Gabe Lett & Anderson Walker - Melbourne Grammar

Gabe:

Arriving in Melbourne to the cool air flowing against our sun kissed cheeks, we walked through the terminal to find our host families. Once picked up from the airport and settled in, the adventure began. We spent the next week picking exciting new classes such as politics and legal studies, and we began to make friendships to last a lifetime. We then flew to Sydney for the weekend. We spent this weekend ascending to new heights such as climbing the Sydney Harbour Bridge and surfing the frigid waters at Bondi Beach. We arrived back to school feeling like true Aussies. We knew the transit system by heart and we had the confusing class rotation mastered, but little did we know what being a true Aussie meant. The sole meaning of Aussie culture is “footy.” A fast paced game that combines the speed of soccer and the bloodlust of rugby. Watching a footy match was an all encompassing Australian experience. We experienced sport, food, and comradery during this short three hour experience. During our final days in Melbourne, we spent our time enjoying all that Melbourne has to offer. We went and explored the city and immersed ourselves in new experiences such as the largest shopping centers or small and hectic China markets. Finally, our time in Australia came to an end. We said our goodbyes to all of our new friends and teachers, and we spent our last evening cherishing the final hours with our host families. We woke up the next morning to begin the long and arduous journey home, but we will never forget our experiences down under. 

Anderson:

Attending Melbourne Grammar as a student was truly an eye opening experience. Being in Australia not as tourists helped us immerse ourselves in the culture. Things like going to class, meeting kids our age, and wearing the uniform really helped us understand the true culture in the “down under”.  We often found ourselves participating in class discussions even when we didn’t have to because the classes we took were so interesting. For example, in global politics class, not only was learning about America’s politics and actions from the perspective of a different country incredibly interesting, but also being able to bring a different perspective about global politics from America to those Australian classroom discussions helped everyone in the class learn more. Participating in school sports was a blast and learning about the great native sport “footy”, or Australian Football, was amazing. Overall, being a student was an incredible experience that we wouldn’t have gotten anywhere else.