Tag Archives: Senior School

Échange en Afrique du Sud – Journal #5: Je découvre Le Cap!

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Le vendredi dernier, je suis arrivé au Cap dans le sud- ouest de l’Afrique du Sud. J’ai remarqué immédiatement que la ville était bien plus propre et verdoyante que Joburg.

Quelques heures après avoir débarqué de l’avion, je suis allé visiter les manchots africains au parc national Boulders. J’y ai eu la chance de nager parmi eux dans l’eau froide de l’océan indien (un tableau indiquait que l’eau avait une température de 20°C, mais on dirait plutôt que c’était 20° Kelvin!).

Le lendemain matin, on est allé au point du Cap de Bonne Espérance, qui est officiellement l’extrémité sud-ouest du continent africain (l’extrémité sud est officiellement le Cap Agulhas, 400 km du Cap) et où les océans Indien et Atlantique se rencontrent. La vue était incroyable!!

Le dimanche, on a escaladé la montagne de la Table au centre de la ville en gondole. Au sommet, il était très venteux et nuageux, mais on a quand même eu la chance de percevoir la ville d’une altitude de 1067 m au-dessus de la mer, qui n’était que quelques kilomètres au vol d’oiseau d’où on regardait. Comme la montagne est très plate, on a pu faire la randonnée
pendant
plusieurs heures sans tout voir.

Hier, lundi, on est allé visiter Robben Island, ce qui est l’équivalent d’Alcatraz en Afrique. Par exemple, l’île est beaucoup plus large et est composée de quatre prisons différentes, comme des prisons de haute sécurité pour les criminels et une prison de moyenne sécurité pour les leaders des partys africains, entre autres, Nelson Mandela. En fait, il y a un village sur l’île où habitait tout le personnel du site! Un ancien  cellulaire nous a donné une visite guidée des plusieurs parties du pénitencier. Les cellules elles-mêmes étaient inhumainement petites et les captifs étaient obligés de dormir sur un mince morceau de tapis d’un mètre de long par un demi-mètre de large! De plus, les repas variaient selon la race du détenu: les Indiens et les colorés mangeait presque deux fois de plus que les noirs ! C’était affreux! J’ai aussi vu l’ancienne cellule de Nelson Mandela. Après notre visite, nous sommes allés explorer un charmant village au bord d’eau appelé le Waterfront composé de plusieurs boutiques et restaurants. J’y ai mangé d’impala et de crocodile!

Finalement, aujourd’hui, nous sommes allés visiter une vinifère appelée Groot Constantia pour gouter quelques vins de la région. Nous sommes ensuite retournés au Waterfront pour visiter encore une fois les magasins.

En général, ma visite au Cap était superbe. La ville avenante est bien magnifique et je suis hâte d’avoir eu la chance de la visiter. – Adam Vandenbussche ’17, Exchange Student at St Stithians College

Australian Exchange: So Many Amazing Experiences!

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After spending two weeks at school and three weeks in Australia I can say that time flies when you’re having fun! My schedule has been so busy that I haven’t realized how fast my trip is going by.

Last Friday, Georgie and I attended Georgie’s friend’s birthday party. The party was 80’s prom-themed, and I thought it was going to be one of the hardest things to shop for. After going to the second thrift shop of the day I found a white knee length dress with poufy shoulders. I fell in love. I bought it immediately and was prepared for this party. When the day finally arrived I made my hair crazy, helped Georgie with her make-up and headed over to Isabelle’s house for the party. We danced to awesome 80’s songs, ate so much Australian food and took funny photos in the photo booth. It was an awesome night and I got to bond with some really cool people, along with testing out my failing Australian accent.

On Saturday, the pressure and stress was rising in Sydney as their favourite Socceroos’ were going to take the field to play against Korea Republic for the Asian World Cup. At about 5:30 pm Georgie, Lynn, David and I, got on the bus to the soccer stadium. All of us were wearing black because it was better than wearing gold and green. We arrived and could feel the anticipation flowing in and outside of the stadium. The game started at 8:00 pm sharp and I sat there eating my hotdog, fries and Krispy Kreme donuts. With the Montreal Canadians on my mind, I missed a potential goal by Australia. Huge mistake. Someone spilled beer on my hair and Georgie got it all over her chair. I was going to be alert and not be sitting down the next time we almost scored! Australia went on to win after extra time.

