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Greetings from Alice Springs! I arrived here on July 13. On July 17, I went on a ten-day backpacking trip through the Australian outback and bush with the school and some of its students. The days before the backpacking trip were spent with my host family, Linda, and her dad as we biked around different places throughout town. The backpacking trip was truly an incredible experience. It left me feeling a little more prepared for AWE. I went into the trip not knowing anybody else. My host is in year 10, but this camp consisted only of year 11 students. Throughout the ten days, everybody in the camp group got close as we bushwalked, abseiled through Hugh Gorge, cooked dinners by the campfires, had a reflective 48-hour solo, and backpacked through the outback. Some of my favorite parts of the trip included swimming through the gorges while looking up at the remarkable walls, being able to see the stars and planets in the night sky, learning how to find your way using the sun, and the beautiful sunsets behind the ranges that surrounded us. This week-and-a-half in the outback was truly an amazing experience. I’m so glad that I was able to go on the trip.

When I first learned that I would be going on exchange to Alice Springs I didn’t really know what to expect. I thought that it would mainly be a flat and desolate desert, since it really is in the middle of Australia. From this trip and simply going around Alice Springs, however, I have truly seen the beauty within the desert here with its gorges, spinifex, extensive ranges, and saddles.

One thing that really took me by surprise was what it’s like living in a small town like Alice Springs. Alice Springs really is in the middle of Australia. The closest big cities, Adelaide and Darwin, are both about a day’s drive away from Alice on the Stuart Highway, which connects the three destinations. The Stuart Highway itself is also very empty compared to the highways throughout the Bay Area. We actually bike across it every day on our way to and from school. Living in a small town also means that you’re close to everything, since it’s all within the town’s limits and therefore easily accessible by bike. It was a unique change being able to walk home for lunch or being able to bike a mere five minutes to a friend’s house, since at Athenian most people live at least a 15- 20 min drive away from each other.

The people here in Alice Springs and at St. Phillip’s College have been incredibly kind and welcoming. During my first couple days of classes, I was greeted by familiar faces from camp and they introduced me to all of their friends and other people within the school. The school is quite different from Athenian. We have uniforms with strict hat rules due to the hot afternoon sun, houses, and prayers at assemblies. The classes are quite enjoyable, although a bit different than Athenian’s. I’m currently taking English, Philosophy, Psychology, Visual Arts, and Chemistry.

The school also organizes lots of trips for the exchanges within Alice Springs. This is great way to get to know the other exchanges. They are from places like Colombia, Denmark, South Africa, Germany, France, Japan, and India. During my first week of classes, we went on a hot air balloon trip while the sun rose. It truly was a breathtaking experience as we also saw wild kangaroos hopping around below us in the desert. Last week, the school organized a trip to Kangaroo Dundee’s kangaroo sanctuary, which is about a half hour outside of Alice Springs. There we walked around the sanctuary while kangaroos hopped around us, and we got to hold some of the baby kangaroos or joeys. The sanctuary rescues kangaroos that were once kept as pets, the majority of the kangaroos end up there because their mothers were killed by cars while the babies survived inside their pouches. I spent the night at one of my friend’s houses here only to awake and realize that they had a baby kangaroo in their house. They’re currently helping to take care of it before they pass it onto somebody else who will rehabilitate it more and eventually release it back into the wild. There are about 50 million kangaroos in Australia, so they’re quite common. Lots of people in town help nurture them back to health.

I currently have about two-and-a-half weeks left out of my six weeks in Alice Springs. I’m sad to be over halfway through my exchange because I’ve enjoyed it so much. I’m looking forward to the next upcoming weeks here in Alice Springs!

No amount of words could ever do justice to the past two months. I’ve spent an unhealthy number of hours trying to contemplate how I would describe my exchange to my friends, family, and even on this blog post. I’ve come to accept that I cannot. The raw happiness and love I’ve experienced here in Lima will stay with me in my heart forever, even though I know that no one will ever be able to fully understand the depths of my love for this beautiful country and these beautiful people. In fact, this ties into one of the main lessons I’ve come to learn on exchange: some experiences were meant to stay buried in your heart and trying to express such feelings is an impossible task. Too often in life we feel that we need to validate our experiences by posting everything on social media, or ensuring that we relay every story to our friends and family. On exchange, I learned that experiences can have just as much meaning even if you never tell the story. Because for every experience you have, you grow as a person and learn more about yourself.

