South Africa: Lions, Polo, Afrikaans & Bungees

Posted on February 9, 2011 by admin

I arrived in South Africa on Thursday, January 6, 2011. Upon arrival, my exchange student’s parents, Andrei and Sylinda, greeted me. The two boys, Roald and Jaco, we’re on school trips when I arrived and only returned a few days later. The family is very nice and treats me very kindly.

I spend a lot of time with Roald and Jaco and find them to be very nice. During the first weekend, Andrei and Sylinda took me to see native animals such as lions. I enjoyed playing with the lion cubs.

The next Wednesday school started. I attended some foreign classes such as Afrikaans, a language derived from Dutch, which Roald speaks fluently.

The campus of St. Stithians has really has great sport facilities and is a fabulous school. During my first week I was able to get onto the school’s water polo team. Unluckily my first practice was fitness training and I soon realized that I wasn’t as good a swimmer as I hoped to be! I was definitely not the strongest player on the team, however over time I improved and learned the rules of the game. I even ended up as a starter in one of the games, which was very exciting.

Over the weekends the Roodts took me to various destinations such as “The Cradle of Humankind” and “Kruger National Park.” I even had the experience of going on a 150 m bungee jump in Soweto, which was exhilarating, to say the least.

This exchange to South Africa has been really fun, and a great experience. I am so happy that I had the opportunity to participate in it and give many thanks to Ms. Shadley along with the other LCC staff who allowed me to do so. –Eric Drymer ’12

Mesmerized in India

Posted on February 9, 2011 by admin

Landing in Delhi, the smell of India entered the plane as we were grabbing our handbags to leave. I was nervous, but also really excited, and the staring started as soon as we entered the airport. We drove around Delhi for a few hours, and started to get the rhythm of this new place.

We got on our next flight to Indore and met our amazing exchanges, and then went to the school. By then, it was about 7 pm. We got settled into our dorm and unpacked a little. The first night, we were woken up by a mouse crawling around in our bags, and all we could think was; “this is only the beginning.” After about a week however, we went to Mumbai to attend a wedding, and it was absolutely amazing. There were so many colours and people. We got to wear Indian dresses and shoes and be witness to an authentic Indian ceremony. It was definitely an experience I will remember my whole life. –Alanna Humes ’13

La France semaine 3 : des visites

Posted on February 8, 2011 by admin

Ma troisième semaine était aussi amusante que les deux précédentes. Samedi, les Plasmans et moi avons visité Bruges en Belgique. J’ai visité l’église Notre-Dame qui possède une des seules créations que Michel-Ange ait réalisée en dehors de l’Italie. C’était incroyable. Après, nous sommes montés dans le beffroi (une grande tour). Il mesure seulement 366 pieds ! Nous avons aussi fait une promenade en calèche autour de la ville. J’aime beaucoup la culture à Bruges et les diverses couleurs des bâtiments. La ville est vraiment formidable. La vie au lycée St-Vincent est aussi plus amusante, les étudiants sont toujours très gentils. Ma troisième visite à Paris était superbe. Nous avons visité le Louvre. Même si nous étions là pendant des heures, nous avons seulement vu une partie de ce musée géant. Les sculptures et les peintures étaient géniales, mais je n’ai pas trouvé que la Mona Lisa (appelée la Joconde ici) était si formidable. Je trouve sa beauté un peu exagérée. Bref, je ne peux pas croire qu’il reste encore trois autres semaines. Cet échange est une expérience inoubliable et je suis tellement content de le faire.—Samuel Ergina ’12

Week 1: Adelaide, Australia – Leaving on a Jet Plane

Posted on February 8, 2011 by admin

This past week has been filled with new adventures, experiences and people. When I first landed it was about 43oC degrees Celsius here in Adelaide, Australia, which was quite a shock coming from -10oC in Montreal. After making quick adjustments to the weather and time zone, it was time to kick back and take in the Aussie air.

After heading to the beach on night one, we watched the beautiful sunset over the water. Day 2 was the last day of summer vacation for my Australian friends, so we headed to the pool for a few hours. The next three days were school days and I got to meet and make friends with several of my classmates for the next few weeks. Friday night we were off into the city action of Adelaide, heading to the market place to get a taste of the city. Saturday evening my host family and some Aussie friends took me to my first cricket match, the Grand Final of the Australian 20/20 Big Bash, which the South Australian Redbacks won (yay!).

Time at home has been spent playing footy—the Australian version of football,—getting to know the Aussie way of life, hitting a few tennis balls and discussing our plans for the coming weeks. I can’t wait to see what comes next, as each day is a new and exciting experience. Cheers! –Sarah Salzman ’13

France : le temps passe rapidement quand tu t’amuses

Posted on February 1, 2011 by admin

Cette semaine était aussi magnifique que la précédente. Dimanche, j’ai visité le Château de Chantilly avec la famille de Pierre. C’était très intéressant et le château était vraiment beau. L’école est maintenant plus ou moins ordinaire. Les professeurs sont très gentils et si j’ai des problèmes, il y a toujours quelqu’un pour m’aider. Paris était formidable, encore. Nous sommes allés à la tour Eiffel et nous sommes montés jusqu’au deuxième étage. Vous pouvez voir toute la ville autour de vous. J’aime beaucoup les monuments et les statues qui sont à Paris. C’est vraiment une métropole culturelle et de patrimoniale. J’ai aussi vu la place de la Concorde, l’église de la Madeleine et j’ai marché sur les Champs-Élysées. Demain, j’irai à Bruges (Brugge), en Belgique. Il y a aussi les classes de conversation qui sont très sympas, les parents qui les animent sont excellents et je trouve que mon français s’améliore de jour en jour. Cela fait déjà 2 semaines, le temps passe rapidement quand tu t’amuses.—Samuel Ergina ‘12