The King's School Exchange: Sydney, Australia
Brandon Carpenter
Day 1
Greetings from Australia!
After a long flight from L.A., we finally had arrived in Sydney! My host mother, Mrs. Andrews picked up Coleman and myself along with Nick (my host brother) and Will (Coleman's host brother). We went to a little coffee shop for brunch and enjoyed hot chocolate, scrambled eggs, toast, and 'rashes' of bacon (it was more like ham). Then we went to Kings to drop Nick and Will off before heading home for a little down time. We also visited Koala Park where we saw koalas, kangaroos, dingos, wallabies, emus, and much more. We even got to feed the kangaroos! Mrs. Andrews cooked a wonderful steak dinner with white peas, potatoes, and fried pumpkin (which was very sweet). We also enjoyed a drink that was like a carbonated lemonade soda. The jet lag is beginning to sink in, so we are going to bed early tonight so we are well-rested for orientation at King's School tomorrow.
Thanks again Mrs. Warner for making this incredible opportunity possible!
Cheers!
Arrival Down Under!
Made a new friend on the first day!
Day 2
After arriving at school for our first day at Kings, our host brothers showed us around campus, and we got our schedules and uniforms, including some very short shorts for athletics. Everyone was very welcoming and excited for us to be here. Today was pretty relaxed because we didn’t have any classes, so we got to know the layout of the school really well. At the end of the day, we got our first try at rugby, more commonly known here as footy. Rain had been off and on all day, so we were running and sliding all over the muddy field, and we all three had a blast! We picked up on the rules pretty quickly and had a lot of fun playing with the 10s (the worst team). Once people got over the fact that we were “’Muricans” and called us Taco Bell as a nickname, we met some really good friends. Our host brothers also took us to the store near campus and had a little taste of home with deep-fried Mars bars. Lunch and dinner were good, and after dinner we have a study hall and then free time.
Cheers!
Day 3
Today was our first day of classes. All three of us had the same schedule for the most part, but we did take a few different classes. There are two rotating weeks and we don't have the same class every day, and each day a class has a different period. We didn't have rugby practice today, so Clark and I played some basketball. We also went back to the store, and I got another delicious fried Mars bar. I also tried some ginger beer (non-alcoholic), which is similar to root beer, but made with ginger. It wasn't bad, but it certainly tasted different and made me very hot when I drank it. I also bought some Tim Tams, which are delicious chocolate wafers. I was going to buy a box of Nutri-Grain, delicious cereal (I think they put honey in it because it is sweet), but it costs $6, and everything is more expensive here than America. For our house meeting, we all wore hats, a Wednesday night tradition in McArthur House, and we have about another hour of free time before lights out at 10.
Cheers!
Day 4
Well, it feels like "Team American" has finally settled in Down Under with our first few days of Kings under our belts! We're still making tons of new friends, known as "blokes," so it is hard to keep everyone's name straight, considering we have about 100 new names floating around in our head. We met a kid named Angus Paradise the other day playing rugby, and he has been really nice to us, and I also met Steve Irwin's nephew. Since we had some different classes today, we were still bombarded with questions about America and our accents, and it's weird to think we are the ones with the accent! Everyone wanted to know about Tennessee, which some of them call "Hannah Montana land" and thought it was awesome that I lived right down the road from Keith Urban, a fellow Aussie, and Nicole Kidman. I also had to clear up a few rumors that last year's exchange students had started. Apparently, Furman had convinced everyone down here that MBA offered NASCAR as a sport during the school year, so I got asked a few times if I drove NASCAR as a sport! I understood most of the material in math, and business studies was very interesting. In art, the students had just started a film project, so I'm teaming up with a couple of the students who are doing a documentary on Asperger's Syndrome. The food has been great, but the drinking glasses are tiny, so we have to refill them every few sips. The fellow mates didn't believe that we had taller glasses in America. The weather has also been very nice with temperatures similar to our fall and spring. The Aussies think it's freezing, and constantly ask me if I want a sweater or coat, but I always respond, to their shock, that it feels great outside today. Coleman, Clark, and I noticed today that Ugg Boots are extremely popular here, even for the guys. It's funny to see all these big rugby players and our house leader prancing around in their Ugg Boots and sweatpants at house meetings. Speaking of rugby, we had our second practice today in preparation for our match on Saturday morning. I'm a little sore, but rugby is really fun. Team France is coming on Monday, and since Team Canada has their Canadian flag hanging up in the dorm room, I have proudly hung my American flag shorts on wall.
Cheers!
