Student Exchange: Appetizing Tasmania!

Posted on February 18, 2013 by admin

I have now been in Australia for one week and three days. My experience has been incredible and has exceeded my expectations. I landed in Hobart, Tasmania on the 7th of February where I was greeted by Ashley (my exchange) and her mom. We then drove two hours to Launceston (after 33 hours of traveling, I fell asleep about ten minutes into the car ride!). Once we arrived in Launceston, I met the other members of the wonderful family: Craig the dad, Taylor who is 12 and Payton who is 5. The Brown family was (and is) so welcoming and kind; from the very beginning they made me feel at home. Well, not exactly … the sun was ridiculously strong and seeping through the windows, which, wasn’t exactly like home, neither was the huge garden with endless vegetables, fruits and herbs. Oh, and the homemade pizza we had for dinner; that was nothing like my usual Domino’s!

The next day, I started off with a nutritious breakfast of Milo and Tim Tams (chocolate and more chocolate!!), and a relaxing day, which was followed by an amazing weekend. When Saturday came, the first stop was the farmer’s market, an outdoor market that consists of roughly 50 stands where people were selling fresh foods. I tried new and delicious vegetables and fruits, homemade raspberry ice cream and cheeses. The fruit here is unbelievable and we always have tons in the house (e.g., nectarines, apples, peaches, cherries, strawberries and apricots). During the afternoon Ashley and I went into town and browsed some of the local shops. Sunday was yet another beautiful day spent outside in the sun. We went to the ‘Festivalie;’ a three-day festival that occurs once a year in Launceston. Food stores from all over Tasmania set up stands to sell their provisions while people enjoy entertainment, such as dancing, singing, acting and more. Not only did I get to watch tons of performances but I also tried some great local Tasmanian food such as sausage, chocolate-covered raspberries, pancakes with ice cream, and ginger beer. To end the weekend, Sunday night while we were sitting on the porch, believe it or not, there were wallabies and kangaroos sitting and hopping in the backyard!

Finally Monday came and it was time for me to go to school. I was nervous, excited and hot in my LCC uniform. School has been nothing but fantastic from the people to the classes and the environment to the activities. For the first few days I joined Ashley in all of her classes. Their timetable is very different than ours. They have double periods (two of the same periods, back-to-back) for a total of 90 minutes, and therefore, they only have three subjects per day. In addition, the senior school alone (there are different campuses for middle and senior school) has seven buildings, each containing different classrooms. Therefore, we are fortunate enough to walk outside to get to all of our classes. Also, for lunch, we can eat wherever we want with whomever we want! I have eaten lunch outside everyday so far which I really do appreciate. I am looking forward to what next week will bring and I can easily say I am having heaps of fun! –Leah Salzman ’15

South Africa Exchange: Tasting a Different Culture

Posted on February 11, 2013 by admin

So far, I have nothing bad to say about SA. I have made tons of friends, I love the food and I can’t complain about the weather. It’s been warm and sunny for the most part. We’ve had a couple of thunderstorms, but nothing compared to the 45cm of snow we got back home!

Coming from Canada, I had really no idea what to expect concerning food. My mom tried to convince me they would feed me monkey brains! Nice try! My mom’s perception of SA was very different from what it truly is. … Anyways, the food is quite different from Canada’s, but very good. I’ve eaten ox tail, which is sweet, and much better than I thought it would be. I also noticed that South Africans eat pumpkin a lot more than we do. I’ve eaten pumpkin fritters, which are sweet, crunchy on the outside and smooth on the inside. I’ve also been watching Master Chef Australia, so I have bee thinking about food A LOT!!! Another thing we don’t eat is boerewors. It’s a typical South African sausage normally used for braais (barbecues). But, the best thing here is the fruit. I’ve had strawberry juice, papaya, prickly pears and other fruits we get. At first, I was quite scared I’d starve because I am one of the most picky eaters you will meet. My mom has tried to get me to eat so many different things, but it’s never worked. I have probably tried more foods here than in the past five years of my life! –Andrea Naday ’15

South Africa: Subtle Differences

Posted on February 7, 2013 by admin

Grade 9 student Andrea Naday ’15 is on a student exchange in South Africa, attending St. Stithians Girls School. Here are some reflections on her experience to date:

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I find it very interesting how South Africans speak the same language as us but use different terms and expressions. For example, if a person was annoyed by someone, they’d say “she’s such a rash.” They also say “shame” a lot. If I said someone was sad, they’d say “shame.” They also have an accent similar to someone British. But, South Africans don’t think they sound British at all. When I was talking to Carmen about it, she realized how she was speaking, and how some things they say don’t make sense. For example, South Africans say “tomato” as someone British would say it, but “potato” as we say it (i.e., they pronounce the “a” differently).

