Study Abroad Campus Education, Australia High School Program

My name is Laure and I went to Australia for a month as an exchange student. When I arrived in Australia, I was a little scared because I didn’t know anyone and it was the first time I was traveling alone. My family was so kind and generous with me. On the first day, I went to Tara’s training and it was fun. I think the thing I loved most was my family and school. The school is so different from my school in France, the teachers and other students were kind to me and introduced me to other people. On the first day at school, I was a little stressed, but everything went well. I like the fact that they wear a uniform and they organize a lot of funny things like language day when I cooked pancakes and made drama. I also went to the zoo and aquarium and saw a lot of animals I had never seen before. I love discovering new things and it’s a great experience. I’ve done a lot of things here. I went to Vivid with Tara and Tara’s friends, it was beautiful. All those lights on, I loved it. Tara’s friends were very nice to me. I also went surfing with Tara. It was so funny and the water was very cold so when we got home we took a very hot shower. I walked a lot with Julie and had the chance to see a lot of beautiful scenery and sunset. One day we went camping at the place called « the basin » and the landscape was gorgeous and it was really funny, we played some games around the fire and ate marshmallows and sweet things. It was really funny. When we were at home, sometimes I cooked or stay with the family, watch movies with them, help them, play, talk… I am very grateful for the opportunity to have had this experience and to be a member of the Banks family. And thank you so much Jennifer for all you’ve done for me.

Australia is a beautiful country and the people there are amazing. The family was so lovely. It’s an unforgettable experience. I’ve really enjoyed everything I did because it’s so different from France like the school, the living habits.

When I first arrived in Australia in August 2018, I was amazingly surprised by the confidence of people there. I found them very welcoming and open minded. I was host by an Australian family who integrated me quickly. I’m still keeping contact with them, I became really close to my host sister and brothers. So I chose this program because I wanted to attend class in an English speaking country but I didn’t want to miss class in my own country, France, so that’s why I decided to go in Australia, their holidays were not in the same time as mine. I went to the same school as my host sister but I wasn’t in the same class (she was 2 years younger than me). At first, it was difficult to make friends, I didn’t want to bother my new classmates although so I didn’t try hard... However, teachers included me easily and I learned to talk with the students, I made friend. For this kind of program I think you must not be shy, or it is pointless, you won’t talk to anyone. Don’t attend to eat healthy food, for me, I took time to adapt to their diet (even if it was good, the food is different). My friends made me try all aussi food and among them, vegemite was the weirdest, everyone need to taste if they go in Australia. To conclude, I really enjoyed my time spent in this country, I met a lot of lovely people and I made friends. I reckon my English’s skills increased, especially the comprehension. But if there is one positive point, it is that when I came back to France, oral exams were really easy : when you spend 3 weeks in an english speaking country, you gain confidence also in your native language (it seems so easy then). I felt more open minded. It was an amazing opportunity.