My exchange is very quickly coming to an end. This past week was my last week at school and next week is my last week in South Africa. I am definitely very sad that my exchange is almost over, but I am very happy that I decided to come.

Before I even applied to go on exchange I was very nervous about pretty much everything that going on exchange meant doing: I was scared about being out of the country for two months, about living with a whole new family, and about meeting so many new people. I sort of knew what to expect because of all the presentations the other Athenian exchanges have given us about their experiences and how amazing it was to live in a completely different country, but nothing could prepare me for how fun and exciting South Africa was going to be. I was still very nervous about everything when I first arrived, but all the nervousness just melted away when I got lost in the beauty of South Africa and how amazing South Africa is.

I spent my first two weeks in South Africa with my exchange family in Drakensburg and Kruger National Park. In Drakensburg we stayed in a beautiful resort and the kids were free to do whatever they wanted. My exchange, his brother, and I mostly played different sports and went on mountain bike rides. The two brothers taught me how to properly mountain bike (which is much more difficult that I had presumed) and how to play squash, tennis, and even rugby. Fortunately for me, we also had a lot of time to rest and relax, which greatly helped me get over my jet lag and get ready for all the game drives in Kruger.

The next week I went to Kruger National Park and got to meet my exchange’s extended family. The extended family was from Canada and the kids were about my age. They had never been to South Africa before so they were also about to see all of the animals for the first time. All of us went on two or three game drives a day: one early in the morning, one right after lunch, and one late at night. At first I had no idea why we were going on so many game drives throughout the day, but I soon realized that certain animals are out at certain times. For example, lions are only out during the morning and evening because they have to conserve energy and it takes up too much energy to be out in the sun all day. Also during different times you can see animals do different things. During the afternoon when it is sunny and hot out, all of the animals convene at water holes and you get to see them drink. While that may not seem very exciting, seeing a giraffe drink water is probably the funniest thing I have seen in South Africa so far. Most of the game drives were a huge success and I got to see all types of animals including giraffe, zebra, all types of buck, beautiful birds, wildebeest, rhino, and many more exotic animals. After the first two weeks seeing beautiful South Africa I thought my trip could only get more boring. Fortunately, I was completely wrong.

My first week of school was very nerve racking because I had to meet all new people and I knew that first impressions are very important. Thankfully, all of the students and teachers were very welcoming and amiable. Classes at Stanford Lake College are very different from Athenian. At Stanford classes are much more lecture based and most of class time is used to do that night’s homework. Most of the pressure to learn is put on the students and the teachers seem to be there just when a student needs help. I think this ideology is really smart because it pushes kids to have the responsibility to want to learn and take initiative, as well as helping kids see how they learn and what the best methods of studying are for them. The only other major difference from Stanford and Athenian is that Stanford is mainly a boarding school and hostel life seems very different from Athenian’s. In hostel there is more respect and more power is given to the older students and are very rarely led by a dorm parent. All of the students are expected to take care of themselves and be respectful of each other. Besides hostel and the teaching habits of Stanford, our school is very similar.

While school life is very fun, the most fun times were the weekends where we would either hang out with friends or go out to see more of South Africa. My favorite weekend adventure was the time I got to walk with lions. One weekend all of the people on exchange went out to a place called The Ranch and got to see and play with all the animals that are in rehabilitation. When I got to The Ranch I thought we were just going walking with lions, but we also got to watch lions and cheetahs eat, feed and hold baby lions, and even play soccer with a cheetah. My time at The Ranch was the most fun I had because I have never been that close to any animal before and all of them were just amazing to be around.

South Africa has really been amazing and I am really sad that next week is my last, but I know I will always remember my great times and all of the amazing people.

Exchange Blog #1

My exchange is almost halfway over and I can honestly say that this trip has been one of the best experiences of my life. The people I’ve met, places I’ve gone, and things I’ve seen have all been phenomenal. My hosts have been so kind and welcomed me into their homes with open arms, as if I were a member of the family. The kids at school have been wonderful. It has been easy to adjust to life here, as well as get to know people. The culture is laid back and most of the people are quite friendly. The teachers are very understanding and the athletics coaches have been very welcoming to me. I’ve become a member of the school soccer team and have enjoyed playing for the school.