My exchange in Peru was without a doubt the best two months of my life. That doesn’t mean, however, that it was all positive or easy. I learned that the most meaningful and fulfilling moments in life occur when you overcome a previous struggle or fear and see yourself grow from that. In other words, you get out that which you put in. These past two months were littered with moments like that. From gathering the confidence to walk up to a group of people and join into their Spanish conversation or even deciding to take a salsa class, every moment of the two months I spent here were educational on a level I had never experienced before.

I think of my exchange as divided into two parts. My first few weeks consisted of a lot of hard moments in which I ultimately learned so much about myself and found my footing at Markham. Throughout my second month, however, I was so purely happy and grateful to be where I was. Nothing could bring me down. I started planning after-school hangouts with friends every day. Whether we went to the cinema or out to sushi, I made sure that not a day went by where my schedule was empty.

One of the many reasons that I was so lucky on this exchange is because I had the opportunity to go on three completely separate trips within Peru, two of which required flights. The first one was Santa Eulalia, an outdoor adventure school-sponsored trip. Secondly, about a month into my exchange, my host took me to Cusco and Urubamba. While here, we stayed with one of their family friends who took us sightseeing throughout these two beautiful cities. We also went to see Machu Picchu, which was without a doubt one of the most beautiful sights I’ve ever seen in my life. Finally, for my last week of exchange, I went on a surf and service trip with the school to a small beach town in northern Peru called Poemape. Every morning we woke up at 5:30 AM, surfed for two hours, did service all day, and then surfed for two hours again at night. One of the service activities that we did was delivering a 15-minute presentation about micro-plastics and their effect on marine life to students at a local public school. At first, doing this 15-minute memorized presentation in Spanish seemed too daunting, but I finally gathered up the courage I had acquired in my past two months, and did the presentation in my second language. While I can’t say I didn’t make a few errors, it felt really rewarding to be able to do something so scary and challenging that I never would have done before this exchange.

I remember my first few days in Peru. I was convinced that there was no way on earth I would ever be able to understand Peruvian Spanish. I remember writing in my journal, “I don’t know what language they’re speaking, but it’s definitely not Spanish.” However, every day I could feel myself improve, in both my communication abilities and my ability to understand. By the last week, I could understand almost everything that was being said.

One cool thing about the surf and service trip in Poemape is that we were joined by other students from a less-fortunate background, and none of them knew English. Therefore, I was in a situation that was essentially full-immersion, with very little English at all. I slowly became good friends with these girls. Some nights we would stay up for hours, having long conversations exclusively in Spanish. As I lay in bed after exhausting my brain from a Spanish overload, I thought about who I was on the first week of my exchange, and who I now was on the last week. Spanish ability aside, I had changed so much as a person for the better.

I know for certain that I will never forget the strong impact that the friends I’ve made and the people I’ve met here have had on me. They unknowingly taught me about friendship in a different country. At Markham, people are honest and straightforward, yet they love their friends with their entire hearts. I am going to miss these people so much. The second I said good-bye to them on my last day of school, I got this horrible pit in my stomach. In some ways, two weeks after being home, it’s still there.

I got incredibly lucky with my host, Almendra. For two months I got to live with my best friend in the whole world. I will never stop being grateful for that. Alme and I are different in many ways, yet also similar. I have never cried more in my life than I did when I gave her and my host mom one final hug good-bye. It’s two weeks later and we’ve texted each other life updates every day since then. I have Athenian to thank for giving me the opportunity to make a lifelong friend on the other side of the world. I am going to miss Alme, our reggaetón dance parties in the kitchen, salsa dancing at parties, the kiss on the cheek when you meet someone new, booing France profusely in all their World cup matches, the food, the people, and, of course, my new second home.

I would like to thank Athenian and Markham for giving me the best two months of my life. If anyone is on the fence about exchange, I cannot describe how important of an experience it is. Few students have the chance to study in another country, and I cannot think of a single reason not to seize the opportunity. The way I see it, you will inevitably have some combination of good and bad moments on exchange. In the bad ones, you will learn about yourself, develop your independence, and grow so much as a person in ways you could never imagine. In the good ones, you will create friends and memories to last a lifetime.

