on exchange and volunteering abroad is immeasurable. Maybe you may never reach a stage in your life where you will visit a slum or go on an exchange, like I did. I feel at home in Thailand, but many people may not feel the same way. But I know that each and very one of you have the potential to do service in an environment that you feel comfortable in and grow to love.

I encourage all of you to step out of your comfort zone and take any opportunity you have to travel and help others while doing so. I can assure you that you won’t regret it, and it may just change your life. – Olga Jablonski (Pre-U ’14)

Duke of Ed Silver Trip: “I’m a Survivor!”

Posted on November 19, 2013 by admin

The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award is an award students can work toward. It includes a number of different criteria, including an adventure component. If only it was that easy! People seem to overlook that it includes a strenuous hike over a period of four days while carrying our lives on our backs in sub-zero temperatures.

As we got prepared to leave the house I made a Facetime call back home to South Africa that I was sure would be my last. As I picked up my backpack, I stumbled a bit simply trying to get it to the car. One thought was going through my mind: how am I going to survive this? We arrived at school barely managing to walk with our backpacks. We were confronted with everybody telling us scary stories about what lay ahead. We packed everything on the bus. You’d swear that we were moving up north with the amount of stuff we had, not to mention the quantity of food that could feed Africa. The bus ride was pleasant but I will later wish that I appreciated the warmness and the feeling of dry socks more. The bus stopped at a place that looked exactly like the summer camps I’ve seen on TV; almost like the movie Camp Rock with the Jonas brothers.

We made dinner the first night, a very deceiving dish called chili which was a bean and meat sauce type thing that we just had to heat up with some salad and chips on the side. Cleaning our plates was an entirely new experience. Our camp counselor Dan said we should place some dirt in our bowl and scrape all the food out. I thought he was joking but a few minutes later we were on the ground and scooping dirt into our bowls. Yummy right! One of the highlights was the night walk we did. The night walk was without flashes lights, just our eyes and the dark night spotted with stars. At first I felt very disorientated: we had to trust our feet and senses like never before. Tripping, being slapped in the face and poked in the eye with twigs became a normal thing. Never mind the slush that started to accumulate at the bottom of my shoes from falling through a badly built beaver dam that we had to cross. Once we were finally back at our campsite we made s’mores and were off to bed after the first day of our adventure.

When we woke up that Saturday morning we had no idea what time it was because we had handed in our watches to the teachers as part of the experience. I could feel the frosty tinge in the air that I recognized from the few ski trips I’ve been on. I peered out of the tent and saw the most magical site, snow! I suddenly felt as if I was totally unprepared for this. Peering out at the snow was possibly the driest I would be the entire trip. We headed to the main camp, which was a huge log type cabin right next to the beautiful lake that was now slightly frosted over with snow. We left our useless equipment and headed out for what turned into a five-hour hike thanks to Dan not quite knowing where he was going. This guy reminded me of a mad Bear Grills. We walked with our heavy packs through forests and over snow-covered logs. It was truly quite painful. We had to keep up our water intake and keep thermo regulating so that we didn’t sweat and then freeze. It snowed and then rained and then snowed some more for most of the day. We stopped for lunch in a small clearing in an area that looked like a fairytale. With the snow and pine trees surrounding us, our sandwiches were very far from a fairytale though. Everyone’s feet were soaked; pretty much everything of mine was soaked including most of my clothes and parts of my sleeping bag. This trip took a turn for an episode on Bear Grills. Wet and cold, they started the fire in the tepee. This fire literally saved lives. We started defrosting our iced toes along with most of our clothing. Our dinner consisted of roasting hot dogs over the fire and some thing that resembled a bun. If you wanted you could also add mustard or tomato sauce—or as Canadians would say “ketchup”—which I had to carry for what felt like eternity during the hike.

On our last morning we woke up to the sound of rain hitting our tent. I put on my wet socks; yes, wet socks, that’s what life had come to. We went on a beautiful hike without our backpacks, which was actually quite a relief. The walk to and back from the beautiful waterfall was enjoyable. We were all freezing but good friends. Laughs and some good jokes kept us going.

Being South African and not accustomed to -10^oC weather, I wore about six layers on my top and about three on my bottom, basically looking like a snowman. That night we took an almost solitary walk without any light source. This all sounds very serine and peaceful until you have to find a partner making an animal noise in the woods. We all cheered up knowing that we were heading home and that in a couple of hours a warm shower and our beds awaited us. Before that became reality we had a few team-building courses to do, which included trust exercises, a huge ball maze controlled by the whole group, and a two-metre wall we had to get over only using one another. I think we were all glowing and it wasn’t because we were in a bright yellow bus. We could see the signs of civilization. The song I’m a survivor played in the back of my head. When we turned the corner and looked up Royal Avenue at LCC, who knew I would be so excited to see a school!

Overall, Duke of Ed was an incredible experience. The friends we made, the memories we created and the laughs we shared outweigh the cold and shear wetness we experienced. Thank you to Mr. Weiland and Ms. Comley for leading us on this trip. To everyone with whom I shared this unbelievable experience, thank you for the good times and memories. We are survivors! —Carmen Debeer (exchange student from St. Stithians Girls College, South Africa)

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