I have participated in several experiences unique to the Aussie culture, which includes everything from meat pies to Australian football. I have been able to pet and feed kangaroos as well as koalas. I’ve visited rural farmlands, held sheep, and played hide and go seek in the woods late at night. I’ve toured the city of Adelaide and even watched a soccer game on the Adelaide Oval. Everything from the clothing to the food is slightly different here. I have been introduced to several new desserts, sauces, and dishes (including lamingtons, vegemite, and sausage rolls).

Exchange Blog #2

It’s the last week of my exchange and the end is rapidly approaching. My exchange has gone by in a flash. It feels like I arrived in this wonderful place just the other day. Looking back, my journey feels almost surreal. It’s so tough to put my trip into words. There are too many people I’m grateful to have met and befriended. The other night, I was fortunate enough to try some kangaroo and I absolutely loved it.

As my exchange comes to an end, I have come to appreciate and realize a couple of important things. It’s the little things that have really made the difference. The friendliness of all the students and teachers has been so refreshing, especially when I’m surrounded by people I don’t entirely know. I will never forget the wonderful people who have made my exchange so amazing. I’m grateful to the boys who were awesome enough to accept me as a part of the group and make me feel welcomed. I’m looking forward to intercol and am honestly going to miss this place. Westminster will always have a place in my heart. Up the Gons!

I’m sitting here on my flight back home close to tears. I can’t believe my journey is already over. It seems as if I just arrived the other day! My experience has been one of a fantasy. There aren’t enough words in the world to describe how fantastic my host family has been. Looking back on it, they are what made my exchange everything it was. I’m so blessed to have shared a part of my life with these people and discover new qualities about myself. As I look back at all the photos I’ve collected over the past six weeks, I’m reminded of how many awesome people I’ve met and memories I have made. I had the time of my life while on exchange at the Westminster School in Adelaide, Australia. I encourage anyone who is thinking of apply for an exchange to do it. Exchange is truly a life changing experience.

G’day mates, and greetings from Canberra, Australia! This is my second posting. I’m not going to talk about what I have done, but rather what I have learned from my Australian exchange.

1) Do NOT bring Uggs to Canberra. – You’ll look like (cue the Australian accent) such a bogan. Try not to just think of stereotypes when you pack for exchange. Make sure to really ask your buddy what (s)he wears and what clothing is appropriate for everyday wear.

2) Establish a connection with your exchange before you come to the country. – Asking your buddy in-person what their favorite color, band, TV show, etc. is can become annoying and repetitive. Try to figure out your similarities beforehand so that you can use those as your topics of conversation when you get to your exchange’s house. That being said, don’t give away too much over the internet. You still need some new topics of conversation to keep your newfound friendship alive!

3) You WILL get homesick. READ MARK’S DOCUMENT. – At the very middle of exchange, you’ll start to doubt yourself: Do you actually have friends out here? Does your buddy even like you? You’ll miss your home and friends so much that you’ll want to get on a plane that very second. I was expressing my fears to my mom when she sent me Mark’s exchange handbook. The part on cultural adjustment said that I should be feeling exactly like that in the middle of my exchange. Once I realized that I wasn’t alone, my fear melted away and I began to enjoy my exchange much, much more.

4) Try to use common expressions from your host country. – For some Australian examples:

Bogan: Redneck

Soz: Sorry

Toilets: Restroom/bathroom

Good on you: Good for you/Props

This is a great way to really feel like you belong in your host country. If you keep talking like an “American,” you’ll always be known as ‘the American exchange’. For example, say “I reckon,” instead of “I think.” Try to assimilate. Most people (except you) won’t notice the difference at first, but soon enough, you’ll be sounding like a real Aussie!

5) Give your buddy space! – I followed my exchange around like a lost puppy until the end of week two. DON’T do this. Your buddy has friends that (s)he wants to be with, even if (s)he likes you. Giving them space will allow YOU to make more friends and branch out socially. And I found that my exchange buddy and I got even closer once I let her have her own space.

