Throughout spring break, I think I had more arguments about the pronunciation of ‘basil’ then at any other time in my life. Now, I know what you're thinking, ‘Anna, why would you possibly be arguing over the pronunciation of a random herb’ and the answer is quite simple - I was surrounded by Australians, who pronounced the word basil differently. I had the absolute pleasure of going on the Australian exchange trip this year, where seven girls in sophomore and junior years spent a few days exploring Sydney and then got to attend St. Catherine's Girls School in Melbourne. To be fair, arguing about the pronunciation of basil wasn’t the only thing I did in Australia, other words up for debate were: tomato, sweater vs. jumper, aluminum, and even the city itself, Melbourne.
All jokes aside, staying in Australia was amazing. Our trip to Sydney fulfilled every tourist's dreams, visiting iconic landmarks such as the Sydney Harbour Bridge, the Sydney Opera House, and Bondi Beach. Other places we got to see were the Frida Kahlo exhibit, Manly Beach, The Royal Botanical Gardens, and the Tik-Tok famous Sticky’s Candy shop. The weather in Sydney was much, much warmer than back home, something I was incredibly grateful for. So I gotta spend my time tanning at the beach or shopping for a new bathing suit all while getting texts from my friends back home about how it was snowing. While the flight time from Newark to Sydney was horrendous (23 hours of flying with a pit stop in San Francisco), the experience was amazing and I wouldn’t have changed anything.
I think I enjoyed my time in Melbourne more simply because of my host family. My host sister, somehow also named Anna (who is at the school right now and you should say hi to), is one of the nicest people I have ever met, and we joked that we were twins due to our incredibly similar personalities and interests. Other people in my host family included 3 younger siblings (2 boys and 1 girl) and her parents. Anna’s family moved from Vietnam only 2 years prior, so not only was I living with a family that was different from me culturally, but I also got to eat some of the best food of my life. Being able to experience such a different culture and family style than my own was one of my favorite parts of this trip and has also made me respect anyone with younger siblings so much more.
The biggest difference between Australia and America that I witnessed was the use of public transportation. As we all probably know, America lacks when it comes to public transportation compared to other parts of the world. In Australia, I took the tram almost everywhere I went. It was incredibly easy to navigate and never took a long time to arrive. Some places, specifically in the middle of the city, were a part of what they called the ‘free tram zone’ where you didn’t have to pay to ride. The use of the tram was so common that even Anna’s younger brothers (12 and 10) would ride it alone to school in the morning. Other public transportation included the train and the bus which, while equally easy to use, were forms of transportation I took less frequently.
Finally, the school I attended in Australia: St. Catherines. St. Catherines (St. Caths for short), unlike Tower Hill, was an all-girls school located in Melbourne. With a daily uniform and different class structures, I definitely felt out of place at St. Caths at first. A daily schedule at St. Caths would include four 80-minute periods starting at 8:30 with a 30-minute break occurring after the first period and lunch after the third. The day would also sometimes include ‘house’ which was when the girls would divide into the different house’s they were a part of and have meetings (think green and white teams but if they applied to more of school life). The only required class that Anna had to take was English (though I’ve learned that sometimes math is required too) so during my time, I did not take a science or language class, instead having several art and English-based classes to fill in the open slots. I also became aware of what they call a “SAC” which acts as one of the biggest tests of the year and constitutes a large portion of their final grade, and I am eternally grateful that Tower Hill does not implement them. While the experience was a bit overwhelming at first, (I got called out for wearing my uniform wrong while walking into school on the very first day) I eventually found my footing and became an active part of the class. Everyone I met at St. Caths, students and teachers alike, was incredibly friendly and welcoming to me as an exchange student, and I couldn’t have asked for a better experience.
Although my attempts to kidnap a koala were thwarted by the weight limit on my luggage, Australia was a trip I don’t regret going on. In this final segment, I want to give some advice. Everyone should try vegemite at least once in their lives, it generally tastes very similar to soy sauce. If you ever go to the Korean restaurant in Melbourne, By Korea, please order the kimchi pancake. Always remember to bring headphones that have the older end part to plug into the airplane so you don’t have to buy $40 headphones in the airport just to watch a movie (totally not speaking front experience). No matter what you do or how much you sleep on the plane, you will be jet lagged on both ends of your trip, it's unavoidable. And finally, when you come to Australia, be prepared to hear Australians pronounce it as ‘bah-sil’ instead of ‘bay-sil’.
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