Easy Adjustment Down Under

Posted on April 13, 2011 by admin

On my way over to Melbourne, I had a very long time to think about what lay ahead. A new family, a new school, and, essentially, a new life would be just a few of the challenges awaiting me. As daunting as it seemed, I was very excited by this new opportunity. Since then, I have done all sorts of stereotypical Aussie things: surfing, feeding kangaroos, watching the Grand Prix and going to the footy.

Barely a week into this experience, I went surfing at Ocean Grove. Our Canadian instructor was good enough to get me up a bunch of times, although I did fall quickly. The important thing is that I was up long enough for a bunch of pictures. Nathan was, of course, better than me, even though they have only been surfing a couple of times.

Australia has an abundance of unique animals. From the kangaroo to the koala, Australia is typically characterized by its strange marsupials. Last weekend, we went to a wildlife park at Ballarat, an hour and a half from Melbourne. I had the experience of patting a koala and feeding kangaroos and emus. We also saw all kinds of Australian animals, from crocodiles to Tasmanian devils to wombats.

While here in Melbourne, I had the experience of going to the Melbourne Grand Prix. I “barrack for,” or support, Lewis Hamilton, for obvious reasons. The hometown hero, Mark Webber, finished just behind Hamilton in qualifying, which is the part of the race that we went to.

Another unique part of Australia is its sports, owing to the mix of British and Aboriginal heritage. The most typical Aussie sport is probably Aussie rules football, or footy. I had the experience of going to a footy game last Sunday. The Hawks, the club we like, was up against another Melbourne-based team, the Demons. Although the Hawks were down by 30 points, they came back and ended up winning by 45. Another Australian experience associated with footy is a meat pie. They have a different style to Canadian tourtière, which tasted more like a Cornish pasty.

I’m having a great time here in Australia and I don’t want this experience to end. Unfortunately, it has to end at some point, and my time here is already half done. —Andrew Hamilton ’13

Eyes Wide Open

Posted on April 11, 2011 by admin

I have just returned from the most incredible trip to a small Peruvian village named Lunahuana. My last four days have been packed with adventure and memories that I will treasure forever. As I rafted the rapids, zip-lined across the beautiful lands and climbed the Inca ruins, I was amazed with this beautiful country.

Lunahuana is a very poor area that was hugely affected by the earthquake that hit Peru in 2007. On Friday, we packed into a small van and drove to a nearby school. Along with 15 other students, I was given the task of building a garden for the children to play in. I will never forget it; the faces of the children brightened as we walked into their tiny rundown building. As I began to work, I suddenly felt small warm hands on the back of my leg. I turned around and saw three little girls looking up at me with the sweetest expressions. For the rest of day, those girls were attached to me. I was amazed by how much affection they showed me. It was very hard to say goodbye to them.

When I arrived back at the campground and started to change into warmer clothes I heard soft Spanish whispers outside my tent. As I peered outside to see where the voices were coming from, I saw two little girls covered in dust and wearing worn-out clothes. They quickly approached and motioned for me to come sit with them on the grass. Although we could barley understand each other, I sat with them for over one hour. At one point, they kept repeating one question over and over again pointing towards my shoes. I kept telling them I didn’t understand them but they wouldn’t give up until they had the answer to their question. I finally asked another student to translate for me and found out they had been asking me how expensive my shoes were. I had never thought twice about my shoes, I’ve been lucky enough to always have something to wear on my feet. When I was their age the price of shoes would have never crossed my mind. As I thought of an answer, I looked at them; neither girl was wearing shoes. Both had filthy feet covered in cuts. Lunahuana was an unforgettable experience. –Alexia Miller ’13

Australia Exchange: An Easy Adjustment

Posted on March 31, 2011 by admin

The last two weeks have been a blast! Just minutes after landing in Melbourne, Australia, we were off to the beach in Torquay. My first weekend was spent surfing and playing footy on the beach. Before I knew it, it was time for school. Getting used to new people and school was much easier than I had imagined. Everyone was so nice and welcoming. It was from that moment that I knew my stay in Melbourne would be unforgettable.

