Student Exchange: Colegio Anglo Colombiano

Posted on April 15, 2014 by admin

I can’t find the perfect way to describe how amazing my student exchange has been. Not once have I regretted my decision to travel to Colombia, nor to extend my stay an extra two weeks. After only a day, I felt like I was a part of Gabriela’s family and that I belonged in the school. I was welcomed with open arms and have made so many lifelong friends and met so many interesting and kind people. The bonds that I have created here are irreplaceable and truly incredible.

This experience has broadened my horizons because I had the opportunity to learn from teachers from a different culture, with different teaching styles. I also had the opportunity to interact with and make new friends from all around Colombia since I had the chance to travel around the country.

The process of applying to go on an exchange abroad can be a little scary, especially for someone like me who hasn’t really been away from my family for long periods of time, but once I stepped off the plane all my nervousness turned to excitement.

The eight weeks I spent in Colombia were packed with activities. I went to school for the first three weeks at Colegio Anglo Colombiano, which is an international school located in Bogotá, Colombia. Bogotá is the capital of Colombia and in my opinion it is the city that never sleeps. On the weekends there are parties both Friday and Saturday and they dance until morning. There is an abundance of people, cars, places and things to visit. The school is beautiful; when the students aren’t in the classrooms they’re outside. All the hallways which connect the classes are outdoors.

After my first three weeks, Gabriela, her family and I traveled to Mesa de Yeguas, Barranquilla and Cartagena for Gabriela’s spring break. These were all beautiful tropical destinations that I was privileged to be able to visit. To anyone considering doing a student exchange, I strongly encourage it. This has been an incredible experience that I will never forget. – Mikaela Ludwick ’16

La jolie France – Semaine 3: Notre amitié pour la vie

Posted on April 4, 2014 by admin

Après deux semaines, je suis vraiment à l’aise dans la famille de Marie. Je suis aussi vraiment habituée à la vie française. Tous les amis de Marie sont très gentils, et presque tout le monde au Lycée m’aide à trouver des classes sans hésitation. Marie, et quelques-uns de ses amis me prennent pour déjeuner à Senlis trois fois par semaine. C’est dans cette ville-là que se situe le Lycée St Vincent. Il y a deux restaurants qu’ils aiment beaucoup. Un de ces restaurants s’appelle Kebab, ou tu peux manger des sandwichs à la viande, et une petite crêperie que j’ai bien aimée. Avec la famille de Marie, j’ai découvert la nourriture traditionnelle de la France. Ils m’ont fait gouter des fromages, une variété des pains, et, bien sûr, beaucoup des desserts.

Cette semaine, avec le lycée, je suis allée au Château de Versailles avec les correspondants espagnols. Ils étaient très sociables et gentils. On a visité toutes les pièces magnifiques du château et le jardin. Le château était magnifique, toutes les pièces étaient construites avec différentes couleurs des marbres qui brillent au soleil qui passe par les fenêtres. Le jardin entoure le château, et ça lui donne du caractère. Quand j’ai marché dans le jardin, j’ai observé tous les arbres qui sont parfaitement coupés et les fleurs qui poussent. Il y avait plusieurs de canaux dans le jardin où il y avait des canards qui nagent calmement. Il y avait des petits restaurants entre les arbres. J’ai acheté une crème glacée et j’ai marché dans le jardin pour admirer sa beauté.

À la fin de la semaine, Marie et son père m’ont amenée à Paris pour voir tous les monuments importants, et pour prendre des photos. On a passé toute la journée dehors. On a marché pendant cinq heures, en posant devant tous les monuments. Le Pont des Arts était la dernière chose qu’on a visité. C’était la chose la plus importante de tout ce qu’on a vu pendant la journée. On a acheté un cadenas et on a écrit Marie+Ilana et on l’a mis sur le pont pour notre amitié pour la vie. Notre journée à Paris était très amusante, on était des mannequins pour la journée! – Ilana Singer ’16

Duke of Ed Gold Trip 2014: Camaraderie, Collaboration and Cooperation

Posted on April 1, 2014 by admin

I can honestly say that the Duke of Ed Gold trip to Costa Rica was one of the best experiences of my life. I got to push my limits, I learned how much I was capable of leaving my comfort zone, I made some awesome new friends and participated in so many incredible activities that I never dreamed I could really do.