Day 5
Today we traveled to Manly Beach in a 1.5 hour trek. We left early this morning with Team Canada and took advantage of Sydney's public transportation by venturing on the public bus, train, and ferry. Both the bus and train ride were pretty long, but the ferry ride was awesome! We went right past the Sydney Opera House and got a great view of downtown Sydney from the Harbour. Once at Manly, we set off for the nearest surf shack and rented one surf board to share among four of us. The others were able to brave the freezing waters in their swimsuits, but I rented a wetsuit to avoid hypothermia. It took me about 10 minutes to squeeze my body into the wetsuit, only to discover that I had put it on backwards and had to go through the entire process all over again. The waves were actually really good for surfing, but none of us were able to fully stand up. However, I was able to ride one of the waves on my knees! After the waves had tired us out, we hit the strip to do a little shopping. I bought some boarders shorts, a Kangaroo crossing sign, and Bondi Beach towel all while the Canadians were arguing about a watch they both wanted to buy. I had lunch at the Australian equivalent of Burger King, but a burger and fries was $8. I was going to buy some ice cream, but it was $6.80 for two scoops, so I ended up getting two large frozen Cokes for $1 a piece, which is by far the best deal we've seen so far in the pricy Australia. Also, I noticed today that not only do Australians drive on the left side of the road, but they also walk on the left side of the sidewalk instead of the right. After the Canadians had settled their argument over the watch, we hopped back on the ferry and witnessed the sunset over Sydney Harbour on our way back. When we got back to downtown Sydney, we met Clark's uncle for dinner at a kebab shop for some really good Australian food. We have our first rugby match tomorrow at 8:30 in the morning, so hopefully the rain will hold off so our game won't get cancelled! After our rugby match featuring the worst of the worst, my host family is taking me to Scotts for the big rugby match of the day. We are still receiving lots of questions about America, and the Canadians have branded me with the new nick-name of McLovin, a character from the movie Superbad. When we were shopping today, we had someone tell us he knew we were American because only Americans wear ball caps.
Cheers!
Coleman, Clark, and I by the Opera House
Day 6
After a short night's sleep last night, Team America partook in our first rugby match! All of us saw some good playing time and were able to get a few touches and tackles. Even though we lost, we had 'heaps' of fun and then headed over to Scots School to watch the other Kings teams play. After watching around 4 games at Scots, my host family took me to The Gap, which has some massive cliffs overlooking the Harbour. We explored the area for a while enjoying some incredible scenery of Sydney. After looking hundreds of feet down to the crashing waves, the Andrews clan and I went back home for some excellent fish and chips and calamari before heading to a birthday party for one of Nick's friends where we watched some horror films. After discovering that the energy drink I had been sipping had expired a few months ago, I enjoyed a diet coke to try and balance out the caffeine and sugar content in my body.
Cheers!
Football has got nothing on rugby...
Coleman, Clark, and I after our first rugby match!
Day 7
After a delicious breakfast of rashes of bacon, fried eggs, and cordial, which is similar to orange juice but must be watered down because it is so concentrated, we braved the chilly rainy weather and headed for Reptile Park, surprisingly the only place in Australia to produce “all snake and funnel-web spider venom to the nation’s anti-venom program, assisting in saving over 15,000 lives” to see kangaroos, wombats, crocodiles, alligators, turtles, dingoes, snakes, frogs, spiders, lizards, emus, birds, and much more! We managed to survive the torrential downpour and saw the main reptile show, venomous snake show, and salt-water crocodile feeding show. The reptile show was awesome, but all the more incredible because I participated in the main attraction. I held a Burmese python that was several meters long and very heavy for a good 15 minutes to show off to the crowd as it wrapped around my neck and slithered all over me. The ranger leading the show then referred to me in the other two shows, and he let me hold the most poisonous animal in all of Australia – Don’t worry, Mum (the Australians think it very odd to spell mom with an ‘o’), the animal was a cane toad, but it’s not lethal to humans. I also held a baby crocodile after grabbing hot chocolate and warm chips with chicken salt, which is tastier than regular salt, and I even kissed a larger crocodile in the reptile show as well! Thankfully the rain let up, but unfortunately the downpour didn’t stop until we left the reptile zoo. Once back at Kings, I took the rest of the day to relax.
Cheers!
I held this Burmese Python for about 15 minutes.
Day 8
I can't believe we have already been here a week! Time has been flying by! Today we had a regular day of classes and went to Westfield Mall after school. I didn't buy anything, but it was fun walking around the five-story mall. We also ate dinner at the mall and had some good ol' 'Murican food at McDonalds, and I got about 20 Subway cookies for $2.50. I was only buying three, but the worker said she had to throw the rest of them away at the end of the day, so I was more than willing to take them off her hands and lighten the garbage bag when she offered to put them all on a big tray for me to share with Team America and Canada. Once back at McArthur House, we played around-the-world ping-pong where the loser gets pegged with the ping-pong ball. To bring a little American spirit to the house, I've been wearing my American flag short-shorts tonight. Tomorrow Team America and Team Canada are planning on going to Bondi Beach.
Cheers!