So far my exchange experience has been fun, so fun that blog posts were not really on my mind. I have met so many people here and have really broken out of my shell. The first thing I should say is that my exchange Tshedza and I get along really well. She is really funny, we have similar senses of humor, and she planned really fun things for us to do. She has done a great job making me feel welcome and included in the school. It is really nice to have someone else from Athenian go to Stanford Lake College (SLC) with me because I always have a friend. I have gotten really close to some other exchanges, especially one from Spain named Vicky. She and I talk to each other in Spanish a lot. Although the other exchanges here are really fun and cool, I have also made sure to become good friends with a nice chunk of actual students that go to SLC.

Tshedza planned activities for us to do. Those activities take place during the weekend because we are in hostel during the week and at home on weekends. We swam in a cave-like thing that was really cold. We went on a city bus tour of the “City of Gold” which included seeing some museums that were made of historic buildings. When I received news I would be going to South Africa for exchange, I was really excited because one of the reasons I wanted to go was to learn about the history from the perspective of someone more involved instead of just the American perspective. We went to Constitution Hill and saw some incredible pieces of art and I found out that that hill was the place that the government used to hang people if they committed crimes worthy of death.

My exchange is almost over and I do not want to leave. I am having so much fun, I wish it was longer!

Before I came to India, the only expectations I had was that I was only going to eat spicy food and I wasn’t going to witness anything that reminded me of home. My two expectations were completely wrong. The first meal I had when I landed was a Subway Veggie Delight without a hint of spiciness! After that I didn’t decide to expect the unexpected, but to absorb everything like a sponge. Although I experienced something familiar, I noticed many subtle differences between India and America within my first few minutes of stepping out of the airport. I was amazed that I was in a car with a steering wheel on the right side, that most people wear sandals, and motorcycles dominate the streets just as much as cars! Even the breakfast surprised me. I didn’t think I’d ever eat toast and Nutella while I’m here. Yet, I ate toast and Nutella! It’s also difficult for me to be homesick because the top fifty songs in America are always being played here! I can’t even count the amount of times I’ve heard “Girls Like You” being played in cars and by students.

I knew that other exchange students would be here at the Doon School, yet I didn’t see any until my first week in and so I felt like the new kid on the block. I could feel a sense of loneliness, but that feeling quickly disappeared once I started interacting with everybody. I felt welcomed when students, teachers and administrators introduced themselves, smiled and helped me out with anything I needed. I still ask for help from my fellow classmates. I’ve only been here for about two weeks and I’m a bit surprised that I’m so comfortable with everybody. I shouldn’t be, though. One of my best experiences is just talking to people. I’ve stayed up multiple nights talking for hours with other students and I do not regret it when I wake up extra tired in the morning. Everything I commit myself to at this school is fulfilling and it’s all thanks to my friends who push me to forward.

One of the best experiences I have had is when I took a trip to various tourist attractions. The Taj Mahal being the best one. I’ve always wanted to go as a kid and when I finally arrived, I was not displeased. I was amazed by the architecture and design of not just the Taj Mahal, but all the tombs and temples that surround it. It helped that I experienced the religious sites with exchanges that had never been to India. There was an overall vibe filled to the brim with amazement and wonder. I even enjoyed the fourteen-hour drive to get there.

I have about a week and a few days left, so I’m going to make the most out of it.

After 30 long hours of travelling (July 13^th-14^th), I finally reached Perth. As soon as I stepped outside of the Perth Airport, I was greeted by my host family. Although I was half-asleep, no drowsiness could prevent me from noticing the immense warmth and friendliness surrounding all facets of my exchange, Ned Cusack, and the rest of his wonderful family (mother, father, older sister and brother). We then headed to the suburb where they live, Mosman Park.

After a few days full of introductions, I found myself back at the Perth Airport. This time, it was for my week-long sea kayaking expedition at Ningaloo Reef. It was on this trip that I learned, saw, and experienced the full beauty of everything to do with the Australian coast. Each day was broken into three different parts. The first part of the day concerned the initial departure: we would have breakfast, pack our tents and kitchen supplies into the kayaks, and then we would depart. After kayaking for a few kilometers, we would go for the day’s first snorkel. The second part of the day concerned lunch: after the first snorkel, the afternoon leadership group (student volunteers) would make the group lunch. After lunch, we would paddle another five to six kilometers and then have our second snorkel. The third part of the day concerned the arrival: after the second snorkel, we would paddle three to four kilometers to the beach that would be our home for the night. Upon arrival, we would go for a third snorkel. Then we would set up our camp, cook diner, and go to sleep.