My first week was spent getting used to the time zone and my new lifestyle. Once I had settled in a little better my weekends started becoming more action packed. My host family has taken me to a footy match, Geelong vs. St. Kilda. It was a great match. Something I found cool about it was that the M.C.G. has a capacity of 100,000 fans, although, the turn out was only around 48,000 as it was a little colder outside than Aussie’s are used to.

By far, the most exciting thing that we’ve done was going to Healesville Sanctuary. Healesville is a zoo that focuses on Australia’s famous animals. We saw all sorts of animals such as Tasmanian devils, kangaroos, koalas, dingoes and more. However, the best part of the experience was feeding the emus and having a picnic with the family. To finish off a great day, we went out for Thai food, which was also a tasty new experience for me.

Only two weeks left of school until spring holidays. I’m really excited to be able to experience more of Australia but not excited to say goodbye to close friends. — Julie Schneiderman ’13

Weeks 5 & 6: Adelaide, Australia – Best I Ever Had!

Posted on March 23, 2011 by admin

The past two weeks have literally been non-stop action, activity and emotion. In spite of doing some of the hardest things I’ve ever done in my life, I had an absolutely amazing time. I went on a trip called Westventure for 12 days, and it taught me so many valuable life lessons.

Thirty-four of us arrived at the base camp eager for the days to come. We were split into four groups that we would be spending most of our time with for the next few weeks. The first two days were spent learning the basics of kayaking and sailing and going for 5 km runs in the afternoons. On the third day we went for our first overnight, and after a few hours of hiking we arrived at our destination. The next day we finished off our lessons with the kayaks and sailboat and prepared for the first big adventure; a 15 km kayak/sail, navigated and led by the kids, to a nearby town. My group kayaked all the way there with all our packs and we were awarded with money to spend at the little shops. After some fun games and a restful night, it was our turn to sail back home. We had a blast “getting our lean on” and nearly capsizing several times! The next day we pushed our limits as group members by running 17 km sticking together and cheering each other on. The afternoon was spent doing more team building activities, and it was a struggle getting our exhausted bodies to work. The next three days were spent camping out on a special island with some spectacular sand dunes and a beautiful ocean view. Once again our group kayaked to the destination and sailed back home.

Some highlights of our days there were a cheesecake competition–using our little tin cooking kits; some reflection time on the beach watching the sunset (although it was too cloudy to see much); and the night we spent singing along to songs while one of the instructors led us on the guitar.

The final full day was without a doubt the most challenging, since had to push ourselves through a gruesome 17 km individual run. In the end, everyone felt so proud of themselves, having been determined to push past their limits and into a whole new difficulty level. Although it was physically draining, it was even more exhausting mentally, since we had to keep focused on the task at hand and keep our legs going.

The memories, laughs and good times spent at the camp will never be forgotten by any of the lucky students who got to go on the awesome trip. I cannot explain how amazing I felt being there; the rollercoaster of emotion, and the bonds that have been made to last a lifetime. This week brings with it my final days here in Adelaide, and surely it will be a great last few days. –Sarah Salzman ‘13

Peru Exchange – Life Changing

Posted on March 23, 2011 by admin

As I sat on the airplane leaving Montreal, I had no idea what to expect. Peru was completely unknown to me. Although, I was extremely nervous, I was ready to embrace the six-week adventure that stood before me. I have been here for about two weeks now and I can honestly say I’m having the time of my life.

Although I have only been in Lima, Peru, for 11 days, I have already made memories that will last me a lifetime. The minute I arrived, I was greeted with the friendliest people. Everyone here is incredibly warm and kind. Even though I don’t speak Spanish, I was amazed that it didn’t stop me from making friends. People are always happy to translate or clue me in on what everyone is talking about. The other day, I woke up and automatically said « Hola ». Peru has inspired me to hopefully be fluent some day.

In only so little time, Peru is already changing me. I cannot wait to continue my stay here. Coming up I will be participating on the rugby team and going to Machu Picchu. –Alexia Miller ’13