Round Square Regional Conference: Our First Day in Argentina

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Argentia_2017_2018_001On April 16, we landed on Argentinian soil. Ms. Shadley, Maria, Savina, Danielle, Meghan, MariaLuisa, Carson and I were exhausted from our 13-hour flight. However, thanks to our positive vibes and food that we purchased from McDonald’s, we gained a bit more energy. As soon as we walked out of the airport the heat rushed onto our faces. We then met a woman called Mariana, our very own tour guide. Mariana took us to a bus where we ate delicious cheese empanadas while driving to El Tigre, a small township of Buenos Aires. In El Tigre we took a traditional South American boat where we travelled down a canal and saw many country houses and elegant fishing boats. On the boat, we socialized (in Spanish) and made many new friends with the inhabitants. 

Afterwards, we walked to a local market where we looked around and purchased souvenirs and small gifts, that will forever remind us of our amazing experience. 

When we got to the hotel (Hotel Two), we unpacked and relaxed.

To end a  beautiful day,  we ate at a restaurant called Cabildo, and enjoyed some well-deserved pizza.   

All in all, the first day of this trip was fantastic, and we are all curious and excited to see what this Argentinian adventure brings next. – Renée Williams ’18

Round Square Regional Conference: Immersed in Argentinian Culture

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RS_ArgentinaToday in Argentina we spent the day at a farm called Don Silvano. At the farm we had many exciting things to do! First, we got to ride horses! We rode them on a track around the farm and had beautiful views of the surrounding green fields. Then we went to go see all the other animals. We saw pigs, chickens, bunnies, flamingos, peacocks and many more. Next, we tried a local drink called mate. It tastes like bitter tea and is a very prominent part of the culture here in Argentina. It’s a social drink and it is customary for people to share it with the same straw. If you add a lot of sugar, it’s actually really good!

Lunch at the farm was a lot of fun. There was a singer, singing Argentinian music, and dancers who danced for us. We even joined in on the dancing! After lunch there was a horse show. It was really entertaining to see men on horses complete a number of races and competitions. Finally, we got in the van to head back to our hotel. We stopped off at a pedestrian street called Avenida Florida and walked around and shopped. We walked into many cute local stores and got a good sense of the Argentinian way of life.

Overall, today was an amazing day. From being on the farm to just walking around, we really got to experience it all. -Danielle Cutler ’18

Student Exchange: Saying Goodbye to Australia

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Ella_Waxman13Coming into my last week, I feel a bunch of different emotions. I’m excited to get home, see my friends and family, and sleep in my own bed; but I am also sad to leave the place I’ve been fortunate enough to call home for the past five weeks.

On Friday, I had my last youth group at Sarah’s church and said goodbye to a lot of friends. Although the chances of seeing everybody again are very slim, I’ll always remember the great friendships I made here. I was told by a number of people that I’m welcome back any time and, next month, a group of my friends and I are going to try to video chat and play a game of cards together.

The weather on Saturday was great, and even though my exchange had a birthday party to go to, I got to go into the city and walk around with her mom. We went to the New South Wales Art Gallery, where I got to see and learn more about Aboriginal art. After almost two hours at the Gallery, we went across the street to the Botanical Gardens. There, I saw a flying fox hanging from a tree, unique plant species and eels in the pond! For dinner, Sarah and I met up with a group of her camp friends and we went to Darling Harbour. We ate right next to the water and then walked around afterwards.

Sadly, the weather was bad again on Sunday and we weren’t able to go to the beach like we had originally planned. I was able to finish up my Australian shopping by going to one real and multiple fake UGG stores. Sarah and I took the train into the city and went shopping right next to the Sydney Tower. I also got Tim Tams and other Australian treats to bring back.