Another major difference I noticed was the currency. South African currency is called Rand, but about 8.5 Rand would equal $1. So, you can’t buy much with R10. Basically, anytime you would go out you spend around R150-R1000. It is weird to be spending R350 on some souvenirs: 350 sounds like a big number! So I always have to divide everything by 8 to figure out the approximate value in dollars! But, I have been able to adjust.

Cars are different too. The driver is on the right side of the car, and South Africans drive on the left side of the road. At first, I thought it was very weird, but I have gotten used to it.

Very “Lekker” South Africa

Posted on January 23, 2013 by admin

I am delighted to report that after two weeks in South Africa, I have accumulated remarkable vocabulary—at least a dozen words in Afrikaans, which rivals the vocabulary painstakingly learned during six years of Hebrew day school! I now know how to say dankie (thank you), baie (very), and lekker (a nice Dutch word which means nice). It is a word used verryyyyyy often. It is used to describe a beautiful place, food that tastes good, and anything enjoyable. For example, “My time in South Africa has been very lekker. Very lekker indeed.”

January 2, 2013

I arrived in South Africa after a 20-hour trip. I am not sure what I expected. I had dimly thought that, since I was arriving from sunny Florida and not from buried-under-metres-of-snow Montreal, I would not be disoriented. I was wrong. I right away noticed that the country- lush, green, HOT- was very different from any place I’d ever been before.

My host family, Hannelie, Dirk, Jessica and Rickus Van Biljon picked me up in Durban. I knew right away that the difference in height between Rickus and I would be an endless source of amusement for my family and friends. In spite of that, Rickus and I instantly got (and still get) along exceptionally well. The whole family was welcoming, warm, just lekker. It’s a funny thing, that. You travel half way across the world, farther than Timbuktu even, and you find that people are just people.

I spent the next few days getting acclimatized and spent the balance of my winter holiday in one of the most beautiful countries in the world. The Van Biljon’s summer beach house is just 30 km from Durban, in Zinkwazi beach. I went to the beach the very first day, swimming in an ocean at once refreshing and warm, lazily talking with Rickus. I enjoyed myself very much, especially when I paused to think about home and what I would have been doing in Montreal. Napping at the beach is the best way to get over jet lag. During that first day, I met the Van Biljon’s family friends, Gustav, Sanelle, and their children Emma and five-year-old Duncan. They say that you can know a person by the company that he keeps. Well, Gustav, Sanelle, Emma and Duncan are extremely nice, which confirmed my opinion that the Van Biljon are great people.

The next few days—still my vacation—were just as “taxing” as the first. We took long walks on the beach, swam at least three times a day, debated the relative merits of American football and South African rugby. Rickus and I are both fluent in sports talk. I was introduced to cricket when the family watched the South African-New Zealand game. I must have been in hockey withdrawal, because I totally enjoyed that.

January 5, 2013

We went to Crocodile Creek, where the welcoming sign “ Nice to eat you” has been thoughtfully corrected to read “ nice to meet you,” no doubt to soothe the tender sensibilities of tourists like me. The crocodile farm was la lot of fun (and instructive too). When our tour guide wanted to introduce us to a crocodile that was hiding in the water, he would tap the crocodile in the face until the crocodile would try to bite him and in effect leap out of the water. South African crocodile tour guides are a different breed. I was able to hold a newly hatched crocodile, and a four-year-old crocodile. It was a little scary, but pretty cool too. The bottom of crocodiles is unbelievably soft, which, as the guide thoughtfully pointed out, explains why people want shoes, handbags, and belts made of alligator skin. We then went to check out the snakes, a definite highlight for me. Snakes are just soooooooo cool. My favourites were the black and green mambas. The inside of their mouths is black, and when they attack, it is truly scary. When they move, a full third of their body is off the ground. Just the stuff nightmares are made of. Another favourite is the vine snake, the most poisonous snake in South Africa. The vine snake is so good at camouflage that it took me a full five minutes to spot it. I had a fantastic time, but then I thought of all the times that I visited zoos in Montreal. I’d always think, “ thank goodness those snakes and animals are not indigenous to Montreal. Thank goodness they live in far away places like South Africa.” Of course, my very next thought was “Um. But right now, I’m in South Africa”… Like I said, just the stuff nightmares are made of.