Besides just experiencing the raw beauty of the clear, turquoise water of Ningaloo, we also kayaked next to and snorkeled with animals such as tiger/reef/whale sharks, turtles, dugongs, dolphins, and sea snakes. Out of all these encounters, there are two that stuck out the most.

It was the fourth day of the trip. Ned and I were taking a break from paddling to observe the marine wildlife around our kayak. We had been looking for some interesting animals for a few minutes, so we had fallen behind the rest of the group by a considerable distance. Suddenly I noticed a six-foot tiger shark dart under our kayak, swimming along the bottom, as if it was being chased. We were amazed, as tiger sharks are incredibly rare in Ningaloo. We decided to try to follow it but we gave up after a 30-foot chase due to the incredible speed of the shark. While we were turning around to start the trek back to our group, we noticed a 15-foot dark shape moving towards us. As it got closer, we both realized it was another tiger shark, heading directly for our kayak. We watched as it sped up and began to breach the water, both of us frozen from fear. When the shark was about one-and-a-half feet from the kayak, it did a quick 180-degree turn, tail splashing us with water as this beast thrashed about. Once we regained complete control of our bodies, we quickly paddled to the kayak closest to us. The students in the surrounding kayaks all thought we had gotten attacked, so it took a good while to explain the whole story. It truly is so crazy that the shark was so big–and the water so clear that all the other groups could see what had happened from over 120 feet away.

On the last day of the trip, we went snorkeling with whale sharks. While sailing to the drop, we saw multiple humpback whales breaching and swimming. The beauty and indescribable size of the animals make it understandable why the Coast Guard instituted a law requiring all boats to keep at least 225 feet away at all times. While easy in theory, however, staying away from these humpbacks was much harder during a snorkel session. I was treading water, still amazed from snorkeling so close to prehistoric whale sharks, when the captain of the boat started signing for me to look down. As soon as I decrypted his signals, I re-submerged under water. What I saw was a mother humpback whale, swimming close to my group in order to protect her calf from what she considered a threat. After I got back on the boat, my group leader explained that this was even rarer than the tiger shark encounter. Both of these encounters made my expedition—and my exchange as a whole–more meaningful.

School started the day after I got back from the Ningaloo Reef Expedition. The first thing I was told when I got to Scotch College was the house I belonged to: Cameron House. Houses are based on legacy, and since Ned’s grandfather, father, and brother all belonged to Cameron House, he is also a part of it. After completing my first day of classes, I realized how different Scotch is from Athenian. At Scotch, we wear uniforms, it is not coed, we cannot bring backpacks to class, and we call teachers either Mr. or Miss. All of these are the polar opposite of Athenian. These differences are what have made my first few weeks in Perth so interesting.

One of the school’s traditions is marching. Every Friday, there is a house versus house competition, where the winner is picked based on which house has the best marching. The competition has been going on since the school was founded.

I currently have about three weeks of exchange left. In these last weeks, I plan to continue to meet new people, explore more of Perth, and even travel to Singapore to visit my host family’s second house. My love for the people of Perth, Perth itself, and the continent of Australia is truly unimaginable. I look forward to continuing to update anyone who is reading this!

 

Greetings from Johannesburg, South Africa! I arrived in this beautiful city on July 15^th and just started school on the 23^rd. The flight was 23 grueling hours long with a 4 hour layover in Dubai (which felt more like 10 if I’m being honest), but it would be insane if I didn’t say it was completely and utterly worth it. Immediately after I arrived in Joburg, I was greeted by my amazing exchange family; father, mother, brother, and all! I felt so welcomed and excited to finally be out of an airport and into my new home of six weeks. Once I stepped outside I knew that I would be having the summer of a lifetime, one that I could never compare to anything else.

When I first arrived, it took me about a week to settle in with the time zones, but naturally that wasn’t going to keep me from watching France win the World Cup. The same night I arrived, my exchange, Catherine, and I went to an outdoor event at a shopping complex in Joburg, where they played the final game up on a giant screen. I got to meet some of Catherine’s good friends from school. This was a great opportunity because it helped me a lot when I started school at Crawford. That night was also the first time I realized South Africa is a lot colder then I expected.

