Christ's College - George Ma & Lyon Playfair

 Week 1: 

During the first week of arrival, Christ’s College was on the last week of their winter holidays. Still Jet Lagged, the O’Gara’s took me on a road trip up the east coast of the South Island to Kaikoura, known for its marine life. We went on a whale watching tour, seeing 2 humpback whales and a pod of endangered dolphins. On top of the whale watching tour, I went on a mountain top ziplining adventure, consisting of 5 different zip lines totalling roughly 1.8 kilometers of line through the valleys of the mountains. Following our adventures in Kaikoura, we then went to Hanmer Springs and took advantage of the natural hot springs. Upon returning to Christchurch, we explored the town a bit, seeing the new construction following the disastrous earthquake. However our time in the city was short, as we then travelled to Mount Hutt to ski for the day. The slopes were much steeper than any slopes I have ever been to in the US, and the views were astounding. The following day, we tackled mountain biking; the wet climate brought muddy tracks yet the rides were exhilarating and tough. After these days of fun and adventure, the looming school weeks approached

I played golf and shot clays at Terrace Downs with the mountains in the backdrop. The next day George and I went skiing at Mt. Hutt which is about as good as skiing out west with no trees and great views.

Week 2: On the following Sunday, it was time to move into the boarding house. Instantly I was greeted by the warm house matron, Karen, as well as the head of house, Jake Leck, host brother of Connor Looney who went the year prior. As I settled into my college style dorm, I got to meet the rest of the house who were returning from their holiday. The boys were super welcoming and very intrigued by life in America with questions like “What do you think of trump” and “Do you own any guns?” I started my first day of school with a barge through my front door, their method of morning wake up. The schedule was fairly similar to ours at MBA, with 6 classes of 50 minutes long starting at 9, but their lunch was an hour and a morning tea of 20 minutes after the first two classes. Their class subjects were rather similar to ours at MBA, but offering some different classes like accounting and media studies. On Wednesday, as a part of Frank’s Earth and Space Science class, we went to Lake Tekapo to study the stars and the telescope facilities there. The trip was a 3 adventure that consisted of observing stars, learning about the machinery that drives the observatory, and taking in the views and pictures of the sky. At Christ’s College, the boys are separated into houses, based on whether or not they are boarding. People tend to stay within cliques of people in their own houses, so through class, I was able to meet a bunch of day boys. The week ended with Rugby games. Christ’s College First 15 team had a major win or go home game against St. Bede’s. The game environment was rather similar to that of an MBA football game. The game was close and intense, but Christ’s college squeaked out the win 20-24 on a last minute penalty conversion to seal the win. Weekends at the boarding house were pretty calm with most people leaving on the weekends either to go home or for other reasons.The boarding house has a computer system that shows where each person is signed out to

Week 3: The third week kicked off Round Square week at Christ’s College which celebrates international diplomacy and cooperation. Throughout the week there were many events to celebrate internationalism, including different food trucks, a trivia night, and a karaoke competition. Aside from Round Square, the week went by fairly normally except for the fact that Frank made me speak at their assembly. Although departure was sad, and I will miss dearly the O’Gara’s for their warmth and hospitality as well as the great people that I met at the school

Differences: In some ways the school is very similar to MBA. The general atmosphere and culture among the people is roughly the same, which is to be expected at an all boys school. Their schedule is roughly similar to ours, although their school day is an hour shorter. Although the people are roughly the same, the kiwi culture definitely is different than the American culture. They fancy rugby and cricket over football and baseball, although basketball is still popular. 

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The biggest difference however, is the boarding experience. Just living at the school is an experience that is completely novel to me. The regimented schedule, the night role calls and prep hours, and the early wake ups were definitely new to me. 