6) Go to events, meet new people. – I absolutely can’t stress this enough! You might think that you’re better off just staying at your buddy’s house, but GET OUT OF THE HOUSE! Have a sleepover. Get invited to a party. Do anything to meet new people. It’s scary at first, but it is SO worth it. Once you meet new people you’re able to branch out and recognize people on the following Monday.

7) Eat some muesli every day. – Because you are living with another family, it’s hard to make decisions of your own. My first day, I tried some muesli and yogurt–and I’ve had that for breakfast every day since. Let your family make their decisions, and all the while keep some control of your life: whether it’s what you have for breakfast or the time you wake up on the weekends, you’ll have the power to control something.

8) Participate in school, but learn to relax. – In my first two weeks at Radford College, I participated in all assessments, class, and homework assignments. And it all interested me because it was stuff that we hadn’t learned before! As the weeks progressed, there were less and less assignments that I had to do because they were long-term; in these weeks, I learned to relax. So please, appreciate your time learning in a school environment without having to stress.

9) Appreciate Athenian. – I’ve always appreciated Athenian and everything the school has to offer, but going on exchange made me truly grateful for our school. I realize now that we completely live in a bubble, mostly free from bullying, derogatory slang words, and, well, the real world. Appreciate Athenian, because not every school is like it!

10) Exchange changes you. – I mean, change is in the name! During my six weeks in Canberra, I’ve learned so much about myself and have become so much more talkative and independent. I don’t feel any social anxiety when starting a conversation and I’ve learned to get along with all different sorts of people. The best thing and the worst thing about exchange is that you are constantly out of your comfort zone. For example, I had to take the bus to school by myself one day in the first two weeks of school when Estelle was sick. I didn’t know my way, and ended up getting off at the wrong stop! Thankfully, I made my way back to the bus stop and got to school on time. That day I was able to socialize with everyone and go to all of my classes without Estelle’s help. This may hardly seem like an accomplishment, but it really made me feel independent and like I belonged.

So, friends–or mates, I should say–I’ve learned a lot in my time in Canberra.

My final piece of advice is to go on exchange. Whether it is in sophomore year, before junior year, or even senior year, it’s an amazing opportunity that most people don’t get to experience. In the wise words of Ms. Frizzle: take chances, make mistakes, and get messy. The risks you take make for the best stories later.

It’s so wonderful to be a part of a school community as special as the one at Stanford Lake College! My first encounter with the school was my boarding hostile, Ken Shuter. I knew from the moment that I saw the lounge and the inside of the hostile that I was going to love boarding. Everything felt so “homie”.  My room was the exchange room, on the first floor; it is about the size of a college dorm room with a bunk bed. I got to meet my roommate, Georgia, from an all-girls school in Canada. Her and I clicked immediately and became really close, especially being able to share our day-to-day experiences with each other. Jacqui introduced me to her 3 other roommates: Kai, Amber, and Sara; I spent my first night getting to meet all of the other boarders at dinner. There, I got to meet a variety of different people who were extremely welcoming and interested in making my exchange special.

It was very nice being able to start my first day of school having met people. The campus is stunning and the photos on the website do it no justice! Every day, for the first week, we went down to the lake and relaxed and ate food. I even got to meet the other exchanges that I would be sharing my experience with from Australia and Canada. I started off wearing my casual clothing to school each day, but soon decided that I wanted to wear the school uniform. Believe it or not, I even started running! In the beginning, my friends had to pressure me to start running, but I actually started going on me own after that. Running is something that I wouldn’t even consider doing at home, so I am going to try to keep it up when I get back.

Every day I felt more and more connected with the students on campus! It was especially interesting for me being African-American at a South African School. Even though I shared the same complexion with the other black students, there were obvious differences in our cultures. To be honest, at first I was intimidated by those differences, but that didn’t last long because of how open everybody was. It was really special to learn about their language, culture, and perspective on South Africa, which they shared openly with me. I have learned a lot about what it means to embrace similarities and differences in cultures.

There has never been a dull moment. My first weekend was an Afrikaans party, where I attempted to learn how to “saki” (popular Afrikaans couples dance). This was a great way to bond with my classmates outside of the school atmosphere.