On Monday, I tried something I never had before at school. Swimming class. Thinking I was a skilled enough swimmer, I joined Georgie and her friends in the intermediate group. After my first lap I was panting and had to go over to beginner class, where I felt more at ease. I made the right decision. I was taught how to do stokes properly and was encouraged to keep going. It was definitely a cool experience, even though my arms were burning afterwards.

On Thursday, we had a school excursion to Cronulla Beach. We learned so much about coastal management, sand dunes, and the local environment. It was an interesting experience filled with lots of laughter, fun and learning. We had to do some small tasks like measuring wind speed, writing about interesting plants that we saw, measuring distances between different parts of the beach and more. The majority of the grade had sunburns after a cloudy day in the sun, but I wore my LCC athletics hat and was protected. It was really cool being around people who were interested in the topic and who were eager to learn about certain aspects of Australian geography. Overall, it was a great day.

After a humid day of school on Friday, Georgie, her friends and I went out to Lipari’s pizza in Hunter’s Hill for a nice dinner. We enjoyed the food, each other’s company and best of all, a large nutella pizza with ice cream and strawberries on top. We spent a good portion of the night taking photos to commemorate the night. It was a fabulous night filled with lots of funny stories shared and made.

On Saturday, we had an early departure time from the Smith’s house. We stopped on the way to the marina to get coffee and cinnamon bread, which I was very happy about. We took a short drive to the Parramatta River, in Sydney where I met Anne and Geoff, close family friends of the Smiths. We spent the day on their boat with an enjoyable temperature outside. I enjoyed the scenic views that the secluded part of the river had to offer and bathed in the sun while reading a great book. Anne and Geoff had already visited Montreal and Quebec City before, so we talked about well known places, the people and the fact that they had never had poutine before. I was shocked, and went on to rave about them and to describe the best poutine joints around. We also took the time to swim and eat plenty of good food. An awesome day was had where I met some super cool people, got tanned and tried caramello koalas.

One of the most interesting parts of the trip was something I had only found out about 3 months after I booked my plane tickets. The whole grade 10 group is going to Thailand on February 15 for 2 weeks! I’m really excited because I know it will be an eye opening and amazing experience. For one week, we will spend our time working on a project in a village about an hour outside of Chang Mai, and the other week is spent at a boarding type building doing tourist activities. Its seemed to have approached very quickly and Georgie and I, are starting to pack very soon. I will be away from Internet and without my laptop so I will not be able to connect to too much. I will, however, write in my personal journal so I can remember some of the things I will do and see. Although my exchange time is winding down, I know there is still so much to experience yet. I am so grateful to my exchange family to have opened up their home for me to stay. They have been ever so kind and have introduced me to so many new things that have made my trip amazing. I’m really lucky.

A question I constantly get asked by family and friend’s back home is: What’s your favourite part of the trip? Without a pause I always reply: all of it! – Rachelle Collins ’17: Exchange Student at the MLC School, Australia

 

Student Exchange Australia: M&M Differences

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Olaf CakeIn the last two weeks, my schedule has been jam-packed with activity in Melbourne. I have explored a lot of the city. I have also realized Australia is a very different country from Canada, and I really enjoy telling my exchange family about the differences. Melbourne is a sporting capital, and I am very lucky my exchange family, the Gikovskis, is eager to show me around town. And bonus! They know where to get the best desserts!

On Saturday, January 24, we went to the Australian Open: one of the four Grand Slams. I had never watched a tennis match before that day; I didn’t even know the rules! I did not understand why people would pay money to sit outside and get baked in the sun to watch people hit a ball back and forth. Nevertheless the Gikovskis were very enthusiastic about bringing me and watching the sport. The first match, which was a men’s legends double, was quite funny to watch. The players joked around and the whole stadium would burst into laughter. After that, it was a women’s singles game, which was an absolute nail-biter! I loved being at the Australian Open, It was such a fun environment. Everyone’s excited, full of energy and very into the sport. It’s just not the same as watching it on TV. It’s also not an environment I would find in Montreal, I don’t think even a Habs game could compare to this.