I started this trip in Edinburgh, Scotland where I said goodbye to my family and St Andrews where my family is from. George and I had to go through customs which took a while and then we had to go out of the airport and take a bus to the domestic section and by that point we missed our flight. We flew over both islands and saw all the snow on the mountains. I showed up in Christchurch only getting about nine hours total of sleep on those flights. I was shown around Christchurch and met up with a guy named freddie. I went to bed at 4:30 thinking I was only going to nap but I fell asleep only to wake up at 11 then I could not go back to sleep for another few hours. I ended up waking at 8:30. That morning we hiked up the bridle path and went to the family's sailboat in Lyttelton. I then had lunch at a place near the city center. We came back to the house and chilled out and then had lamb for dinner. We would have a lot more lamb over the following weeks. The next day we went out to terrace downs and played golf at a resort course. The ground was wet from that morning but the soil was chalky and absorbed all of the water. If the course was done by a well known golfer it would probably be one of Jack Nicklaus's easier and more fun designs. We had really good brisket sandwiches out in the sun. The views were amazing with the course being at the base of a mountain and on the other side a small river ran by. The next day Euan and I went skiing with George and Frank. We got to their house and they were still asleep and then we had to watch them eating breakfast. We drove to the mountain on relatively flat roads then we went up the mountain which was a 1.5 lane road with enough room for two cars to barely get by. The road was dirt and had no rail guards. We eventually made it up the ski field and got set and went up the mountain. Frank got an all day ski lesson for $800. The other three of us got up and then we all lost each other going down. I went on so many runs since the lines were so short. The elevation was about four thousand feet and had three runs to get to the bottom. The powder was good. I went to the park several times and tried the jumps. We got one video of me falling on the jumps. The next day Euan went back to Mt Hutt. I went to Acaroua with Euan’s mom. We had good fish and chips then went on a dolphin boat tour. We saw many dolphins, seals, and penguins. The day after that I went to the Bob Charles Golf Center to hit some balls and do some putting. The place was really nice and was something that you would only expect at a very high end country club in the states. I went to the school which wasn't too different to MBA. The students wear coats and ties every day and are put into houses. The teachers are the same bunch as the ones at MBA. The academics are easier and are more broad. I went to a shotgun practice and used a crappy remington shotgun that jammed on me twice, was way too small, and was full of recoil. The one nice thing about the gun was that it was very easy to open and close. I shot 17 on the trap single shot which was very different to the trap back home since the clays are slower and move in more violent directions. The double trap was interesting and I did a bit better shooting 21 out of 25. I went to the Christchurch Club to meet my mom’s college friend. We talked about all the other college friends who I have met. The grandmothers were very funny too. They both showed up wearing their big fur coats and went outside for several smoke breaks. That weekend I went night shooting which was a ton of fun. I even shot better during the night than during the day. The last night Euan’s family took me out to a Japanese restaurant which was better than anything you could find in nashville. I had a wagyu steak with sake. The next day George and I flew out on our approximately 30 plus hour journey.

 

Michaelhouse College - Jack Hawkins & Clayton Lindley

Over the summer, I had the absolute pleasure of traveling to the Michaelhouse school in Kwa-Zulu Natal, South Africa. We flew into Johannesburg, where we stayed for a week with our lovely host family. While in Joburg, we got to see many exciting sites from Freedom Park in Pretoria, to the Mandela House in Soweto. Moving farther north, we took an excursion to Mabula game lodge, where Thabo, our guide, did an excellent job of making sure we saw as many of the animals as possible such as lion, white rhino, wildebeest, zebra and so much more. We spent our night there attempting to finish the final john wick movie, and poorly preparing ourselves for the morning game drive. After our game drives we spent at our other host family’s home and got to enjoy a local delicacy known as braai (their version of a barbeque). We returned to Joburg for our final days before going to Michaelhouse.

Once we got to Michaelhouse we got acquainted with our dorm mates who were A blockers (Seniors), who we got to know well and spent much of our time with. They introduced us to Ralfe house where we stayed for the next three weeks. While I spent my time attempting to learn to code in Information technology class, Clayton was dominated Economics earning a 100% on the test. Along with our classes we got to try our hand at the sports that Michaelhouse offered. Clayton joined the golf team while there while I joined 1 of 17 football teams that Michaelhouse has. Clayton consistently performed at Michaelhouse’s top level of their golf team, while I managed to score a hat trick in my final game for Michaelhouse’s F team. Through these classes, houses, and teams, we met tons of wonderful people who I hope to stay in touch with for many years to come, and we our incredibly fortunate and happy to have had this amazing opportunity to stay at Michaelhouse and go to South Africa.

