After months of anticipation and waiting eagerly (and 40 hours of travelling on a plane), I can’t believe I have finally arrived in Melbourne, Australia! I have always dreamed of coming here. For the next month I will be staying with my exchange, Erica, her dog Charlie (who still scrambles to stay away from me) and her family, the Gikovskis. They are wonderful people who are absolutely full of adventure.

On January 20 (the day after I arrived), the Gikovskis took me to Phillip Island for a three-night trip. It was approximately a two-hour drive crammed in a car with people I had known for less than twenty-four hours. I have to say it was absolutely worth it to listen to Erica’s little brother, Daniel, chatter the entire ride. We stayed at a hotel across the beach. I stood on the balcony and just enjoyed the view; the clear blue water glittered as the sun shone and the waves rushed to the shore (it’s not something that is seen in Montreal!).

The very same day, my exchange family took me to Panny’s chocolate factory. It was AMAZING. It was not quite as jaw dropping as Willy Wonka’s, but still a pretty close match. There was chocolate artwork including sculptures and a miniature village, one giant cube of dark chocolate weighing one whole ton, and best of all a chocolate waterfall. I even got to make my own chocolate bar. It was like heaven! I ate so many chocolate samples; I wasn’t hungry for lunch or dinner!

The next day was probably my favourite day on Phillip Island. We went to a koala conservation center and a penguin parade! Who doesn’t love furry tree huggers and waddling little birds? Most of the koalas were sleeping. They sleep 20 hours a day, because their diet (leaves) don’t give them enough energy to do anything except eat, sleep and mate. Their bodies are specifically designed to sleep; their butts are padded so they can comfortably sit on tree branches and their paws can effortlessly hold onto trees so they don’t fall off. At night, I went to see the penguin parade. The penguins were about 30cm tall, and they all waddled out of the water towards their burrows. It was adorable to watch!

January 22 was beach day! Did you know Australians wear thongs to the beach? Thongs to Australians are flip-flops to North Americans. I found out the hard way when Erica’s dad asked Erica and I if we were going to wear our thongs to the beach and I was very much confused. I didn’t understand why he would ask me such a bizarre (and inappropriate!) question. Anyway, we went to a surf beach so the waves were massive. It was crazy fun. Erica, Daniel and I stood in the water and waited for the waves to come so we could jump over them. Those were some powerful waves! Some knocked me over, then ran me over, and dragged me to the shore, and then I would get dragged back into the water and get run over by another wave! It was very amusing though. I must say the most important item that day was sunscreen. I have never experienced sunburn. Ever. I got sunburned for the first time in my life that day.

What a great start to my exchange! I had an absolute blast on Phillip Island and I know this is just the beginning. Next time, I will be writing about sports and food! – Lucia Huang ’17, Exchange Student at Ivanhoe Grammar School, Australia

On January 13, I said my goodbyes to my family and embarked on my long but worthwhile journey to Sydney, Australia. I said adieu to the -17°C temperatures and said hello to the 23°C temperatures. I arrived on January 15 in Sydney after a good flight with ten hours of sleep. As I waited, sorry, as I sweated in line at customs to enter Australia for an hour and a half, I wondered how hot it was going to be outside if it was already that hot inside. I started to regret packing my large warm bathrobe and not one, but five heavy sweaters. As I walked through the sliding doors to the waiting area eager to get out of the airport I spotted Georgie, my exchange and her mother Lynn.

Upon my arrival at Lynn, David, Georgie and Eddie’s (their dog) house, I was welcomed and made to feel like I was at home. I received a disapproving bark from Eddie, which I soon found was because I was wearing black rain boots (it wasn’t raining). Once the boots came off, Eddie and I became good friends. My overweight bags were kindly brought to my room as I sat to take a breather from all that heavy traveling. Shortly after I went up to my room and closed my eyes for a little to prepare myself for the Australian adventures ahead.

It took a couple days for the jet lag to wear off, but when it finally did I embarked on the Australian summer life. It was still the holiday when I arrived so I got to spend some of their vacation with them. On the second day since my arrival, we went to Freshwater beach were we enjoyed the sun and the cool ocean water. We finished the day off with fish and chips while watching the sunset. The following day we went into the city. We took the ferry in so we saw a different view of it before we actually explored within. Once we disembarked, David, Georgie’s father, Georgie and I took ourselves on a little tour around the Opera House, which also had a great view of the Harbour Bridge. We took a look at a cute little market and people-watched. We then finished our day off by eating gelato as we watched a humongous cruise ship take off.

On Monday, Georgie’s amazing grandparents took all of us to Kangaroo Island, an Island south of Australia. It was about a 20-minute flight from Adelaide. A warm and welcoming woman named Melissa who escorted us and a few other people to the Southern Ocean Lodge picked us up. After a 50-minute drive to the lodge and a bit of nap, we arrived at our destination. We got off the little bus and as we approached the doors, two men pushed them open for us. That was something I had only ever seen in movies and ads. As we gradually walked in, we shook some of the staffs’ hands an introduced ourselves but what I saw behind them was breathtaking. The view from the Southern Oceans Lodge main sitting area was amazing. The clear and tall windows, which let in so much light allowed for a constant view of the beautiful ocean and beach. While there, we experienced three course meals for lunch and dinner and endless choices on a menu and buffet for breakfast. I thought I was in heaven!

We did many activities while there. It was the 7:00 am wake-up that we got from Georgie’s parents, that I knew that this was not going to be a do-nothing trip. So we got up, started our day with a wonderful breakfast and did a whole bunch of activities ranging from kayaking, to half-day tours to light houses and the remarkable rocks. The amount of wildlife we saw on this trip was amazing. I saw koalas, wallabies, kangaroos, goanna’s and so many types of birds that I didn’t even know existed. Georgie and my favourite activity was jumping into the beautiful plunge pool, eating and drinking from the open bar, where we had an endless supply of Shirley temples and M&Ms. On the last day I contemplated many times staying there for the rest of my life.

When we arrived back in Sydney, I had a couple of days to relax, catch up on work, and meet some of Georgie’s really nice friends. We enjoyed lunch, ice cream, and toasted banana bread with butter. The toasted banana bread was one of the best things I’ve have had in Australia so far. Vegemite is not my thing and I don’t think it ever will be!

School started today and I had a great time on my first day at MLC. I was a little shocked when I found out you were allowed to take your phone out in class and not get a Friday detention but I’m sure I’ll get used to it! Everyone was so nice and welcomed me to their school. I wore my LCC uniform proudly as I walked through the halls excited to see what I would learn from them and what I could teach them. I can say without a doubt that I have had an excellent start to my trip and I can’t wait to see what is coming up for me. I’ll keep you posted. – Rachelle Collins ’17: Exchange Student at the MLC School, Australia