Another sport Australians hype up is cricket, which is kind of like baseball. I was happy to go to Erica and her brother, Daniel’s game last Friday. I didn’t know much about cricket, except for what I had picked up during a game I played with the Gikovskis on Australia Day. I thought the game was relatively easy. During Erica and Daniel’s game, kids were completely smashing the ball right off the field. It only occurred to me then that the Gikovskis were going easy on me. Anyway, in cricket, the ball is bowled, not pitched. The ball, which is quite heavy, bounces once before the player hits it. It is impossible to strike out. As a matter of fact, as long as the player hits the ball, it’s really hard to get out. Also, the same player bats until they get out, so I felt like the game lasted forever especially since Erica and Daniel only play for a fraction of the time and I didn’t know any of the other kids. The game ended up finishing three hours later (three hours I’ll never get back!) Nevertheless, I still enjoyed watching and Erica’s team win! Australians really love the sport. On Australia Day, I saw many families playing cricket by the beach and in the parks. I think it’s pretty awesome the entire family gets excited about the sport.

Since I have arrived, I have eaten many, many delicious food. The day I was picked up from the airport, we went directly to a bakery called Brunetti’s. There was so much variety it was mouthwatering. Everything looked beautiful. They were very creatively decorated desserts. I wish I could have tried everything.

On January 25, Erica invited many of her friends over so I could meet them before school started. I had told the Gikovskis about my obsession with Frozen, so they came up with the idea of making an Olaf chocolate ripple cake! It turns out, making chocolate ripple cake doesn’t actually require any baking. We bought chocolate ripple biscuits from the super market, and covered them in whipped cream. Then, we shaped the cake into Olaf and decorated it! I’m pretty sure it’s an Australian thing, because in America, we actually bake!

On January 26, which is Australia Day, we went for a picnic and I ate lots and lots of Lamingtons, a signature Australian dessert that consists of sponge cake, layers of chocolate sauce and a coat of shredded coconut. It is delicious!

I have also noticed quite a few fast food restaurants here. Burger King is known as “Hungry Jack’s”. Australian’s also nickname McDonald’s “Mackers”, which I find very strange. Despite living with an entire family of Australians, I have not picked up on the Aussie slang or terms. However, the Gikovskis are starting to use American terminology!

I have had so much fun in the past week experiencing new things! I think there are quite a few Montreal & Melbourne differences! Next up, LCC or Ivanhoe Grammar School? Which one is better? Find out, next time! – Lucia Huang ’17, Exchange Student at Ivanhoe Grammar School, Australia

 

Assembly Speech: Generational Observations

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generation-z-logo-indexThere is the generation X, the generation Y, the baby boomers. And then, there is us. I sometimes wonder whether we are not the attention deficit disorder generation. Someone or something takes our fancy, and for the space of a few months, days, or hours, we enthusiastically embrace an idea, elevate a person to ridiculous heights, and covet the most ridiculous object as if it was made of gold. From nothing, it becomes everything, is everywhere – in multiple copycat versions too – and, just as suddenly, we drop it, never to think of it again. We flit to the next idea, the next trend. It can be charming…except when it comes to charities. Because yes, it appears that for us, charities too are just fleeting fads.

When I was 8 or 9, I wore a yellow rubber bracelet, which bore the catchy slogan “Livestrong”. I loved my bracelet for one reason. My friends thought I was oh so cool. The bracelets were extremely scarce, having sold out of several NIKE stores. They were also very popular, not surprisingly since popularity and scarcity go together. The unexpected shortage of bracelets had naturally spiked interest in the rubber band to such an extend that – and this is the absolute truth – strangers would stop me in the street, offering me up to $20 for my bracelet. I am ashamed to say, that I had no idea that “Livestrong” was meant to serve the cause of cancer; I suspect that I was not alone and that for a great majority of people, the bracelets were simply the expression of a desire to be part of a trend. Quickly enough, yellow bracelets became lost in a sea of other rubber bracelets: green, blue, pink, red, RAINBOW! Rubber bands were everywhere, in sports stores and at the dollar stores. My yellow bracelet was given to my dog as a chew toy.  Livestrong, the slogan and the foundation became passé. True, Livestrong’s spokesperson and founder had spectacularly fallen from grace, but the Livestrong bracelet had faded from our minds long before that.

I can give you dozens of examples. For a few months, we kept cool by throwing ice buckets on our heads. Every time we did it, we raised awareness for ALS. We also raised money. Not as much as we could have, since ice buckets were meant as an alternative to donating money, but still we did raise some money and a lot of awareness for the cause. Until one day, we just forgot to. Bet you a whole bucket of ice that very few of us still think occasionally – if ever – of ALS. So much for awareness.

