Student Exchange: Farewell to Australia

Posted on March 21, 2016 by admin

Anthony_Fata2 It is my last week here in Australia and I have created many long-lasting memories that I will cherish forever.

For my last weekend, my exchange family and I went camping at Mount Gambier, an area with amazing natural sites located halfway between Adelaide and Melbourne. We were also going to see an amateur motorcycle race taking place there. We camped out, and in the morning we watched the race. It was really exciting to see how fast the motorcycles raced. We then made our way to Blue Mountain Lake, a crater lake which is known for its amazing colours. That day, it was a beautiful clear blue colour but, apparently, it changes colours during the year depending on the temperature. We then visited the Tantanoola caves, with incredible stalagmites and stalactites. I have never seen a cave like this and it was fascinating. I had a lot of fun this weekend and it was a great way to end my exchange. I really enjoyed spending time with Phoenix and his family!

My stay in Australia has been one of the best experiences of my life and I can’t believe that five weeks have gone by so fast. I truly had a lot of fun with my exchange, Phoenix, and his family, and I learned many new things. I have made many new friends and hope to see some of them later on in my life. I have also experienced some new things like playing cricket and volleyball, which I really enjoyed. I have seen many incredible Australian animals like koalas and kangaroos and had a chance to see these animals up close. I attended a great school and was very lucky to be here. On my last day, I received a big Australian flag signed by all my new Australian friends.

At first, I was a little nervous about this exchange and being so far away from home for such a long period of time. However, thanks to my exchange, his family, and the great people at Westminster School, my experience was amazing. I also learned a lot about myself and how I am able to adapt to a totally different environment.

– Anthony Fata ‘18, Exchange Student at Westminster School

Student Exchange: Gaining New Perspectives

Posted on March 14, 2016 by admin

Dahlia_Kahn26 On Saturday, March 5, I attended my first ever rugby game. I went with my host and her dad, two other exchanges and their hosts and their families. It was at this huge stadium with what looked like a football field in the middle. We were all dressed up in blue, including face paint, to cheer for the Blue Bulls. The Blue Bulls were from South Africa and were playing against the Rebels, who were Australian. We were all sitting on the edge of our seats cheering and having a great time. We won the game and everyone was jumping and screaming for joy. Once the game was over and we were just about to leave, they opened the gates to the field and a bunch of kids ran onto it. At first we weren’t too sure what was going on, but then realized that anyone could run on the field and have a good time. The rugby players were also there behind a rope taking photos and signing autographs. It was a really good game, the best one I have ever seen.

A few days later, on March 9, I went to Albert Street with the grade eights on a community service outing. There I got the chance to spend time with young children who don’t have parents and are refugees from other African countries. We got there and the first thing I noticed was that when the kids saw us they were so excited. They were waving and smiling at us and it was a great feeling. We got separated into groups of two and placed in classrooms. I was placed into a grade 2 class with around 12 students. The class itself was very small and cramped and there were no games or books, which is very different from the grade 2 classes at LCC. It really made me reflect on how lucky and fortunate I am for everything I have. Once we got to know some of the children, we played games with them such as Simon Says. A few minutes later they had a break. Where they played was very shocking to me. It was in a small back alley with barbed wire around it, pipes above the ground, and a big muddy puddle because it was raining. There was a piece of cardboard in the middle of it which all the kids wanted to jump on and over. They were all running and jumping and even fighting over whose turn it was. It really made me think how these kids have so little and just jumping in a puddle put a huge smile on their faces. Time passed really fast and it was time to go. I will never forget that day of how just playing a game with those kids or giving them a hug put a huge smile on their faces. It was such a memorable experience, one I will keep with me forever.

Dahlia Kahn ‘18, Exchange Student at St. Stithians College

Student Exchange: Adelaide, an Amazing City

Posted on March 11, 2016 by admin

2015_2016_StudExchange_Westminster_AFata_01 It’s my third week in Australia and I’m having a great time! Each day, I’m learning more about this country and enjoying it very much.

Last weekend, my exchange family and I went for a long bike ride around Adelaide. I don’t really bike a lot in Montreal but they thought this would be a great way to see the city.

Just like Montreal, Adelaide has a few bike paths throughout the city. Some of these paths are very long, almost 9 km, and run through the forests and parks and at some points through the city itself, which was quite busy. The neighbourhoods in Adelaide are a lot like Montreal but the area along the beach is very different and very nice. There are restaurants and stores along the beach and the feeling is very relaxed. I especially enjoy the ice cream shop, which we have gone to a few times already!