A week into my exchange experience I started school at Crawford College Lonehill. I had no idea what to expect. I probably spent hours trying to find pictures of the school and contemplating how the students there would react to me. In the end, I could not come up with a conclusion on how my first day would be. I must admit waking up at 5:30 am is not something I’m very “keen on” (as we’d say in South Africa) and getting in the school uniform was definitely something I am not used to.On that Monday morning I arrived at school and it was nothing like Athenian. It was intimidating to walk into a large building only knowing a few people. I was relieved to find that every single person I met was so kind and introduced themselves to me with a big hug. By the third day at Crawford I had so many great friends and was having the time of my life.

It is currently my 3^rd week here in Joburg. Although I miss my family, I am already dreading having to leave. The classes here have been such an amazing experience so far and the teachers have been sweet and accommodating. I have made some amazing friends that it will be so difficult to say good-bye to. Let’s just say there will definitely be some tears. For now I’m trying to forget about that and live in the moment. I am having such a great time in South Africa and I am over-the-moon excited for what’s to come!

Greetings from Limpopo province! I have been here for a while now and I am happy to call South Africa my second home. I flew from SFO to Heathrow and then from Heathrow to Johannesburg. In total, I was traveling for 32 hours.

I spent my first week in South Africa with my grandfather traveling to Johannesburg and seeing the beauty of this county. We went to Soweto and saw where Nelson Mandela raised his children and I paid my respects to the activists of the apartheid. From there I went on a seven-hour bus ride to Polokwane, the city near my exchange’s house. After seven hours admiring the country side, I finally met the person I have been talking to for six months.

Meeting my exchange was been very special, as I finally felt at home after so much traveling. The next day we went to the Kruger National Park and they took me and my grandfather to see the animals we watched on TV for years. We saw all of the Big Five except a rhino. After that I said good-bye to my grandfather and started my exchange with my host family. Later that week we left for their bush camp, which is kind of like a cabin but on a game reserve. The next morning we headed out at 4:00 am for the Mozambican border where we would stay for a week. I saw so much but got a bit of a fright at the border when I found out I didn’t have the right visa. After that we arrived in Santa Maria on the Mozambique coast, where we enjoyed the beach and each other’s company.

After that we went back to Haenertsburg, a small little town that is on a mountain. My first few days took a lot of adjusting. I had to get used to living with cats and with not being the only teenager in the house. I got to see the farms that the family owns and swam in their cold dam.

My first day at Stanford Lake College was interesting as I was mushed into a crowed of uniforms that were all too familiar to me. I wore the same skirt in middle school and I was a bit shocked, for lack of better words. I started to pack my lunches as soon as school started as I am allergic to many foods. Along with this, I finally got to sleep in. I live five minutes from school, which is great.

The school is very different from and similar to Athenian, which makes me very happy. I feel a bit at home look at the beautiful mountainscape as I swim or when I move from class to class. It’s also comforting to have Essenia on campus and a lot of other lovely exchanges. There are exchanges from everywhere, Jordan to Canada to Germany. There are also two exchange from Spain who I speak Spanish to. So far it has been a lovely exchange. See you soon America!

As I stepped off the plane from the long 15-hour flight to Sydney, I felt extremely tired, but my eyes were wide open. I went through customs pretty quickly to run into my exchange’s arms. It had been a long six months since I had seen Lily. Smiles drew on both our faces and I knew that I wouldn’t be homesick.

When we got into our Uber, it was so strange to see the steering wheel on the right-hand side, as well as how they drive on the left side of the road. Also seeing how much smaller the grocery stores are in Sydney compared to home was a bit shocking. I took in the beautiful sightings of Sydney because it wouldn’t be long until I would have to leave to for another part of Australia. Tall buildings lined the city, reminding me of San Francisco. The views were spectacular. And there right in front of me were the most breathtaking beaches I’ve ever seen, filled with so many seashells and waters that waved over with colors of blue ombré. I was taken to the famous Sydney Harbor Bridge and Sydney Opera House. The two places I have always wanted to see in person, were right there in front of my own eyes. I never wanted to leave Sydney, but the next part of my journey in Australia was waiting for me.After touring through the main parts of Australia, it was time to fly to meet the rest of Lily’s family in King Island. Looking out the window of the small 30-seater plane, there were just rows and rows of green grass. I was so shocked to see only a couple of houses. I said to myself, “oh god, I’m probably going to hate it here because it’s so different.” I was wrong. After only being there for two days, I started to fall in love with the place. Playing card games with Lily’s brother Charlie, baking with her sister Ella, and making endless jokes with her parents, I started to feel like a part of their family. It was so enjoyable to ride motorbikes and drive a stick-shift–and I felt free. Saying good-bye and leaving the small and loving King Island really put a heavy weight on my heart.