Sincerely, Jack Hawkins and Clayton Lindley

Bishops Diocesan School - Charlie Warner

Last July, I went to Cape Town, South Africa where I went to School at Bishops Diocesan School and experienced the different culture and school life in South Africa. Bishops and MBA were surprisingly similar as the academics are hard, their sports are important, and the campus’s are alike. The atmosphere and student life was also similar to MBAs. The students were very enthusiastic about the South Africa National teams and other professional sports like us. Outside of school, I was able to see the beautiful city where huge mountains and the beaches surround the city. Although the weather was wet and cold almost everyday, I was able to go to some amazing places. I was able to hike up Table Mountain, surf in the cold Indian Ocean, and serve at a soup kitchen to help the people in the poor townships. On top of that, I went to Cape Point which is the bottom most point in Africa and was able to see ostriches, penguins, and a lot more animals. The natural beauty of Cape Town was truly unbelievable as everywhere I looked was beautiful mountains or an ocean. I am very grateful for my opportunity to go to Cape Town on an exchange. I had a wonderful time seeing the beautiful city and met great friends there. I am very thankful for Mrs. Scholar, MBA, and my host family for this experience.

Hutchins School - Hudson Ross & Ryan Skeeters

 Hudson Ross - This summer I went to Hobart, Tasmania on an exchange to the Hutchins School. After 26 hours of delays and almost missed flights, I finally stepped into the cool Tasmanian air which was very nice coming from the Nashville heat. Then, I met the Archers with whom I would be staying for the next four weeks. As soon as we got to their house, Mrs. Archer whipped up some vegemite toast which is just toast with a traditional Australian spread. Then Seb, my host, took me on a walk around his neighborhood. I came during their winter break, so we were able to do lots of sightseeing. We went to Port Arthur and the Tasman Peninsula to see the old British prison and the, aptly named, Devil’s Kitchen, a massive cliff carved by the crashing waves of the Southern Ocean. We also went to Tarn Shelf in Mount Field National Park. When we got out of the car, it started snowing very hard making the hike difficult. Once we reached the shelf, the storm died out and we saw it: several small glacial lakes hanging a thousand feet above the rest of the mountain blanketed in freshly fallen snow. There may have been a few snowballs thrown while we were there. Later we drove up to Launceston where we hiked through a canyon and went to an amusement park. After a series of rainy days, we went to the main mountain in Hobart, kunanyi, and hiked to the Disappearing Tarn, a small lake with crystal clear, turquoise water that only appears after heavy rain. We then drove to the summit where I was almost blown off of the mountain by the wind. Near the end of the break, we went to Bonorong Wildlife Sanctuary where I got to feed Kangaroos, Australian Possums, Wombats, Tassie Devils, Kookaburras, Echidnas, and more. Then we started school. I went with Seb to all of his classes including English, Math, Business, History, Coaching Development, Chinese, and PE. I enjoyed getting to know all of Seb’s friends and telling them all about America. I also enjoyed getting to experience school in a more relaxed environment and taking classes that were more applicable to life than your average high school math class. I also got to participate in the Hutchins swim carnival where I won the 50 m Breaststroke. I went to several of Seb’s AFL matches as well as a pro match between North Melbourne and Geelong. By the end of my time in Tassie, I had gained an immense appreciation of Australian culture, and I had really started to feel at home down under. Thank you to the Archers for being such great hosts, Dr. Daughtrey, Mrs. Scholar, and Mr. Marr for all the work you put into the exchanges, and the Warner family for making this experience attainable for all MBA students.

Ryan Skeeters - This summer, I had the opportunity to travel to The Hutchins School in Tasmania, Australia. In thirty one days, I attended school for two weeks, followed by two weeks of holiday. If I were to summarize the experience, I would highlight the welcoming nature of everyone I met. My host family, the Wises, went above and beyond my expectations and were extremely generous. Josh Wise, the student that I stayed with, kept himself busy with school, but also maintained a great relationship with his friends. I would say that meeting all of his friends was one of the many highlights of the trip. Lachy, Archie, Cliff, and Seb were all so welcoming and made the trip even better.

