We started our trip with an enormously long journey to Perth, Australia. We left Nashville on a Friday afternoon and arrived LA at night. We spent several hours hanging out in the International terminal and eating PF Changs. We left LA at midnight at tried our best to sleep for the first few hours of our flight. We were able to finish several movies on our flight and spent time discussing our excitement for our adventure ahead. We landed in Melbourne around six in the morning and rushed to our next gate. We were held up for a while in customs but were finally able to make it through. We were very tired on our final flight but were served a very nice in-flight meal. Our host families were able to greet us at our gates and welcomed us to the country. We spent the rest of our day relaxing around the house and getting over our jet lag. Both of our families took us sight seeing around the city and we made sure to stay up late that night to get over our jet lag.
School Experiences
At Christ Church Grammar School, we were year ten students and spent the day taking sophomore classes. Our classes included Marine Science, Design and Technology, Psychological and Spiritual Development, PE, Sport Science, and other core curriculum. At CCGS, it is a block schedule and all classes are 50 minutes long. Everyday we brought our own lunches and would eat in the quad since there was no formal dining hall. Two days a week we would attend rugby practice after school at their training facility. We were a part of the year 10 team and played in two games. Our American football experience lead us to be star players on their team.
Home Experiences
Both of us had the privilege to stay with kind and open families. Joe had three host brothers and would spend time playing xbox with them at night. They also had two smaller dogs named bobby and billy. Joe's host mom would make delicious dinners every night and we would discuss our days at the dinner table. Alex had two host brothers and a host sister. We would spend most of our time throwing the football or walking around the neighborhood. Also, the whole family loved learning about American gun laws, Trump, and life in America during dinner conversations.
Week 1
We spent week 1 adjusting to our new schedule and battling jet lag. We were both able to experience the Perth Zoo and see the deadly wild animals that roam Australia and the countries surrounding Australia. We saw a multitude of animals, including kangaroos, koalas, dingoes, quokkas, tigers, and kookaburras. Joe's host family took him to their beef farm outside Perth. There he was able to experience the Australian country side. On Thursday nights. Alex's family went to the Rugby club and would eat dinner there.
Week 2
During this week, Alex and Joe would spend afternoons exploring downtown Perth. We also attended rugby practice to prepare for the games the following week. We took the bus and train around Perth to see the sights. While exploring, we discovered a delicious sushi restaurant in the middle of downtown. That weekend we watched the state of origin rugby game at Alex's host families house Also, we played a rugby match that weekend.
Week 3
This week was probably our busiest. We both had tests and themes in school. Also, we went to a footy match and watched the West Coast Eagles versus the Essen-don Jets. On the weekend, Joe and Alex went to Joe's family's farm in Yallingup, which is about three hours south of Perth. At the farm we enjoyed feeding large shire horses and billy goats. We also went canoeing in their pond before traveling to the beaches in Busselton and walked on the longest jetty in the Southern hemisphere. Finally, we took the ferry to a nearby island called Rottsnest, which is in inhabited by quokkas.
First off, we would like to thank the Warner Family, Mr. Gioia, and Mrs. Scholer for giving us the opportunity to go on this life changing experience. We loved every minute of our trip and will remember it for the rest of our lives.
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