Day 9
Today was probably the best day in Australia so far. We headed out early to visit the world-famous Bondi Beach and catch some waves. The water was warmer than Manly's and the waves were much better as well. One of the kids in our house owns a house right on Bondi, so we borrowed some of his boards. We then ate fish and chips on the beach before heading out to explore the rocks around the beach while trying to avoid being washed away by the massive waves. We were climbing and scaling rocks while the waves came crashing onto the land and saw some incredible scenery. Before heading out, we did a little shopping. Back at school, I went to see Nick in his play and had to wear the number one uniform.
Cheers!
Surf's Up!
The Canadians (Alex, Tim, Carter), Clark and I at Bondi Beach
This wave almost washed me away right after this photo!
Number One Uniform
Day 10
Today was a normal school day, but the atmosphere around campus was full of excitement in preparation for tonight's State of Origin Ruby Match, which is basically the Australian equivalent of Super Bowl. Everyone in the house crowded into the common room to watch the huge event, and we all cheered till we were hoarse. The cheers paid off because New South Wales won 14-6! To make the night all the better, our house master grilled sausages and cooked meat pies for us to enjoy during the game! Tomorrow, I am heading home with Coleman and his host family for a couple of days before meeting back up with my host family.
Cheers!
Day 11
I started off the morning right with three bowls of cereal, pancakes, and a bacon and egg biscuit. We then headed to Canberra, the capitol of Australia, to tour the Australian Institute of Sport where the majority of Australian Olympians train. Then we headed for the mall to grab a bite to eat at KFC, and I bought some rugby shorts after the delicious fried dinner. With our stomachs full, we hopped back in the car and drove past the Parliament House before attending the Brumbies vs. Rebels rugby match where the Brumbies won an exciting game 39-17! We enjoyed the game from an open box/suite that came with plenty of soft drinks, meat pies, and delicious sausage rolls. After chatting briefly with one of the players who actually teaches at Kings and with another person important to the organization, we piled back into the car for the long drive home, and spent probably around 4.5 hours total in the car throughout the day.
Cheers!
Go Brumbies!
Coleman, Will, Nick, and I after the Brumbies match
Day 12
Today we had a nice relaxing morning before driving about 2 hours back to Sydney from Canberra for the Harbour Bridge Climb. The climb was absolutely incredible! The hike, which led us 135 meters above the sea, lasted about 2.5 hours and is definitely not for someone afraid of heights. Thankfully heights don't bother me, so I thoroughly enjoyed walking on the mesh wire walkway and leaning over the edge to see the scenery directly below us. The views of Sydney were incredible from the top of the bridge and all the more incredible because the Vivid Lights Festival is occurring for the next few days where the bridge, opera house, and skyscrapers are all lit up in different changing colors. We then enjoyed dinner at a restaurant right on the harbour with a direct view of the opera house before heading back home.
Cheers!
Nick, Clark, Matt, Will, Coleman, and I at the Vivid Lights Festival!
Matt, Clark, Coleman, Dougal, Will, Nick, Tom, and I on top of the Harbour Bridge!
Peak of the Bridge after a long hike to the top with Nick!
Day 13
After sleeping in till about 9:30, Nick and I watched his rugby team play in the semi-finals. Unfortunately, Nick is unable to play because of a stress fracture. Even though his team lost, the game was still really fun to watch, and we stayed to watch another team play as well. Tonight we went to another birthday party complete with a massive bonfire and a live DJ, and Clark and I made some new friends after being barraged with questions about America. Tomorrow we are getting up early to do some bush-walking (hiking) in the Blue Mountains.
Cheers!
Day 14
How have we already been here 14 days?! I've been having a blast, but time is going by way too fast! We woke up at the break of dawn for our two hour drive to the Blue Mountains. We bush-walked (hiked) a 6 kilometer trail to see the incredible Empress Falls and saw amazing views of the valley where the clouds had settled. We made it to lunch right as the rain started and warmed up with hot chocolate, hot chips, and sandwiches. My family had planned another hike, but unfortunately the rain didn't let up, so we went to a lookout point to see the Three Sisters and then did some shopping. After an excellent nap on the two hour drive back home, we had lasagna for dinner before I headed back to Kings.
Many thanks to Mr. and Mrs. Warner, Mr. Gioia, Montgomery Bell Academy, Mr. and Mrs. Andrews, Nick Andrews, Harry Andrews, Mr. Symons, Mr. Chadwick, Ms. Carol, Macarthur House and The King's School! I had an incredible time Down Under, and I will never forget the experiences I had and friendships I made!
Cheers!
Blue Mountains Waterfall
Three Sisters
Mr. and Mrs. Andrews and I at the Blue Mountains
Celebrating a successful bush-walk with Nick.