Thanks to the Knott family, I had a chance to spend a week in Cape Town! It is one of the most beautiful places I have ever been in my life. We were blessed with good weather in the winter, and the city actually reminded me a lot of San Francisco with nicer beaches. It is a very diverse city with a lot to do! I had a chance to meet the rest of Jacqui’s family, including her sister Tess! We got to party, have amazing seafood, shop, and sight see. One of my favorite places was Cape Point, located at the tip of South Africa, with Jacqui’s uncle as a tour guide! That is where I got to take some of the prettiest pictures because of the amazing views. I even got to take selfies with baboons who proceeded to try and open our car door.

Soccer is also something that I got to take up again on my stay! After attending practices, I made the official first 1^st team and got to play my first away-game in Polokwane! Because I haven’t been able to play in a while, it was really special to me being able to play in South Africa! The team was super nice and I got to make a lot of great friends traveling with the team!

I was also lucky enough to reunite with one of my closest friends who came on exchange to Athenian the year before, Reneilwe! She is also one of the biggest reasons that I got so connected with Stanford so quickly! I spent countless nights sitting in her dorm room and talking. One of my favorite weekends on exchange was being able to spend the entire weekend with her and her amazing family! She got to show me a completely different perspective in Polokwane, South Africa! Polokwane is more of a city, unlike my home in Musina, which is more rural. I had a great time! We spent the entire weekend partying, eating, touring around Polokwane, and meeting knew people. I felt like I had to wonderful, completely different homes on exchange.

I truly can say, because of Round Square Exchanges, I have met people that I will be friends with for life!​

What a place Buenos Aires is! Although many aspects of this city remind me of those I’ve seen in the US, Buenos Aires has proven to have a liveliness and personality that is uniquely it’s own. The first thing I noticed was the Argentine driving. The minute I got in the car to drive to Camila’s home from the airport, I decided that never in a million years would I get behind the wheel in this city. After observing for a week and still not having figured it out, I asked Cami’s dad something along the lines of, “So, what are the traffic laws here? How do you know who goes when?” The ever-so-reassuring answer was that they aren’t completely sure, either. Driving and crossing the street is like playing a game of chicken – everyone goes at once until eventually someone stops and lets the others pass. And let me tell you something: in California, we are spoiled. The pedestrians here do not, i repeat do not, have the right of way, and my San Franciscan habits of sauntering into the street whenever I feel like it have almost gotten me in trouble quite a few times.

People say that New York is the city that never sleeps, but I’d have to argue that Buenos Aires is where the real nonstop action is. The Porteños are always busy, and rarely on my trip have I experienced any real down time, let alone gone to bed before at least 12 o’clock. On the weekends, even the kids don’t make it out the door to go out until 1 a.m. I would probably say that the biggest cultural difference I have experienced so far would be how the teenagers live here. For the most part, the kids here are given much more freedom, and every plan they make seems to be spontaneous. The parents tend to be much more casual about where their kids are in a given moment and when they come home (Mom, I hope you´re taking notes!) Walking or taking a taxi everywhere felt super foreign at first for someone who is so used to hopping in a car whenever they want a bite to eat or to see a friend, but after a little over a week, it already feels natural. Everyone here for the most part lives in apartments, which is weird for someone who’s lived in suburbia for most all of their life. Regardless, I’m starting to think that even though city life in an apartment was hard at first, I could get used to it.

The day I arrived, Cami introduced me to her friends and we went to a play. I expected the standard hug and kiss on the cheek, then to be a bit outside of the interaction. But all night, there was always someone making sure I was comfortable and never alone, and translating things I didn’t understand. They all genuinely seemed nearly as happy to recieve me as I was to have arrived. Nonetheless, adjusting was honestly a bit challenging at first. I couldn’t understand a thing on my first day here. The first week of school, I was a bit nervous to use my Spanish and I think some people were embarrased about their English, so I didn’t interact much outside of the core group of people Camila spends time with. But eventually, people started to warm up and began asking me questions by the million about life in America. And now, writing on my 13th day here and my 8th day of school, I can understand most all of the conversations that people have in rapid fire Castellano. The speaking part has been getting easier too. The only warning I can give to prospective visitors of Buenos Aires is that the “tú” that you learned in middle school Spanish class does not apply here. Instead of “tú puedes” it is “vos podés.” It doesn’t pose much of a threat to one’s ability to listen, but sometimes the people here don’t quite understand me if I say something conjugated in the “tú” form.

