South Africa Exchange: Spirit and Camaraderie

Posted on March 5, 2013 by admin

This exchange gets better and better with each passing week. Boarding school is an experience in itself. There are, and for me this is extraordinary, lots of sports. Playing basketball in blistering heat, with a light so bright that sunglasses are practically required equipment, is fantastic. Students show up en mass to cheer us on. There is a lot of spirit and camaraderie.

After playing a losing match on Saturday, the Van Biljons took us to Tiaan’s (Dirks Brother) farm, which is unlike any farm I’ve ever been to in Canada or Europe. Africa gets under one’s skin, that’s for sure.

The next day, we go to Rhino & Lion Park. We see African lions, African wild dogs and many other Lion King characters. I am enthralled, and rave about the African great five animals. I later learn that there are wonderful zoos in and around Montreal, which I, the third of four children, never visited. I am only mollified when I realize that no zoo anywhere else in the world will ever compare to this somewhat modest African reserve. In addition, I get to pet white lions and tiger cubs. This transforms an almost-but-not-quite ordinary afternoon in a small park into a major adventure.

A nice basketball victory jump started the weekend. Saturday, the Van Biljons organized a braai, which we call a BBQ. I love being part of this. This welcoming trait is one of the reasons that I feel so at home so far away from my own home. The braai is so much fun. We hang around the pool. I can tell that leaving South Africa won’t be easy.

Back to school for another week, which really does not seem like a chore at all. This says it all. – David Elbaz ’15

Student Exchange Thailand: The Meaning of Service

Posted on March 1, 2013 by admin

After a week and a half in Thailand, I began adjusting to the 12-hour time difference and the huge culture change in this beautiful foreign country. I have been staying in the boarding house at the Regent’s School and have met other boarders from many different places around the world from Russia to Lithuania. On February 16th the school had a 10- day break for their half term. During this time they offered a community service project trip to northern Thailand near the popular city of Chiang Mai. As an exchange this brought an amazing opportunity to travel the country more and I was excited to see cities other than Pattaya.

Once we got to the Ban Maelid School, our home for the next five days, we were greeted by about 100 young Thai students bowing at us as we passed by them in the cars. We got to meet the kids briefly and then toured the school. First, we were shown the bathrooms which were Thai style, meaning the showers were buckets of cold water that you pour onto yourself, and you had to squat for the toilet. This was a huge change and it was somewhat good news to hear that we were sleeping on the classroom floors.

Spending five days at this school was life-changing. We got to rotate between four activities throughout the day. The first was learning the students’ language and culture known as Karen, the second was teaching the children English, the third consisted of a P.E. class where we played sports with the kids, and the last was helping the community construct a water tank which included building a cement wall. Everyday surpassed the last as the kids were so friendly and eager to learn, and the staff were so welcoming and hospitable. It was very difficult to communicate with the students because we didn’t speak the same language, but I still had the opportunity to make many friends.

It was hard seeing the villages the students live in because it seems so unfair how these kids deserve so much but have so little. Yet despite this they are always so happy. I learned how skilled they become at inventing fun activities to do with their friends to pass the time while simply using rocks or sticks.

On our last night we had a bonfire with the small group of Ban Maelid students that board at the school. After eating, everybody started dancing and we got to experience traditional Thai dancing. It ended up being a huge dance party around the fire pit and everybody was having fun doing the Gagnam Style and the Macarena!

The following day we got ready to leave and had to say our farewells to the Ban Maelid family. As we said goodbye to the students, they gave us tons of bracelets and letters that they made and it brought tears to most of our eyes. It was sad leaving, but it made me realize how lucky I was to have done this trip and it didn’t truly feel like I was doing community service but more like I had been given the gift to meet these wonderful and unforgettable people. –Sarah Humes ’15

Student Exchange Tasmania: Different “Beasts” – Literally

Posted on March 1, 2013 by admin

This past weekend was honestly, INCREDIBLE! I would say the overall theme was…. animals, but really different animals. We visited a zoo on Saturday and a seahorse and platypus well on Sunday. I had the chance to see some great Tasmanian animals and learn so much more about their lifestyle.

