I have already spent two weeks at Carey Baptist Grammar School and time has flown. I am currently having a wonderful experience here in Melbourne, Australia with the De Boer family. My weekends in Melbourne have been eventful. Last Saturday, Tom and I played club basketball for the Hawthorn Titans. Unfortunately, we lost, but it was still a lot of fun to be able to compete and play a sport from back home. Then, we went to the Melbourne Zoo where I was able to see some Australian animals for the first time, such as a platypus, wombats, koalas and kangaroos.

This week was fun as well. We went to see Melbourne’s central business district after going to a School Commencement Service. The area was very busy and exciting and I found it to be very similar to Montreal’s downtown. Tomas and I also went to watch the first game of the National Basketball League’s semi finals. The atmosphere there was awesome and New Zealand ended up beating Melbourne United by 15 points. I was surprised how upbeat the players were, always playing hard, supporting each other and never really arguing with the refs, which is very different from the NBA.

School in Melbourne has been very interesting. Although I initially thought that LCC would be very different from Carey, it turns out that it is actually pretty similar in some ways. For instance, most of my friends at my new school like to play madden mobile and basketball just like in Canada. Plus, the classrooms are set up in almost the same way; they enjoy using computers and having class discussions just like us. However, at the same time, like I predicted, Carey also has its differences. Its hallways, basketball courts and lockers are all outside which isn’t like LCC at all. All in all, school has been great here in Australia; I have met new people and made many new friendships.

I am loving my time in Australia and I can’t wait for the weeks to come when we will be going to the great ocean rode, one of the most beautiful places on earth, and to Sydney, where we will be climbing the Sydney Harbour Bridge.

– Terry Xiao ‘18, Exchange Student at Carey Baptist Grammar School

On February 5, 2016, I left Montreal to go to Melbourne, Australia. Because there were no
direct flights to the city, I had to take two flights. The first one was to Doha in Qatar and after a six-hour layover, the second flight went straight to Melbourne. After leaving my parents and boarding the plane on my own for the first time, I had a million thoughts go through my mind. I was extremely excited to be able to meet Tomas for the first time as well as all his classmates at Carey Baptist Grammar School. However, at the same time, I was a bit nervous since I did not really know what to expect and I’d be going to a new school, living with a host family and meeting new people. Fortunately, after getting settled in on the plane, I got rid of those thoughts by falling asleep because it was already 11 pm.

When I finally woke up, the plane had already begun its descent to Doha and it was a very pleasant 13-hour flight that actually felt kind of short. Unfortunately, because of my flight schedule, I had to wait in Doha for six hours. But surprisingly, this was not boring at all. In fact, the airport was very modern and equipped with many different shops, services and amenities. The lounge there was over the top and unlike anything I’ve ever seen; there were two restaurants, shower rooms, sleeping rooms and even a man-made lake. Plus, the staff there was very nice and helpful and they took very good care of me during my time in Doha.

Finally, I got on the last flight of my trip and watched movies until I arrived at Melbourne. When I set foot in this new country, more questions started to arise. Will Tomas and his father come to pick me up on time? What if border control tries to stop me from entering Australia? Nonetheless, all my questions were answered when I breezed through customs and met Tom and his dad.

My first few days at Carey were a blast. I met many new classmates and got to know my host family a lot better. They were all very nice and friendly, which made me feel at home and remind me of my friends back in Montreal. However, everything here is quite different from Canada and I learned that through a few amusing events. For instance, after being picked up from the airport, I thought that my fellow exchange student was driving since he got into the left side of the car, but I was wrong because Australians drive on the right instead of the left.

All in all, I am very excited and I can’t wait to explore and experience Australia even more. I am very grateful for this opportunity and I am eager to make the most out of it!

– Terry Xiao ‘18, Exchange Student at Carey Baptist Grammar School

I have been in Ballarat, Australia for a week now, and I must say that I am having the best time. Traveling all the way here wasn’t the most eventful part of this first week, though after finally meeting my wonderful exchange family it was definitely worth it. Out in Ballarat, my exchange family has a home in a small town called Skipton, which is where they harvest crops and take care of sheep for their wool. The Walker family was extremely welcoming, with a nice box filled with Tim Tams, an Australian flag and some Australian stuffed animals.

Ballarat Grammar School is an amazing school. It’s somewhat different from LCC, with many more buildings, a farm, a pool and multiple boarding houses. Though with many more differences, the people are just as friendly as back home. Over the weekend, I had the opportunity to visit the Ballarat Wildlife Park to see some kangaroos, koalas and wombats up close. I can easily say that a kangaroo is really as cute as you see in pictures. I hope the next five weeks won’t go by too quickly because I am having the most amazing experience.

– Sophie Tellier ’18, Exchange student at Ballarat Grammar School