Now I’m in my last few weeks of exchange at Scotch Oakburn College in Tasmania. When I started my first day of school, I threw on my roommates’ uniform and ran down the stairs in a baggy shirt and loose long skirt. I tied up my hair and waited in the cold with Lily and the other students for the school van to pick us up. At school, I noticed that even though all the students are dressed nice, the way they act is different. They are a bit disruptive and are not as uptight about grades as we are back home. This makes me thankful for The Athenian School because I appreciate the learning environment we have.

Looking back, my time here has gone too fast. I’m not ready to leave. Before I departed for exchange, I thought that I would have ups and downs during my trip, but to be honest I was happy for the most part. I enjoyed every bit of it. I’m so thankful that I had this opportunity to live a whole different life on the opposite side of the world for a couple months. Hopefully I’ll see you soon Australia.  

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Greetings from Cape Town! After a long thirty hours of traveling, I glanced out the plane window and saw the beautiful overlook of Cape Town. Clouds hung in the sky and the city that I would soon call my home was lit up with glinting lights. I smiled to myself and took a deep breath, more than ready to begin my six-week adventure.

I flew from Los Angeles to Amsterdam because my exchange was traveling across Europe and was going to meet me there. Their plane wasn’t supposed to land for another eight hours, however, so I stayed in the unaccompanied minor lounge until they arrived. My exchange, Chloé Geldenhuys, and I hugged tightly, and I was embraced in a big hug from her parents, Vanessa and Stuart. Her mother asked me to call her “V,” and I immediately felt comfortable with her because she became personal. We had a nice dinner, a hot shower, and a long sleep, and the next day, we hopped on a plane to Johannesburg. After we landed in Johannesburg, we drove to Stu’s mother’s house and stayed there for the night. In the morning, we headed to Pretoria, South Africa’s capital, to apply for a Swiss visa for Chloé. Unfortunately, coming to the United States was not possible for her, so she decided to study abroad in Switzerland for a few months. After having a nice lunch, we hopped on a plane to Cape Town, landed, met some friends, and went to a small party. I was overwhelmed by hugs when I arrive, and I realized that hugging was their traditional way of greeting people in South Africa. It made me feel very welcome! We were exhausted, but it was worth it for me to meet some of her classmates and friends from outside of school!

I arrived in Cape Town about two-and-a-half weeks ago, but this is the beginning of my second week at St. Cyprian’s. It is very different from Athenian. It is an all-girls school, the uniforms are very strict, no makeup is allowed, there can only be one earring in each ear, and you must wear your hair up if it is below the collar of your shirt.

As an exchange, on school days I am required to stay at Katherine House, which is St. Cyprian’s boarding house. Usually, the students are grouped by grade into one big room, but every girl has their own small room that has a door, so they are separated from everyone else but can still talk to one another. Another exchange student and I are an exception, however, as we have our own separate room with two beds and two closets. It is upsetting sometimes to be separated from the others because we have all become friends, but it is also nice because they are quite loud and it sometimes difficult to fall asleep with all the noise.

The boarders have an exclusive set of rules as well, which includes signing out before leaving. Even if we are just going outside of Katherine House to say hello to a friend, we must place our hand on a fingerprint sensor to be let out of the boarding house. We have to be out of the bathrooms and friend’s dorms by 9:45 pm and must have lights out by 10:00 pm. All meals are mandatory, and if you are not at a meal at a certain time or don’t show up, you will be punished. Breakfast is from 7:00-7:25 am and dinner is at 5:30 pm.

There is also a very nice common room in Katherine House that has a pool table, air hockey table, two large bean bags, and a huge kitchen where we can help ourselves to juice, tea, hot chocolate, coffee, and biscuits every day. It is opened immediately after we get home from classes at 2:40 pm and closes at 9:40 pm.

The classes are much more relaxed at St. Cyprian’s than they are at Athenian, which is strange because one would think they would be harder due to the many rules and strict requirements. Over the period of the week-and-a-half that I’ve been here, I haven’t seen any teachers assign homework or seen my exchange do any homework or even talk about it.

