The King's School (Australia): Kevin Wang

Kevin Wang: The King's School Exchange: July 5-19

Settling in

July 5

Today I arrived in Australia! From the plane I could see the break of dawn over the clouds on the horizon, floating over Pacific waters. Katrina Emmett, my host mother, picked me up from the airport and drove me directly to the school to spend my first day here. She’s extremely nice, and I’m really glad I’m staying with them. She and her husband Ian have 3 children, Zach, Ben, and Francesca, who are in years 8, 5, and preschool. Katrina told me that Francesca is quite a character, so I’m really looking forward to seeing her this evening. I’m currently writing this in the library, which is a lot like MBA’s, with the small bookshelves and the cozy private setting. It’s also a wonderful day here. The sun is streaming through the clouds for a little longer before it’s going to rain for the next five days...hopefully the forecast is wrong. I’ve also found out that my buddy here in Year 11 is Robbie Quinn (not to be confused with our librarian RQ). I’m a member of Dalmas House, one of the 12 residential houses here. Their school motto here is Fortiter et Fideliter, "Strongly and faithfully."

Me with my two host brothers

July 6-8

In the remainder of the week, I saw the Transit of Venus, which is a huge event in Australia because of its history. Captain Cook, who discovered Australia, actually came to the continent to see this exact phenomenon. The transit occurs every 200 years, so I was very lucky to have come at such a time! I also had the opportunity to meet the headmaster, Mr. Hawkes. How I met him, however, was not the best of introductions. As I walked into the lunchroom one day, he was standing at the entrance and pulled me aside. He turned to a visiting trustee and said, "Now, here is a young man who is not dressed properly. His undershirt is not to be visible." My heart began to race. I apologized, but then, in a desperate attempt to gain his empathy, told him I was an exchange student from MBA, and he quickly apologized and introduced himself. (When I came back to Nashville, I didn't wear undershirts for a while.)

Eaglereach Resort- July 9-11

Eaglereach Resort is a beautiful nature resort located in Hunter Valley, about 2 hours north of Sydney. My host family took me there for a 3-day holiday for the Queen's birthday. I saw Kangaroos and Wallabies for the first time and also fished for yabbies, creatures similar to crawfish. There were also a couple of fish-and-chips nights, during which we watched the movie Australia, a fitting choice. There was also a very low level of ambient light (not as low as that of Long Mountain, of course), and I was able to see the Southern Cross, a constellation with the familiarity of The Big Dipper in the Northern Hemisphere.

Family at the Eaglereach resort

The Last Week

In the last week of my Australian excursion, I went to a Reptile Park with Furman and Bradley, ate several "meat pies" (essentially a shepherd's pie), watched the State of Origin rugby game between New South Wales and Queensland (New South Wales won!), actually attended a rugby game between the Parammatta Eels and South Sydney Rabbitohs , and played in a rugby game. The rugby game was very eye-opening for me. It was the first time I had played a contact sport, as well as a team sport. I also had to have an extreme level of confidence, since I was playing a game that I had never even practiced before. When I got on the field, it was actually very intimidating. Even though I had to endure much anxiety and confusion in the process, it was definitely worth it. Now I am very eager to play soccer (or football), football, or any other game, not because I've suddenly become athletic, but because I enjoy doing it.

Feeding the Kangaroos

Sydney Olympic stadium

The beautiful Bondi Beach

I also swam in 40-degree ocean water at Bondi Beach, ate lemon-and-sugar pancakes (apparently that's a very common recipe!), and toured the Sydney Opera House and Sydney Harbor Bridge with Furman and Bradley.

Bradley, Furman, and Me at the Sydney Opera House

Wrapping Up

This Australian experience was really a unique one for me, with the rugby game, the exchange life, and the home-stay. I had an awakening encounter with rugby and can now say that  I have played a contact sport! I had the opportunity to delve behind the scenes of The King's School to experience the life of a Kingsman. And lastly, I could not have asked for a better family to be a part of than the Emmetts. Apart from satisfying my long-imprisoned thirst for Nutella among other unhealthy foods, they have provided me with the resources, aid, and love that have made my Australian experience unforgettable. I would also like to thank the Warner family, Mr. Gioia, and MBA for making this trip possible. 

And thank you, Australia, for the "aussome" experience! Till next time, mate!

Kingsmen!

And for those with a free afternoon...