This trip has really been a once in a lifetime experience. Even if I come back to Sydney, it will not be the same. Because of this Round Square exchange, I have had the opportunity to fly across the world and make memories and friendships that will last forever. I’m sad to leave all of my friends here, but I know that we’ll keep in touch and that I’ll remember this trip for the rest of my life. – Ella Waxman ’19, Student Exchange at Methodist Ladies’ College

Student Exchange: Exploring California

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It all started off last Sunday morning. Adam picked up my dad and me and brought us to the airport. After going through security, we made it on the plane and arrived in California about six hours later. The weather was amazing. On the first day of school, I noticed how different the school was from LCC. It was all outdoors. For the Middle School, there were only 8 classrooms, and they were labeled classroom A, classroom B, etc. The classes were very small and all separate. To go from class to class, you need to walk outside. Also, the grades are very small. For Rahil’s grade, (my exchange’s grade) there are only 54 students while at LCC there are approximately 100 students per grade. Also, at Athenian everyone eats outdoors and there isn’t any assigned seating during lunch. There are also seven periods a day.

So far, I’m having an amazing time in California. The Athenian School is fun and Rahil’s friends have been nice to me too. On many days, when Rahil was practicing baseball with his dad in the backyard, Adam and I played basketball on their mini-court. We also went swimming in the pool.

On Saturday, we went to San Francisco. We went to Union Square and saw huge buildings. We saw Alcatraz Prison and the Golden Gate Bridge. We also went to a seven-floor NIKE store. It was insane. I can’t wait for the second week in California to see what else I can do. I’m excited to explore the rest of California! – Andrew Korne ’20, Student Exchange at The Athenian School

Student Exchange: Outdoor Education in the Australian Countryside

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William_Hamilton1

After by far the longest trip of my life, my exchange, Thijs, and I landed In Adelaide Airport on Friday, March 10, and were immediately greeted by his family and two of his friends who had left school early to come pick us up. Despite our jetlag, Thijs and I didn’t have much time to relax, as we had to pack for a two-week outdoor education trip called Westventure. We were leaving in less than two days! When we arrived at Westminster School early Sunday morning ready to get on the bus, I was so nervous. I was about to spend the next two weeks in the Australian countryside with Thijs and 30 strangers.

When we arrived, we were immediately thrown into sailing and kayaking sessions. After a few days, which included three sailing lessons, three kayaking lessons, an overnight hike and three 5km runs, we were already exhausted. However, the constant physical activities and team-building challenges didn’t give us time to be tired. On the fourth day, we embarked on our unassisted sail to a small town called Milang. In Milang, we spent some of the money we brought to Westventure in the downtown area. We wandered around the town, eating real food and throwing a Frisbee around in a park. We finally had some time to relax. The next day, we woke up bright and early to pack up and kayak back to camp. It was a rough awakening back to reality, because the following morning, we had to run 17km in a group of eight. We had to stay together the whole time and cross the finish line as a group. It turned out to be more of a teamwork exercise than a physical one. Our next challenge was paddling to a small strip of Aboriginal land called the Coorong. We arrived, and set up our campsite. We were right on the Coorong Channel, but if you walked 1.5km away from the water, you would reach the Southern Ocean. While we were there, we went on a guided environmental walk. Our guides were Aboriginal elders, and they knew everything about the Coorong. I learned a lot about which plants you should and shouldn’t eat in South Australia. We also went over to the ocean beach, played beach games and just let loose and had fun. We then sailed back to the campsite and woke up early for the individual 17km run. This was the last challenge on Westventure, and the following day we went back to Adelaide.

The day we got back, it was day 1 of Sports Day, their equivalent of Shourawe. Apparently, I had been signed up for 800m and 1500m races, because no one else wanted to do them. My 1500m was that day, and my 800m was the following day. I was a bit sore, but still did pretty well. Luckily, so did the rest of my house, because we won Sports Day.

All in all, Westventure was one of the greatest experiences of my life, and I will never forget it. I made countless memories, learned many new things, developed great friendships, and even discovered a lot about myself. I look forward to the rest of my stay, including meeting everyone who wasn’t in my camp, going to school, and all the memories yet to be made. – William Hamilton ’19, Exchange Student at Westminster School