At first, I thought that Adelaide was much smaller than Montreal, but I now think they are about the same size. In fact, the stadium where professional cricket and Aussie Rules Football, also called Footy, are played, can hold about 53,000 seats, almost three times the number of seats in the Bell Centre! We rode our bikes for about three hours and I really had a chance to see a lot.

On the weekends, we have also spent quite a bit of time at the beach, which I really enjoy. It has been extremely hot here, sometimes as high as 40 degrees, and the water is actually very warm for swimming. I have been having a great time with Phoenix and his family!

At school, I have been making new friends and enjoying my experience at Westminster. I have been learning a lot about Australia and the other countries in the Pacific. For example, I have learned about the Maori people, who are an indigenous group in New Zealand. Their dance, the Haka, is still used by the New Zealand Rugby team before each game to intimidate their opponents. We also learned about Ned Kelly, an important folk hero to the Australians. He was an outlaw who fought the police and became known for his courage to stand up to the British. Even over 100 years later, they are still learning about his life.

I have also been practicing cricket and volleyball every week with Phoenix. In the first volleyball game I played, we actually defeated St. John School! I was supposed to play my first cricket game last Saturday but unfortunately the weather was 39 degrees and the coaches decided that it was too hot to play. It was a shame because our team hasn’t won a game this season and we actually thought that we were able to win this game.

I’m having such a great time in Australia and will remember this for the rest of my life! — Anthony Fata ’18

Duke of Ed Gold Trip Colombia: Unforgettable!

Posted on March 11, 2016 by admin

DoE_Gold_Colombia_SummingUp_Mar2016 There is just way too much to say about this trip to Colombia. I think that I speak for everyone when I say that we came back as better people. Colombia impacted us all from the moment we landed in Bogotá.

The difference in culture was apparent. Taking the bus from the airport made us all realize how differently people from Bogotá live in comparison to us. There were people living under bridges with tarps as roofs. For many of us, this was an unfamiliar site in our own country or any other places that we had visited before.

One of the most life-changing experiences was building a home for a family. We had to travel almost three hours through slums and mountains to reach the Colombian countryside. We spent two days building a house with the help of the family. There were points where some people couldn’t help, so they found other ways to contribute to the community. They played with the children and even helped translate. By far the most moving moment was handing the keys to the family and seeing them tear up with happiness.

The next big thing was hiking the páramo. The four-day hike was a challenge for all of us, but in the end, we all felt a sense of achievement. But by far the most amazing feeling was when a few of us took on the extra challenge and climbed the Eagles Peak, which was 4,150 metres above sea level. We actually saw an eagle!

All in all, this trip has been amazing. I’ve reunited with old friends and made new ones. As a soon-to-be graduate, this last big LCC trip will stay with me forever. – Zach Pfefferle ’16

Duke of Ed Gold Trip Colombia: Beach Day

Posted on March 11, 2016 by admin

DoE_GoldColombia_BeachDay_Mar2016 The day started with an early wake up at 7 am at the Camino Real in Tota. The view to the lake from our window was beautiful. After breakfast we headed to the beach. The drive was about 45 minutes. When we arrived we put our belongings down and as a group collected garbage in the sand. Many of us found wrappers left by people who had visited the beach. Once we were done with our cleanup, we started a relay race. We all had a lot of fun and had to work together to win.

After the relay race we had free time. A few people swam but many people just lay in the sand and tanned. Even though many of us applied sunscreen we still burned. The Colombian sun is much stronger than what we are used to in Canada and we all experienced its effects.

We had lunch at the restaurant on the beach. Almost everyone ate rainbow trout, which was a regional specialty. After the beach we drove three hours to Villa de Levya. This was a very touristy town. It had the biggest town square in South America surrounded by many shops and restaurants. After visiting the town, we walked back to the hotel where we enjoyed a chicken dinner.

That night was very emotional for many people. We sat in a church illuminated by candles and spoke about our experience, what we would remember the most, and how this trip changed us. That night, many of us realized how grateful we were for our experience. We finished the meeting with letters that we wrote to ourselves. These letters were meant to act as a link between us and Colombia. Even though we were returning to Montreal and our daily routines, the letters would allow us to never forget Colombia and what we had experienced. –Kamy Roberge-Carrington ’16