List of 99 Things Different in Australia (some are specifically TKS)

1. Undershirt can't show
2. Red columns are more customary than white columns (matching red dirt)
3. People drive on the left side of road
4. Driver seat is on the right side of the car
5. They use the metric system (Liters, meters, grams, etc.)
6. Celsius instead of Fahrenheit
7. Their speed limits are electronically displayed in red circled displays by the road
8. Exotic wildlife is everywhere. On campus I saw two green rosellas flying through.
9. HSC is the final exam that determines your university
10. Their education is centered around Australia (history, scientific discoveries, etc.)
11. Huge pencil pouches
12. Uniform for most schools
13. Reading out scores on tests
14. Grade A pencils, not #2 pencils
15. “Marks” = grades/points
16. Everyone very direct and to the point, not room for sentimentalism (Get down to business)
17. Midterm exams are just 1 hour long
18. Granny-hook = wedgie-like prank
19. Prep = homework
20. Say “miss” or “sir” when roll call
21. One presiding teacher grades all of the tests; thus the scores are all fair
22. Stand up until teacher tells you to sit down
23. Bludge: to skip out on, be lazy
24. Much larger paper
25. People really not afraid to express themselves, also advanced in creative writing (writing skill here is really advanced, free, and flowing)
26. Students much more disciplined and behaved in year meetings and assemblies (completely quiet)
27. Macs more popular than PCs
28. Fish and chips more common
29. They have meat pies
30. "Bush" = wilderness
31. Boarding summer camps not a big thing here
32. The Voice is the main reality tv show
33. Learner’s Permit (L), then red P, then green P
34. Caramelo Koala
35. Freddo is chocolate frog candy
36. Jersey = any sports logo-labelled clothing, not necessarily American concept of jersey
37. Dogging the boys: When one person ruins the show for everyone else / skips out on an event that everyone else is
38. "Scab": to scrounge food off of others
39. Biscuits: more like shortbread biscuits, not biscuits as in biscuits with gravy
40. STI, not STD (infection, not disease)
41. Organization spelled organisation
42. Very literal use of words, connection with Latin
43. As if = no way
44. A Try = a score/touchdown
45. "Diary" = planner, even for boys
46. Tim-Tams = Aussie chocolate biscuits
47. Cherry Ripe = coconut chocolate cherry bar
48. Vegemite is yeast extract
49. Eucalyptus is common tree
50. “Straps” = seat belts
51. “Bike” = motorcycle, not bicycle
52. “Hungry Jack’s” = Burger King
53. A lot of fusion food, especially Asian fusion
54. "Duke of Edinburgh" is required outdoor course
55. Each state has different university application process
56. College is vocational; University is scholastic/professional
57. Every Saturday is game day for everyone at one school (All teams at same place same time (everything very uniform))
58. “Bin” = trash can
59. Motorway = highway
60. 2 digits for area code, then 8 digits for actual phone number
61. Environment-conscious: Half and full flush on all toilets
62. Environment-conscious: On and off for all sockets
63. Chicken and cheese sandwich at McDonald’s
64. Red lines in road to indicate stop ahead
65. “Chilli” = hot sauce
66. Magnum is most popular ice cream
67. Military time is widespread
68. No tip
69. Prime minister instead of president
70. Gets darker earlier (that’s why I’m tired earlier)
71. Reply to “thank you” is “that’s alright,” not “no problem” or “you’re welcome”
72. Tax is incorporated into the price of an item
73. Many more Catholics (about half and half of Protestants and Catholics)
74. Traffic lights not hung over road by wires; instead, supported on L-shaped pole
75. Turning circles to slow down cars
76. Lots of signs on side of road (more safety-conscious)
77. People very nice and laid-back
78. Not many Acuras; instead there are just Acura brands of Honda
79. Small triangles on sides of lane to indicate upcoming traffic light
80. 16 years and 9 months old to have a license
81. Need 120 hours and a filled-in log to get license, plus a test (as opposed to just a test)
82. Very dry (usually); doesn’t rain much at all
83. Traffic lights have black encasing, not yellow
84. Public bus transportation much more prevalent (even in rural areas)
85. Everyone brings a snack for recess/break
86. Quarantine and more extreme measures to ensure preservation of natural environment
87. Main connections (tourism, economy) with Asian Pacific
88. ANZ and Redi are main banks
89. Bigger Asian population and smaller African population
90. “Double demerits” on holidays, to restrict drunk driving
91. Rugby, soccer, and cricket are the main sports
92. No Chick-fil-A or Taco Bell; they have “Aporto,” which is like Chick-fil-A
93. No Netflix or Hulu here
94. Lamingtons are common
95. “Boots” = cleats
96. Angus is common name
97. Music is measured in grades
98. Sticky Date Pudding is common dessert
99. Opal is main gem of Australia