The zoo is about a five-minute drive from ‘my’ house. Ashley’s mom, Rachel, dropped us off and together we walked around in the hot sun on a self-guided tour. There were plenty of birds, all from Tasmania and very colourful. There were also, emus, lambs, sheep, alligators, monkeys, wild dogs and my personal favourites, kangaroos and a Tasmanian devil!! The kangaroos were especially cute; we had the chance to feed them and the next thing we knew they were following us and jumping around to go wherever we were going. The Tasmanian devil is a whole other story. I don’t know what I was really expecting but I must say it was adorable. It kind of looked like a tiny black bear. While we were observing it, an employee was feeding it a wallaby bone, which was actually a little disturbing. Although it seemed like a lot of animals to me, the zoo actually had a limited number because of some policies that made it difficult for them to receive and cage animals in their zoo.

Sunday was very exciting as we went to Beauty-Point to see platypus and seahorse wells. We also had the chance to see echidnas, which were actually just crawling around as we walked into their room. The seahorse and platypus well was really interesting because I got to learn about their habitat, diet, genetics, class and so much more. I was even given the chance to hold a seahorse!

Anyway, this was another amazing weekend and I honestly can’t believe how quickly my trip is going by. —Leah Salzman ’15

Student Exchange – A Fabulous Experience

Posted on February 27, 2013 by admin

Alexander Dimitrakopoulos is on a student exchange at Carey Grammar Scjool in Melbourne, Australia. Here’s a copy of the speech that he gave at a recent student assembly.

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To me being an exchange student has been the greatest thing I have ever done.

Here at Carey the environment is great: the people, the facilities, and the fact that you walk outside from class to class. At my school, Lower Canada College, we have to walk indoors all day, but I guess it’s for the better in the cold.

Life here is quite different than over there. For example the environment, the people, the accents, and the weird sports, are all very big changes for me but coming to live here for six weeks has been marvelous so far. Of course it takes a lot of work but it was definitely worth it. Meeting new people and living in a different place is a wonderful experience and I suggest you all apply.

Since Montreal is in Quebec–the French speaking part of Canada–Paddy better work on his French, “parce que la moitié des classes sont en français.”

During my stay here I have been to many great places. I have been to the MCG to go see a cricket match, Philip Island to see the fairy penguins and to surf at the beach, and on a 50km bike ride around Melbourne. I have also learned how to play new sports like cricket and footy, which are completely confusing.

Another thing I have very much enjoyed here is the food. Fish and chips, meat pies, sausage rolls, Tim Tams and lamingtons are all foods that are impossible to find in Canada and I will miss them along with everything else here.

In the weeks to come I am looking forward to going to the zoo with the other exchanges, spending time in the sun and being with friends and my new family.

I would like to thank Patrick Quay and his family for taking care of me while I have been here. I would also like to thank everybody at Carey for welcoming me and for making my stay here so much fun. I will be very sad to leave in two weeks and hope to make the best of my time left. –Alexander Dimitrakopoulos ’15

POWE 2013 – Powerful for Female Enriched Science Students

Posted on February 26, 2013 by admin

These days, girls are becoming increasingly interested in science, but oftentimes, they let go of this interest come university, in favour of studying topics that are stereotypically more “suitable” for women. The girls in the grade 10 enriched science class want this to change, and were therefore excited to attend the POWE conference at McGill on February 15. POWE—standing for “Promoting Opportunities for Women in Engineering—is exactly what young girls need to inspire them to pursue their interests in science and engineering come university.

Starting with a keynote speaker, we learned that engineering, while definitely a challenging job, is very rewarding. Professors and students told us about the different engineering options, many of which we had never heard about in high school. It was an enlightening morning, considering that one normally associates engineering with only the scientific facts, but we learned that it actually applies to all aspects of life, including government work and even banking, making it a very versatile and beneficial option from which to choose. The day continued with multiple lab tours, where we saw firsthand the diversity that comes with engineering. From air tunnels, to race cars, to machines measuring the pressure rocks can hold, it was very cool to learn about all sorts of high-tech equipment.

The day ended with a student panel, where girls shared their experiences as students in the various McGill engineering programs. And finally, we partook in a friendly competition among students which consisted of who could build the best catapult out of materials that were given to us. Knowing that we could only use paper, popsicle sticks, and a few other arbitrary materials, we learned firsthand about the creativity and innovation required in engineering. It was really impressive to see the designs everyone came up with!

Thanks so much to Ms. Wall for giving us this incredible opportunity. It’s definitely one we won’t forget, and it truly opened our eyes to a potential future career. —Stephanie Hwang ’14, Samantha Mashaal’14, Avital Romoff ’14, Sonia Toy ’14, and Josephine White ’14