International Exchange Programs at MBA: October 2014

Raffles Institution- Diego Martinez Rojas

Raffles Institution Singapore

Diego Martinez Rojas

This summer I had the once in a lifetime opportunity to travel to Singapore and board at Raffles Institution for two weeks! It was without a doubt one of the most influential experiences I've ever had and I learnt more than I could have ever hoped for, regardless of how high my expectations were before the trip.

Arrival

Stephen, Jackson, and I all congregated at the Nashville airport with our nervous but excited parents in order to hop on our flight to the Chicago O'Hare International airport. After a relatively short flight we finally landed and prepared for what would easily be one of the longest flights of our lives, or at least the longest yet for me; the 15 hour ride from Chicago to Hong Kong.

The beginning of the journey

After arriving in Hong Kong we were greeted by breathtaking mountain scenery which got us all the more excited to be in Asia and even more mind blowing, to be on the other side of the planet.

Arriving at Changi Airport

After yet another flight departing from Hong Kong we finally arrived to Singapore and though exhausted were more than eager to set out into the city. Our very kind hostess, Mrs.Ho, awaited us after baggage claim and took us by taxi from the airport through the city and to our dorms at Raffles Institute.

Day to day Life

My time at Raffles consisted of a very pleasant combination of classes during the weekdays, community activities and outings and tours at night, and some longer, more in depth tours and trips during the weekends.

A Day at Raffles

-Everyday I woke up to my own alarm, showered, and headed out to the dining hall for breakfast at around 7 AM.

-After eating my first meal of the day I would head out to the school's center where I would meet my host buddy Er Jun Jia, more commonly known as Jay Jay.

-After a brief overview of the day we would head to about 2 or 3 fifty minute classes, such as English and math, to begin the day. These classes were very specific to Jay Jay's schedule. Later classes such as Chemistry and Physics were held in massive lecture halls with hundreds of students.

-About twice a week Jay Jay had an extremely interesting class by the name of "Project Work Class" where groups of around 5 students would collaborate on a written assignment or presentation. Though the classes objective was fairly simple, to teach students how to work together in order to end up with a better product than could be made alone, it truly hit me hard how ingenious the idea was. Much like Singapore as a country (in my eyes at least...), the class focused on teaching the Rafflesians how to make a better world through handwork and positively impact others.

-Afterwards we would proceed to eat lunch in either of Raffle's two "Cantinas", where I was free to purchase lunch from as many as a dozen stands of completely different foods. Regardless of the incredible variety from which to choose though, all options were all Eastern-style foods held dear to the melting pot of Asian cultures that is Singapore.

-Following our hour and a half lunch break, after having eaten and usually having played an intramural sport such as ultimate frisbee or pickup soccer, we would head out to the final part of the school day.

-To end the school day Jay Jay and I would go to his lecture classes and finally either go get more food at the Cantinas, play some more frisbee, or simply go relax with other peers. I would finally return to my dorm at around 5 PM.

Project Work Class

"Yeah, Nashville is pretty far away"

English Class with Jay Jay, Dhruv, and Abi.

Eating at the Cantina

INTERESTING FACT!

- Much like in Harry Potter, Raffles Institution has five houses with designated mascots and colors. All students are assigned to a house upon entering Raffles.

The City of Singapore!

For my many after-school outings and weekend tours I got to see a vast part of the beautiful and ridiculously advanced city that is Singapore; a city which one truly needs to see to believe.

The breathtaking Marina Bay

To the left is the incredible "flying boat" building, one of Singapore's most well known landmarks.

Here is a wild looking car seen outside the Raffles Hotel. Luxury cars like these such as Ferrari's, Aston Martins, and Lamborghinis were not an uncommon sight at the heart of the city in Marina Bay.

Jay Jay and I at a Buddhist Temple

Ice Cream...Singaporean style

The Singapore Flyer!

A man enjoying diner at a Cantina

On a ride at "Sentosa" theme park

Night time Horizon

Late night Safari tour!

One of Singapore's countless malls

Singaporean Ice Cream Sandwich

A breathtaking Hindi Temple

THANK YOU!!!

As these pictures clearly show I saw more spectacles than I could have ever imagined witnessing. Without a doubt this journey to the other side of the globe changed my perspective of not only the world but of my life forever. I don't have words to express my appreciation towards Mrs. Warner, Mr. Gioia, and of course the Warner Family! All I can say is that I don't think I have ever been more awestruck within a two week period and I very much hope to return to the marvelous country of Singapore someday. Also a huge thank you to all of the wonderful people I had the opportunity to meet at Raffles for all of your hospitality, kindness, and wisdom! I will never forget you!

Si Deane: Christ Church Grammar School 2014

Jacob Lothers and I had the incredible opportunity to become the first students to make the 29 hour flight to the remote city of Perth in Western Australia. This was a brand new exchange.