Overall, my time here so far has been one of the greatest learning experiences of my life. Not speaking their language fluently has often meant that I listen to conversations more than I speak, and as some who know me may guess, it’s a bit weird for me to not always be talking. It has really taught me to listen more.

Last weekend, the school took me on a spiritual retreat. The details are all supposed to be kept a secret, so I can’t reveal much information, but it was an eye opening experience. The whole experience was about understanding yourself and those around you, and really coming to appreciate what you have. The element that really reached me was the appreciation. First, I developed an incredible gratitude for a family, a school, and a community all taking me in and giving me such an amazing opportunity. Exchange has become such a commonplace for Athenian students that I think that we forget how unique the experience is. Secondly, I started feeling an overwhelming thankfulness for everything I have at home. I have a wonderful family that I wouldn’t trade for anything, loyal friends with whom I have the best time, and a beautiful school that provides me with every opportunity I could ask for.

Traveling to Argentina has taught me so much about myself, both in regards to how I interact with the world and how I am in the comfort of my own home town. I would certainly recommend exchange to anyone who is considering it, not because it’ll be the most carefree and easy fun you’ll ever have in your life (which, sometimes it will be,) but because it will change you as a person for the better.

I love my host, Camila, and she can’t wait to meet you all in February! I hope all is well on the home front 🙂

 

August 20^th 2014

It’s almost my last day of exchange and before I debrief the whole trip, I’ll let you know that saying goodbye to the loved ones at home was one of the hardest things I have done. With some recent attachments back home, I hated thinking that I would be missing my entire summer to a winter in Australia in a town where the only thing known about it was that a paraplegic Olympian was born there. On top of it all, being without my sister Laney for 2 months, scared me. I was regretting why I had decided to embark on this in the first place.

Part of a letter I wrote to myself 6 months before exchange

It is 11:07 AM right now in History class on January 24th and when you read this you will be in Australia or on the plane to Australia. Be happy in Australia and be safe, but make lots of memories and have a new outlook with everything. You can literally recreate yourself entirely. It’s what any human fantasizes about, so make the best of it, because this opportunity won’t come around again.

Making myself a new home

It’s the fourth of many weeks in Australia and I have already come to the conclusion that I couldn’t have picked a friendlier country to spend seven weeks away from home. I arrived during my host schools’ winter break, meaning I had a week of getting to know Melbourne before I hit up the books. The city of Melbourne is a bit like San Francisco in the sense that the streets are filled with music fanatics and coffee shops filled with hipsters drinking chai tea. Although my city by the bay is forever my favorite place, Melbourne has a friendlier vibe. The people here are not only relaxed and down to earth, but they purposely focus on not stressing about the little things that will only hurt their well being in the long run. Being someone who stresses about the tiniest details, I was constantly wondering what was next on the agenda and what I had to bring along with me. Eventually, the excessive questions stopped and I began to catch onto the laid back attitude towards living. After quickly molding myself to this new lifestyle, I stopped waking up and remembering I was in a new place. Home was Australia. Because of my new family and friends, I was just now starting to understand hard it would be to say goodbye to Auzzie land.

Camp

I got to do Year 10 camp at Ivanhoe Grammar on August 1^st. We kayaked through Gippsland Lake and hiked around the area. All the gear was compacted into little compartments within the kayak. We brought the bare minimal because of the little space in the kayak, but even so, our kayak got heavy with the food and water inside. The days were filled mostly with kayaking and one lunch break. Nights were freezing and we were often miserable, but we I got to bond with these random people making it worthwhile. It was tough to get used to kayaking for a continuous period of time, but it eventually became a routine. During mid-day on Tuesday, we passed through an area of the ocean/lake where hundreds of jelly fish were grouped together. The kayaking continued through that night until we arrived at our destination around 10 pm.