Joseph Kony, by all accounts an evil man who ordered the abduction of 66,000 children to become sex slaves and soldiers became the cause célèbre in 2012. A video was shown on social media, it went viral within minutes, and suddenly every teenager in America and Canada was heard talking about Joseph Kony. For a minute or two, just a little longer than it takes for us to repost a video, everyone wanted to be part of the anti-Joseph Kony movement. A mere month later, another video called young people everywhere to “cover the night” and put up posters of Kony because, yes, the 66,000 abducted children still deserved to be remembered. And no, no one showed up to cover the night. No one. 66,000 abducted children did not deserve that.

Which brings me to the real point of my presentation. We are in a privileged position, all of us, and we are all conscious of it. We want to help. I want us to remember this: we are an enthusiastic generation, and for whatever time we spend on a trend, we give it our all. We do a lot of good. But we are also fickle, easily bored, easily distracted, and eager to jump to the next cause – one that’s compatible with Facebook and Instagram! Causes and charities cannot be the helpless victims of a generation’s attention deficit. Before we espouse a cause or adopt a charity as our own, we need to find what meaning the cause or charity holds for us. If we do that, we can be assured that our charities won’t be mere fads. Everyone in the 21st century hopes for their fifteen minutes of fame. Cancer research, ALS or children sold as slaves ought to be able to hope for a lot longer than 15 minutes. – David Elbaz ’15

Abby’s Idayari: Week 3 – Canadian-Zulu Girl’s Sightseeing Never Stops!

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Apartheid Museum

Apartheid Museum

This weekend, my exchange Rodina attended choir camp with her schoolmates. Her mother Gladys kindly made sure I continued exploring every wonderful thing South Africa has to offer. Along with LCC’s Adam Vandenbussche ’17 and two of my friends, Lorna and Alluwande, we took on special sights and Soweto!

Apartheid Museum

Our first stop: The Apartheid Museum, which provides a special exhibit of the 20th century history of South Africa. I was impressed how the entrance to the exhibit represented the country’s past battle with Apartheid. When entering, we were given a card, which either said “Whites” or “Non-Whites.” Depending on what card you got, you would take the tour through one of the two areas.  At the end of our tour, we got to choose a stick and place it anywhere we wanted around the Museum in order to “follow in Nelson Mandela’s footsteps.”

Gold Reef City

At Gold Reef City, an amusement park in Johannesburg, I had an experience like none other! After what felt like several painful hours of waiting in line, we were finally able to enjoy the rides. Numerous flips and swirls later, we decided to go on the swing ride. Suddenly, a dark cloud invaded our sun-filled sky; this heavy cloud was filled with as much rain as Homer Simpson is with donuts. Within seconds, the thousands of tourists, including us, fought for shelter; we quickly regretted our choice of bringing SPF 100 rather than an umbrella. In the end, we had the best time ever just by running in the rain, fighting for a table in a restaurant and drying our drenched clothes.

Zulu Word of the Week: Imvula: which means rain!

Soweto

Once it stopped raining, we made our way to Soweto! We were privileged to visit the Mandela House; we were allowed to go inside Nelson Mandela’s house, see all of his awards and go into his backyard. After that, we went to the Hector Pieterson Museum. The Museum taught us all about Soweto’s uprising; on June 16, 1976, Soweto students ran a protest in response to the mandatory teachings of Afrikaans. The police killed several students, including Hector Pieterson. His photo is a symbol of what happened. What was very interesting was the fact that the Museum stood right where the protest happened and where Hector died. There are symbolic objects outside the Museum such as the grass line that indicates exactly where it happened as well as the fountain, which represents the tears shed by the parents who lost their children that day.

Culinary Adventures

This weekend, I had the chance to experience some of the more typical African foods. I am now completely addicted to “Melktert”, a custard-like tart made with milk, sprinkled with cinnamon lying on a thin, brown sugar crust. It is absolutely delicious! The Ayayas are making sure I can eat it daily when I come home from school! I also discovered “Mieliepap”. Pap is similar to porridge. It is made from a corn grain which, when cooked, inflates into a white ball that makes for an excellent side dish.

Next Week

Again, this weekend was as jam-packed as a Triple-Patty-Special-Sauce-Burger-Delight! Next weekend, I will be putting on my Safari hat and will be hitting The Bush!  –  Abby Shine ’17, Exchange Student at St Stithians Girls’ College