After a very early start, I mean a 4:00 am start; we arrived in San Jose in the early afternoon, I was quite tired. I perked up though that evening, when I discovered a scorpion in my hotel room, an unnerving intro to Costa Rica!

Our adventure began in earnest the next day with a five day hike. This was grueling and intense. We hiked for a couple of hours a day in various degrees of difficulty. We climbed over massive rocks, hiked up monster hills all in the unbearable heat. While the hike was difficult, we got to enjoy the fantastic and beautiful landscape and scenery. There were waterfalls; the sky was as blue as can be, and we were surrounded by incredible and unspoiled nature. During the duration of the hike, we stayed in tents, which was an interesting experience. We really got to embrace nature.

Once the hike was over, I felt relief but I was also proud that I persevered and endured the trek. After the hike, it was time for adventurous activities. We stayed at a lodge for a few days where I learned that life could be simple, uncomplicated but happy. The lodge didn’t have any doors or windows, and any insect and animal was free to come in, and they did! We learned to make chocolate out of coco beans and we got to live among turkeys and roosters that would wake us up at 5 am every morning.

I even mustered the courage to rappel down an 85-foot cliff. As well, during our time at the lodge, we helped to build a special garden shelter. We cut bamboo from the forest, and we had to transport it down a hill and across a river back to the lodge. That in itself was an adventure. But I think what made this trip extraordinarily special was the camaraderie, collaboration and cooperation within our group and the great support with and encouragement from the teachers who accompanied us.

It was an amazing journey, where I got to discover a lot about myself. I shelved my comfort zone and I took risks, and I ended up having experiences that I will never, ever forget. – Jennifer Ben-Menashe ’14

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Student Exchange Australia: Accents, Animals and Aussies

Posted on March 31, 2014 by admin

I arrived Down Under on March 1, and have lived and tanned with a group of extraordinary people I will never forget! The day after I arrived, I went to the beach, and I saw my first typically Australian scene: bright blue skies, turquoise waters and golden-white sand that your feet sank into.

On Monday, I went to school, and it is going really well. My classes and teachers at Bunbury Cathedral Grammar School are great, and I’ve been able to take part in the school band, which has been really fun.

If I had to compare BCGS to LCC, the first thought to come to mind would be the campus: BCGS is really spread out, and walking from one end to the other takes more than ten minutes…

I am staying in boarding, and really enjoying that as well: I have been able to connect with a whole group of students outside of my grade that I would never have met otherwise.

Although my entire time here so far has been memorable, my favourite part so far has been my visit to the local wildlife park, where I was able to pet and feed a group of kangaroos. I had no idea that they actually hopped, nor did I realize quite how small they are… kangaroos still have to be some of the coolest animals around either way.

Although I miss my family, I am looking forward to my next few weeks here, and I really hope that they don’t pass by as quickly as my first few! – Michael Hamilton ’16

La jolie France – Semaine 2: Les nouvelles découvertes

Posted on March 28, 2014 by admin

Tout le monde me parle en français, et je comprends tout. Ils étaient surpris que je parle si bien et ils pensent que je n’ai pas l’air d’être Québécoise.

Quand j’ai commencé l’école au Lycée St-Vincent, j’ai senti qu’il y avait une atmosphère très différente qu’à LCC. Les classes sont très différentes; quand on sort de nos classes, on se retrouve dehors. Personne n’a d’ordinateur, car il n’y a pas de Wi-Fi. Nous sommes très chanceux d’avoir l’avantage d’utiliser les ordinateurs en classe et nous devrions plus apprécier le fait de travailler avec des MacBook. Chaque matin pour arriver au lycée, on prend l’autobus qui dure à peu près vingt minutes.

Cette semaine, j’avais l’opportunité de rencontrer les correspondants qui viennent d’Angleterre, d’Espagne, et de Toronto avant qu’ils repartent. Les Anglais et les Espagnols restent pour seulement une semaine, et la correspondante de Toronto reste trois semaines. Avec le lycée, chaque jeudi, tous les correspondants font des sorties à Paris.

Ce jeudi-là, on a visité la Tour Eiffel, L’Arc de triomphe et le Musée D’Orsay. On a pris beaucoup de photos quand nous avons marché autour de Paris et on a découvert beaucoup de nouvelles choses intéressantes! C’était magnifique de visiter Paris, finalement, car mes rêves ont commencé à se réaliser. – Ilana Singer ’16