Day 15
After a delicious breakfast, we headed out to Manly Beach via the bus, train, and ferry. After arriving at the beach, we ate huge burgers at Moo Burger complete with bacon and eggs on the burger before enjoying an excellent nap on the sand. Then we took a pathway to Shelly Beach (that had lots of shells) because several people recommended the cove beach. Shelly was more calm and quiet and had more rocks that we explored.
Cheers!
Beach Adventures with Clark and the Canadians
Day 16
I woke up sore this morning after winning the late-night push-up competition to the Canadians' surprise. I regained my strength, however, at breakfast before heading to class for the day. After school, Clark, Tim (one of the Canadians), and I headed to the old gym to play basketball for around an hour before dinner. Unfortunately, Coleman couldn't play basketball with us because he twisted his ankle the other night, but thankfully, the doctor said nothing was broken. We also headed down the local store for another deep-fried Mars bar.
Cheers!
Day 17
After another day of classes under our belts, Clark and I headed to our last rugby practice. We ran some basic drills, and I impressed the Aussies with my Gridiron throwing skills. After an appetizer dinner of fish and chips at the cafeteria, we met up with our English class to tailgate before the play, Frankenstein. For the main course, I ate an entire Pizza Hut pizza, and I'm not exaggerating. The play was really good and lasted until about 9:30. We are heading to Bondi again tomorrow.
Cheers!
Day 18
Today we headed back to Bondi for the second time. Upon many recommendations, we took a long walk alongside the cliffs to reach Brunti Beach and Tamarama Beach. We enjoyed some fish and chips at Brunti before heading back to Bondi to toss the frisbee around in the sand. We arrived back at King's after dinner, but thankfully I went with Nick to his House's charity trivia night which included a silent auction and raffle to eat a couple of bratwursts and plenty of dessert . Mrs. Andrews won twice in the raffle, so she gave me a penny board that she won that usually sells for $125! It's hard to believe we have less than a week left, but we have had an incredible experience so far and want to make the best of our last six days!
Cheers!
Cliffs of Bondi
Shelly Beach in the background
Day 19
After our alarm clock went off after what seemed like 5 minutes of sleep, Clark and I headed to our last rugby match where we both saw some decent playing time. I had a couple of short runs and laid a big hit on one guy. I then hopped on a bus to Newington with Team Canada to see the other King's rugby teams compete, and we were at that school for most of the day before heading home for some delicious double bacon cheeseburger pizza. During the car ride home, we were talking about guns, and Mrs. Andrews thought all Americans were crazy because of our guns considering there are extremely strict gun laws Down Under.
Cheers!
Day 20
Today was another awesome day here Down Under! Clark and I made a last minute executive decision to take a 30 minute jet-boat tour of the Harbour upon Team Canada's suggestion. We sat at the front of the boat that spinned, sprayed, and hit speeds of 50+ miles per hour while seeing amazing views of the city. After being nearly wind-blown to death, we rode on a ferry to the Taronga Zoo which turns out to have the best views of the Harbour and city. We saw exotic animals such as zebras, giraffes, and a platypus before taking a gondola lift ride back to the ferry. Clark and Tim headed back to King's to have dinner there, but Alex and I stayed at the wharf to eat at Mackers (the Australian term for McDonald's) where we found the deal of the day - A Big Mac, cheeseburger, fries, soda, and ice cream sunday for $9.95. The sundae was so good I ended up buying a second one!
Cheers!
Flying through the Harbour at 55mph!
Caution: You will get wet...
Fun at Taronga Zoo
Ferry ride back to Sydney
Day 21
To enjoy the day before the last-minute packing begins tomorrow, Team USA and Canada headed to Manly Beach with my host brother Nick and another King's student, Dick. We relaxed on the beach and did a little shopping before a few of us took advantage of the Hunger Deal at Mackers again. Our housemaster, Mr. Chadwick, threw a going-away gathering for us tonight, and we each got our own meatlover's pizza and had everyone in the house sign our Australian flags. It's hard to believe that tomorrow is our last day Down Under, and I don't think any of us are ready to leave yet!
Cheers!
Day 22
Unfortunately we are coming to a close on our last full day at King's. We spent the morning watching the very exciting Game 6 of the NBA Finals before stocking up on King's equipment at the store, and then I went to the mall with Tim. Mrs. Hicks picked the three of us up and took us to an up-scale pub for dinner to enjoy some delicious, greasy, fried fish and chips for a goodbye dinner. We are trying to pull an all-nighter because we are leaving King's at the crack of dawn, literally, for the airport. Thanks again Mr. and Mrs. Warner for this incredible opportunity! Words cannot begin to describe our gratitude for this incredible experience you provided us with!
Cheers from Down Under,
Brandon
Macarthur House
The King's School Courtyard
Dorm Room
Commons Area of Macarthur
Dining Hall
Final Moments Down Under
Recap Video from the Trip