Melbourne Grammar School - Hardy Reisner & Hayden Tan

  After traveling for 2 days because of a delay and halfway around the globe, I finally touched down in Melbourne with my traveling buddy. Stepping outside of the airport, I was immediately hit with a wave of fresh, winter air. Never would I have imagined I’d end up going to Australia before somewhere like Europe but here I was, blessed with this opportunity because of the Warner Exchange. Although I was able to visit Melbourne like a tourist, my favorite parts of the trip had to be meeting the people there. In school, I got to meet guys in every class who all had many interesting things to share. For me, I wanted to know what they thought about their life and culture as much as they wanted to know what American life was like. I can still remember kicking a soccer ball on the soccer field and just chatting about anything with the lads. On top of that, the experience I will remember most is playing rugby there. Going into the exchange, my plan was to play winter tennis down there, I had never really played a contact sport and rugby had to be one of the more extreme contact sports considering they wear no pads. Moreover, we practiced on a muddy field in wet, wintry conditions while just wearing shorts and t-shirt. However, even with many of these doubts in my mind, something about training with others on a team felt different. This was by far the biggest team sport I had ever played in yet everyone treated each other like brothers. What had swayed me over was many of the guys I met kept asking my host whether or not I’d come to rugby training or not. Eventually, I came to enjoy training and working through tough conditions no matter how sore I would get after contact sessions because it felt good to work hard with others who wanted to do the same while supporting each other every step of the way. To top it off, I got to play in a rugby match on my last game there and it was more exhilarating than I could have ever imagined. On the whole, this was an eye opening experience that has grown my perspective on how others view America, one of the biggest things I heard mentioned to me were the guns in America and how all of the Aussies are terrified of them. It’s just interesting to see what others' thoughts and perspectives are. Regardless of what they thought, my host family and the people I met took me in like I was one of them. I would encourage anyone who enjoys meeting new people or wants to step a little outside of their comfort zone to at least apply for the Warner exchange, where you go won't matter, but all of the guys who went this year will remember their time fondly when looking back on their time on the hill.

Colin Durelli - Bishops South Africa

This past summer, I took the opportunity to experience the culture of the country and school life in Cape Town, South Africa. I attended Bishops Diocesan School where I took senior classes in order to compare to our senior classes here. The culture of Bishops reflected that of MBA incredibly. The atmosphere of the school was very much similar to that of MBA’s. The boys had passions in the arts and sports, and rugby games were just as crazy as our football games. Outside of school, I was able to experience the culture of South Africa and visit the township of Langa in order to learn some history and partake in service. I tried crazy foods from a kudu burger, to a sheep’s head. My host family was also gracious enough to take me to a game reserve where I got to see lions, a cheetah, giraffes, hippos, and a lot more! One thing that surprised me the most about South Africa was the immense beauty. From the steep mountains, to the frigid water, South Africa’s natural beauty is beyond compare and definitely an experience to remember. It is safe to say that I will be back.

Charlie McIntyre & Ketch Parker - Michaelhouse South Africa

This summer, we had the amazing opportunity of attending the Michaelhouse School in Balgowan, South Africa. We arrived in Cape Town, and saw some scenic locations like Lions Head Mountain and Table Mountain. After spending a few days there, we traveled to the eastern side of the country and stayed in Ballito, a scenic beach town. We also visited a game preserve, where a monkey opened our door causing a panic and then stole our host family's snacks. After a week of traveling, we drove to Michaelhouse to begin our three week stay. Michaelhouse was unique, as it was a boarding school in a rural area of the country. Our stay here taught us lots about life in South Africa, such as dealing with the lack of electricity, hot water, and central heating during the cold winter there. Our favorite class was history, where we learned about the Vietnam War and foreign perspectives of America. During the weekend, everyone played a sport, and while our stay was too short to be involved, we watched the soccer team demolish their opponents. While rugby was not in-season, we learned that around15,000 people would attend rugby rivalries at the school. After two weeks at the school, we traveled to a nearby golf estate and played golf. Ketch was a solid golfer, but I would take around 10 swings before hitting the ball each time. After we left the estate, we traveled to a nearby town Pietermaritzburg, where we enjoyed the hottest film in South Africa: Barbie. During our last week at Michaelhouse, we played pool in the dorms and spent time with the friends we met, enjoying the boarding school experience. As we were flying home, we reminisced on the amazing places we went and the great time we had.