I remember standing in Mr. Gioia's office as he read off the list of names of who had the opportunity to go on exchange this year. I heard my name, followed by the school "Christ Church Grammar School, Perth, Western Australia." I became extremely excited. It was always a dream of mine to travel to Australia, but then I became nervous when I remembered that no one had ever been to this school or have even heard of Perth.

This turned out to be one of the greatest trips of my life.

First arriving in Perth

First day we arrived Jacob and I were exhausted from the flight which took us about a day and a half over all. Our host families were waiting for us and we immediately got in the car and went surfing.

After we went surfing, we had to get to school. I was a boarder, and Jacob was staying with a family. This was my view every morning from the boarding house.

Christ Church Grammar School: a beautiful school located on the Swan River in Western Australia.

I got to play the sport "Footy" while I was in Australia. (It is basically Rugby with no rules). It is the equivalent to American football in Australia. This was my favorite time of the week. We practiced three times a week with games on Saturday.

My Footy Outfit My host family's cousin was Pro Footy player Roy Sloane

The Fremantle Dockers Footy Stadium The Fremantle Bazaar

I had the opportunity to miss a day of school with the other exchange students and travel to Rottnest Island, home of the Quokka, voted the happiest animal in the world. We got to ride around on bikes, play in the ocean, and explore this incredible island.

Christ Church was an incredible place. I met many great friends here who I still talk to today.

I became really good friends with the two French and the two South African exchange students as well as countless students at the school.

On my last day at Christ Church, the school wanted me to play a song for the 1,700 students. I met 3 other students at the school, one being a French exchange student who could barley speak any English. We practiced two times the performed "Canon Rock." We received the first standing ovation in CCGS history. Watch the video here.

Jacob and I were lucky enough to spend the last week of our visit in Broom, in the North Western area of Australia. My host family, the Sloane's, owned and lived at one of the nicest resorts in Western Australia, Eco Beach, an hour and a half away from the nearest ambient light, it was the most amazing place I had ever visited. At night, it was so dark that one could see the edge of the Milky Way Galaxy wrap around the Earth. You could not look up for more than 5 minutes without seeing a shooting star

This trip turned out to be one of the greatest experiences of my life. I enjoyed every moment and am very gracious to the Warner family, Mr. Gioia, Montgomery Bell Academy, the Sloane family, and everyone else who helped with this incredible opportunity. I would highly recommend to any rising senior to take advantage of this amazing time.

Ryan Barrick: New Zealand Exchange 2014

After close to thirty hours of travel, Trice McCullar and I stepped onto the tarmac of the fairly tiny airport in Hawkes Bay, New Zealand. The airport was only a mile or so from the coast, and the brief flight from Auckland had us taking pictures out the window the whole time.

The view from the small New Zealand Air jet’s window

After hosting James Weeks for a month when he came to MBA on exchange, we had become good friends. He introduced me to his family who were all welcoming. A few days after my arrival, Titouan Alliod arrived from France. James’ younger brother, George, was hosting him as a French student learning English. Dinner was homemade by Mrs. Weeks almost every night, which was always a great time due to Titouan’s heavy accent. He learned words all the time and seemed to find everything American hilarious. The other great household events were rugby games, during which the whole family was required to sit on the couches adjacent to the wood burning stove (constantly watched over by George). Everybody takes rugby very seriously in New Zealand, and they are always deeply taken aback by the notion that American Football is an equally revered game. Its seemed like many of my new mates frowned upon our “wearing pads.” The whole family would stand up and scream at the TV for the New Zealand All Blacks as well as for England, since the whole family moved from England to grow grapes for wine and take on a hundred or so sheep.

The Weeks’ vineyard.

Attending Lindisfarne was always a blast. Quick thanks to Charlie, Craig, Willy, Dougal, Geordie, Jamie and Danyon for making us feel so welcome. The first major difference from MBA was the uniform. Depending on the day of the week, you either wore a red blazer or a blue sweater over the white shirt and tie. Gray wool slacks and black dress shoes were also mandatory.

Our classes included Spanish, Media Studies, Classics, and Art/Design. The block schedule confused me the whole time but seemed to work very well for everyone else. For me, the most enjoyable parts of attending Lindisfarne were meeting new people every day and learning to play rugby after class.

The final week was a school holiday, and I spent it fishing in and around Lake Taupo, which was formed by a massive volcanic eruption. It is the largest lake in the country, and helped me to understand how pristine the environment of New Zealand really is. The water is so clear that you can see the bottom at a depth of nearly 30 feet. The streams that feed into the lake are equally clear, and hold some of the largest trout in the world.

Thank you so much to Mr. Gioia, the Warner Family, and Lindisfarne College for making my exchange possible. Also would like to thank the Weeks family and the McCleay family for their hospitality. This trip was an invaluable experience for me, and the program’s ability to send so many students around the world really is one of a kind.