Each student is also required to do a sport. Chloé is very into field hockey and is on the first team at St. Cyprians. In the Geldenhuys household, every Saturday consists of waking up early and driving 45 minutes to an hour to get to a hockey match. I watched my first one this weekend, and it was very entertaining, considering they only play ice hockey in the United States and not even in California! I was considering doing netball as my sport, but since volleyball is so important to me, Ms. Bilski, the exchange coordinator, decided that it was fine for me to do my own independent training to prepare for the season awaiting me when I arrive back home.

Chloé and her family were very welcoming when I came. When Chloé is not playing hockey, she is hanging out with her friends or boyfriend. She is very social, and she has introduced me to a new way of life that is not very familiar to me. People in my age group in Cape Town rarely hang out with just a few people. They like to mingle in big groups for very long periods of time. The other night, Chloé wanted to stay out at a party for almost nine hours! The Geldenhuys live in the beautiful town of Camps Bay, and you can see the ocean from their living room. They have two big dogs, Bilbo and Layla. Unfortunately, both of them were injured while the family was away on holiday. I don’t get to stay at their house during the week, which I miss, but it is also nice staying with the other exchanges in the boarding house and meeting people from around the world.

My first couple of weeks at St. Cyprian’s have been very busy. The grade ten girls and a few teachers are preparing for a big fashion show that has been in the making for several months now. It is done every year to raise money for the Matric Dance. Matrics are known as seniors in the United States, and it is seen as a great privilege and honor to be one. They wear different colored sweaters and must be let into the classroom first as a sign of respect. They have their own dorm and separate gathering room in the boarding house, which is a tribute to their hard work. We have been busy selling tickets and having three-hour practices every day to make sure that the show is as great as it can be. The students in the design class, which I am taking right now, had to make their own outfits for their scenes, which seemed like a pretty impressive project. In design, we are currently working on a project where we have to buy a cheap house on land that we like, renovate it, and build a model out of cardboard. We can spend no more than four million rand total, or $293,470 USD. Supposedly, it will cost 800 rand, or $58.69 USD a day to pay for workers to build the house.

Until the end of my stay, I will be taking Design, Biology, Consumers, Life Science, Life Orientation, P.E., Mathematics, and English. I am very excited to learn more every day! I can’t wait to spend the next month at St. Cyprian’s and embrace this new culture that I admire more and more every day.

As I first came to South Africa, I was immediately immersed in the culture and beauty of the country. My host, Tanya, and her family have been extremely kind as they have made me feel comfortable in their home. Tanya has a little sister named Marcelle who has become my little sister as well. I have been a younger sibling my whole life. This new experience has taught me how to be patient and avoid confrontation, while giving me a new perspective on being a sibling.

For my birthday, Tanya, her mother, and I went to Cape Town to visit an art museum. We continued to walk around the V & A Waterfront where there was the Watershed, which contained multiple little stores selling everything from beautiful African art to fresh juice. Over the next few days I met some of Tanya’s friends who were all very welcoming. Before arriving, I was worried about how I would present myself to Tanya and her friends, but it has been very easy to fit in and be myself with a completely new group of people. I did not know if I was shy or approachable, but I have learned that I revert to conversation which allows me to avoid awkward situations.

During my first weekend here, Tanya and I went to the Bastille Day Festival in Franschhoek with her friends. We walked around a market and passed lots of people in berets celebrating the French Revolution. I learned a lot about Bastille Day because it is not celebrated in the states. After celebrating, my host family and I drove north to Knysna where we walked, rode, and learned about elephants in an elephant sanctuary. We then went to Monkey Land and saw different kinds of monkeys as we walked in their enclosure. The week ended with more animal adventures such as petting a cheetah and going on safari. On safari I got to see the Big Five: elephant, lion, rhino, leopard, and Cape buffalo

South Africa has a lot of country side that I was able to view during our long car ride north. In the Bay Area, everything is mostly developed but there are a lot of farms and open land in the Western Cape. With so much open land, everything is very spread apart, which makes our drive to school 25 minutes compares to my 10-minute commute to Athenian. Bridge House School requires uniforms while Athenian lets students wear what they want to express themselves. At school we must address our teachers by their last name and at Athenian the students address teachers by their first name. There are many differences between California and South Africa, but I have mostly adapted to this new place and am excited for the rest that awaits.