Being on the water after dusk was unreal. No mosquitoes were out and the water looked like a floor of glass. We got lucky with a pinky purple sunset, which was followed by a sky made up entirely of stars. We were far away from civilization so there was no light pollution to interrupt our view. The group would get often get silent and you could catch numerous of us gazing up at the sky while your partner did all the kayaking. I can’t explain in words, nor in pictures how spectacular it was to see what I saw, but my hope is that everyone gets to see nature for how it is without the lights, the people, and the tourism.

We ended the camp at “retreat,” which was time where you could reflect on what you had just done. After being divided into little groups, we discussed those important to us and tried to discuss all these really deep philosophical questions. At the end of the day, we all received letters from our parents. After not being in touch with my family for a couple of weeks, it was emotional to receive some love from them in letter form. The retreat ended with a period of solo. I was set up in the woods far from camp, but close enough to see some kids near my site. I wrote letters to people back at home and filled up most of a journal by the end of the next day. It was a mini-AWE experience and I was lucky to get a feel for my upcoming trip in March.

Exchange high and saying bye

Around week 5, I felt on top of the world and nothing could top what I was doing. As an exchange student, the whole school wants to talk to you and it’s quite a self-esteem boost to be honest J Every new kid I met, I was drilled with the same questions; What famous people have you seen? What ethnicity are you? Do you live in Orange County? Have you tried Vegemite? Do your best Aussie accent. What’s the drinking age again? I picked up some Aussie slang and soon enough I sounded like one of them.

After school consisted of milk bar runs and afternoon tea. Tea became a vital part of living in Melbourne. My host and her sister were perfect. We became best friends the first week over similar interests and I was surprised by how similar we were. I got a little too comfortable with them, and when Bertie wasn’t by my side, I missed her presence. I forgot she was my host most of the time because it began to feel like I had known her for years. That’s best part of exchange, the fast-paced transition you have to make into the culture forces a sort of closeness with your new friends. By being “forced” into a new lifestyle, you quickly make these really close friends and you grow to love the town, the buildings, and the school. From running through parks at night to kayaking through lakes, they made the exchange unforgettably perfect. It makes leaving Australia so hard. Fortunately I have planned a trip back where I’ll be able to live it up with these fools again. I refuse to think that I won’t be coming back considering Australia is now a new home. It makes the world seem a whole lot smaller when you hold an emotional connection with some of its countries.

A quick guide to some Melbourne Slang

• Razz: Flirt
• Oi: Hey (condescending tone)
• Bathers: Bathing suit
• Bikkie: Biscuit
• Jumper: Sweatshirt
• Thongs: Flip flips
• Goonsack: Flask
• Capsicum: Bell pepper
• Far out: wow awesome
• Keen: like
• Grouse: Nice
• Oath: Yes
• Macca’s: McDonalds
• Good on ya: Good job

Highlights of the trip in chronological order

• Vegemite
• Visiting the Victoria markets: a hipster market that sold heaps of random food and little trinkets. Based in an old fashioned parking garage.
• Going to the tallest tower in Melbourne city: Eureka tower gives you the best view of Victoria.
• Going to Sorrento Beach: A luxurious beach town with a nice beach where the water is really blue.
• The national gallery of art
• A Dirty Three concert
• Having a wood fireplace at home
• Watching the Men’s Varsity soccer win the finals.
• Getting to miss the friends at home: I appreciated them 10x more than I usually do.
• Passion fruit soda
• Having amazing coffee each morning
• The French fries
• Going to Sydney for a weekend: Bertie and her dad and I flew to Sydney for a weekend. The bridge and Opera House are prettier than they are in photos.
• Camp: See camp entry for details.
• Solo: ^
• A frozen yogurt store called Frozen
• Fireworks in the park
• Getting an Australian flag signed by all your mates
• Reuniting with some family friends in the same time I lived in
• Going to Alice Springs and seeing a friend whom was a previous exchange at Athenian.
• Having a one on one with some wallabies
• Visiting the beautiful national park of Alice Springs

 

G’day from Adelaide, South Australia!

It has been 5 amazing weeks so far, and I only have one week left! I can’t believe how fast it has gone by!