I am so comfortable here, so happy, that I am always a little surprised when I realize that there are endless differences, some subtle, some not so subtle between South Africa and Canada. This is the coolest thing about this trip, the way I at once feel adventurous, disoriented, foreign and comfortable and familiar. It sounds like an oxymoron, but it is not. It is just great. But definitely, not every cultural reference that we take for granted in Montreal is a reference here. Les Miserables is not a classic here, but is simply a very new movie, and To Kill A Mockingbird is unknown. Robert Munsch does not exist here. Imagine that! As for me, well, I cannot tell you all the things I don’t understand. I very smoothly try to pass my ignorance for jet lag.

Right after the crocodile farm, we went to see The Life of Pi (very, very good). Just when I think that there are too many cultural differences between our two countries, I see something that reminds me that there are plenty of universal interests, like any Hollywood movie.

I also saw a movie called Spud, which is also a story about a kid going to a boarding school in SA

On one of our last days on the coast, we went to Ushaka Marine Land and Water Park in Durban. That was extremely fun. The aquarium was a vast shipwreck, very original. The fish were fantastic. We went to see a seal show, which was good, and a dolphin show, which was really VERY cool. The dolphins threw balls, and even played basketball under water. Very impressive. I heard that from the Van Biljon’s deck in Zinkwazi, you could catch dolphins swimming. There are things like that, which make me so happy to have chosen South Africa for my exchange.

January 9, 2013

Back in Jo’burg. I met Rickus’ friends from St. Stithians, explored the neighbourhood, and went on a hiking trail in the botanical gardens around the estate. I had a really amazing time on the hike. The scenery on the hike was amazing. I went with Rickus and on of his friends Kyle who is also extremely nice and with whom I get along very well.

January 14
Going to pre-tea at St. Stithians before the first full day of school starts. Definitely an adventure. Tomorrow, I’ll be sleeping at the Mount Stephens boarding house, and Wednesday, I’ll actually start school. It is all a little surreal, very exciting, and a little daunting. I’ll keep you posted.—David Elbaz ’15

Australia: My Exchange Experience @ Radford College

Posted on November 21, 2012 by admin

My Australian exchange trip was a big step for my parents and myself. My scariest thought was not knowing what to expect during my time in Australia. My friends warned me that I’d miss them, and that I was going to have a hard time catching up on all the drama, gossip and school work. The 24 hours of flying across the world felt like an endless amount of time to think such thoughts.

As we finally came close to landing in Sydney, the beautiful view was astonishing. The tension built up as I passed through customs. It was official: I was finally in Australia! Within the first few hours of landing, we had begun the journey. The next three days were spent doing numerous activities. We stayed on the edges of city centre, the perfect distance between Bondi Beach and the Westfield mall!

On the very first day, I was immediately impressed with what Sydney had to offer in the way of views and architecture. We made our way up to the top of the Harbor Bridge. The spectacular view from the bridge walk was as surreal as this whole experience. In my opinion there could not have been a better activity to bond with the family and break the ice.

On day two, since it had been stormy, we decided to spend the day at Westfield shopping centre in Sydney. There I discovered Australian and American styles aren’t all that different. While walking around, I was introduced to sausage rolls (didn’t quite enjoy those), boost juice (fell in love), and Hawaiian pizza (surprisingly eatable).

Day three was rather wet. We started off the day with a jet boat ride viewing the city, which was magnificent. After drying off and changing, I was ready to experience Australian culture. We saw street shows, ate at Australian restaurants, and took Sydney transport. Then on to the best part of the day, SURFING LESSONS! Taking a two-hour surfing lesson was the highlight of my day. I was actually able to stand up, which was surprising, but left me ultra sore the next day. Bondi Beach was GORGEOUS! I’d love to go there again one day.

After driving back to Canberra and having a picnic with Lauren’s friends, I thought I was prepared to face Radford the following morning. However, I was wrong. I felt very welcome by the school, but stressed about making the right first impression, and making friends.

Day two at Radford was much better, as I felt more confident and began to communicate with some of the other students. Speaking at the assembly on my third day of school was not my favourite part as I’m not fond of public speaking but everything went well.

A week later, Radford asked me to say hello and introduce myself at assembly, which consisted of 1000 students in the hall. Thinking back to the previous week where I had to stand in front of the year group, I felt this was going to be much more difficult. After I spoke, I was happy that I’d done it early on in the trip when I barely knew anybody rather than towards the end when I’d recognize everybody’s faces.

Now being close to the end of my exchange, I realize I could not have had a better experience. I’ve had the most amazing involvement with the school and students and I would do it all over again if I could. I’ve formed bonds with people that I’ll keep in touch with for as long as possible. I’m truly sad that this trip is coming to an end, and looking forward to getting more involved with Round Square. –Chelsea Silva-Martin ’14