After my last blog posting, my amazing host family took me to Sydney for a weekend. It was a pleasant surprise when my exchange, Cordelia, told me that we would be going to Sydney, because we live so far away. We arrived at the Sydney airport late on Friday night and headed straight to the little apartment we were would be staying. After getting settled in, it was too late to go do anything so we just went to sleep. On Saturday morning, however, we got an early start and had a huge breakfast at a chocolate café, which was delicious. The first thing we did after breakfast was take the ferry to the Sydney Opera House and the Harbor Bridge, where I was able to take some beautiful pictures. Afterwards, we took the ferry to the zoo. It was really fun and we got to see both a seal show and a bird show! Cordelia got to be a volunteer at the bird show and got some really cool, close-up photos of an owl! After the zoo, we went back to the apartment and changed into warmer clothes and took the ferry to a really cute amusement park called Luna Park. At Luna Park we went on a lot of the rides. It  was really cool because it was dark so all of the attractions were lit up in tons of lights. The weather in Sydney was gorgeous–I was even wearing a T-shirt! Then on Sunday, we got to sleep in before heading off to go shopping! It was really fun shopping with Cordelia. She took me to all of the popular shops in Australia which included Top Shop, T2, and Sports Girl. After our morning of shopping, we went to a wax museum; I have never been to a wax museum, so it was really great experiencing it with Cordelia. We took so many pictures with all of the statues! After the wax museum we had to catch our plane so we headed back to the airport.

Another fun experience I had was a before my Sydney trip: I taught my host family how to make s’mores! They had never had a s’more before! I was so surprised when Cordelia came up to me one night and asked, “have you ever had a more, so’more? I don’t really know what they’re called.” So we made s’mores one night. Well, we made modified s’mores, because they don’t have graham crackers or Hershey’s chocolate in Australia, so we had to use biscuits and really thick chocolate that didn’t melt. I promised Cordelia that when she comes to the U.S. we will make “real” s’mores with graham crackers and chocolate that is thin enough to melt. It was really funny when we tried to make them, but everyone had a good time making Australian s’mores.

This weekend is my last weekend in Australia and so Cordelia was super sweet and organized a goodbye bonfire party for me on Saturday. I am looking forward to it, as well as wishing that it wasn’t happening so soon!

Going on exchange has been a once-in-a-lifetime experience and it has been one adventure after another! I have experienced the Australian Outback, fed a kangaroo, spent an amazing weekend in Sydney, and had the incredible opportunity to hold a koala. These past 5 weeks have been some of the best I will ever have experienced and I don’t want to say goodbye so soon! Thanks for all the memories and good times! See ya later, Australia.

As I sit in the London airport, waiting to board my last flight to America, I can’t stop crying as I think of all my friends I am leaving in South Africa. But I also am so grateful that I had this experience and that I’m crying so much as I leave what became my second home. I will never forget all the laughs, people, food, and various adventures I encountered and I sincerely hope I can return to the beautiful country of South Africa.

At the end of my exchange, I can say that I have been changed forever and I am proud of whom I’ve become. I see the world in different ways. I hope everyone has a chance to spend time overseas, because it is the best decision I ever made.

After 21 hours of travel, I landed in Adelaide, South Australia. When I walked out into the arrival area, it was wonderful to see my exchange, Cordelia, her mother, and the exchange coordinator there to meet me. It was so great to finally meet them after weeks of communicating through countless Facebook messaging and emails. As we walked to the car I was greeted by 40 km/h winds and 12 degree C weather, which was shocking, as I had been in 95 degree F weather less than a day ago.

When Cordelia’s mom got into the car on the passenger side, I was confused and a little surprised, but when I looked, I realized that the steering wheel was on the other side of the car! There were a few times while we were driving when I forgot that we were supposed to be on the left side and I silently freaked out until I remembered.

Cordelia lives in the countryside in the little town of Willunga. When we got to their home, I put all my luggage in my room and Cordelia and I started unpacking my clothes and toiletries. Afterwards we had sandwiches for lunch and talked about everything from how my flight was to whether I liked the show Dance Moms. It was really great having time to get to know Cordelia and her mom. After lunch, Cordelia and I watched a movie and TV the rest of the afternoon. It was really nice because after 21 sleepless hours of travel, I just needed to relax. I met Cordelia’s dad when he got home from work that afternoon. It was nice to have finally met all of my host family for the next 6 weeks.

The next day I went to Glenelg with Cordelia and had lunch with three of her friends. Their school was on holidays, so it was a great chance to meet them before I started school. Before school started, Cordelia and her parents took me to the Flinders Ranges, a part of the Australian Outback. I was amazed when instead of seeing wild turkeys or deer along the road, there were wild kangaroos and emus! We even saw a couple of wild male kangaroos boxing. We also went hiking and almost ran into a wild emu!

On Monday, I attended my first day at Westminster. I had my hair pulled back in a ponytail and a very green uniform on when I walked into school that day. It felt so different from how Athenian is. I had no clue where to go and constantly had to follow Cordelia to every class to keep from getting lost.

I thought it was kind of funny how everyone kept telling me how cool my accent was, when I all I was thinking about for most of that day was how cool their accents were! The rest of the week was a blur of new faces and getting lost around the campus. But by second week I had started making friends and was finally remembering the way to the food tech room.

During the next weekend I finally had a chance to explore Cordelia’s farm. She lives on a huge property and has cows, sheep, two dogs and a llama. I had the chance to drive through her land for a little bit, but it was definitely really weird driving with the steering wheel on the right-hand side. I also had the experience of getting the truck stuck in mud and Cordelia’s dad needing to use the tractor to pull it out. Right after that, he got a stick stuck in the gas tank, so it broke and started spewing gas everywhere. It was quite an experience for a suburban girl like me. We also had fun rolling the hay bale out for the cows and sitting in the back of the truck.

The next weekend they took me to the Cleland Wildlife Park and I had the amazing opportunity to hold a koala and feed kangaroos and wallabies. It was so crazy that I could just walk up to an emu and feed it, or walk up to a kangaroo and pet it. It has definitely been a highlight of my trip so far.

I’m already halfway through my exchange and it has been one incredible experience after another. I am excited for the many experiences that are yet to come.

 

“New-tella? What the heck is New-tella? It’s Nut-ella, ya freak!”

‪I’m ending my fourth week in Australia this Friday, and I have learned a lot about the continent, the capital, and myself. And, also, that I say Nutella incorrectly.

‪I arrived at Sydney airport with Bronwyn and her mom, and three days later, I found myself on a three-hour ride home to Canberra with my exchange partner, Estelle. She was shocked that I hadn’t seen Gossip Girl and we started watching it during the ride back. We made a pact to finish all six seasons before my six-week exchange ended. As I said before, I am nearing the end of my fourth week… and we’re already on Season 5. Estelle was still on her winter holidays when I first arrived, so we had a week to bond before school started. In this week, I was able to meet with her friends in fun settings (we went to the Telstra Tower, Flip out- Australia’s equivalent to Sky High, the Mall, shopping, etc.). This was good because I was able to recognize some familiar faces in the first week of school.

When school started, I was extremely surprised to find out that the students of Radford College get less than an hour of homework every night! While I love Athenian, I find this extremely helpful for students so that they can focus on their passions or get a job without the stress of three to four hours of homework each night. Another thing that surprised me was their assessments. Because they don’t receive homework, they have one to two large assignments that count for a shocking 50% (or so) of their grade! Basically, the assessment is their grade; participation and homework count for nothing. Everything considered, though, the environment of Radford College is quite similar to Athenian. While they do wear uniforms, wait for their teacher’s permission to sit down, and call everyone ‘Mr’ and ‘Mrs,’ Radford College is pretty laid back and very accepting.

‪In the past month, I have done so many new and exciting things, such as visiting Tidbinbilla, a nature reserve where baby koalas, emus, platypuses, and kangaroos roam free. This was especially cool, because Estelle wasn’t fazed by any of them. Kangaroos are the Aussie equivalent to deer! I also went to the National Museum of Australia where I had the chance to view authentic Aboriginal art, which I really enjoyed.

‪I have two more weeks left in Australia, and I am absolutely going to miss everything about this continent, from the Nut-ella to the wonderful friends I’ve made!

‪G’day to you all.