1995 School Magazine

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FRENCH VISIT 1995

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July 9 until the end of the month, BGGS I families and teachers hosted the staff and students of our sister school in France who made their second visit to Australian shores. Ten students and lwo teachers from Lyc6e Saint Paul in Angoul€me made the most of some glorious weather and saw a few 1ocal areas of interest, also participating in a number of activities organised for them within the school timetabie. The sister school exchange program betlveen BGGS and Saint Paul has proved very popuiar. Study tdps to France in January by students of BGGS are now made on a regular basis, iike the annual study trips to our Japanese sister schools, and it is pleasing to see that these sister schools are keen to return to us. Both the visits from our Japanese schools and our French school fell this year at a time when relations between Australia, and Japan and France, were a little sensitive. The French students arrived jr"rst after the decision of the French govern- ment to resume nuclear testing in the Pacific, and the Japanese

students were here through the week of commemorative events marking the fiftieth anniversary of Victory in the Pacific. The sharing of everyday lives of these young people proved that on a personal 1evel, people across nations and cultures harbour similar hopes and dreams that go beyond political contexts. In a thank you speech to an assembly, the French teacher, M. Jo€1 Bernuchon, commented that we are all. part of the tree of humanity, and all our values and actions touch each other, and that the decision of a man should not be confused with the spirlt of a nation. Many students left after their short visit with promises of return invitations to visit France. \)7e hope then that tlvo visits in successive years mean that our French sister school will make this an annual event. As always, I am grateful to students and families who host our visitors, and trust that through the highs and 1ows, there is a sense of added dimension to relationships, as well as some good memories. LORRAINE THORNQUIST

AURORE SITIARD

I urole Sillard, a fourteen year old exchange student from I urore stayed with my family for tlvo weeks and it went AF."n..,stayedinAustraliaforfourweeksinAugust.She Aextremely quickly. rWe went to Lone Pine and fed had two host families, the Harrisons and the Pattersons. kangaroos, went to the Gold Coast in the middle of winter (she Throughout her stay with my family, the Pattersons, Aurore was the only one on the whole beach who went swimming),

went to the Ekka (where we ran into a man from France!), and the Mall, where Aurore let loose some of her spending money. Her brother Benjamin also came to BGGS for a day, an experience he'I1 never for- get. Hosting her provided me with four weeks I will never forget, and through that we developed an excellent friend- ship - we have akeady started writing to each other. It was a great opportunity

went to English movies and to Dreamland which was "almost as good as Eurodisney". The waves at Noosa beach which were about one metre high were just absolutely enormous. Having Aurore stay with my family was an experience that I will never forget. Having someone from a different cul- ture and background staying in your house teaches you a lot about both the way you live and the way that they 1ive. I realised that there are both differences and similarities in the way the French and the Australians live.

to gain a contact who lives in a foreign country and I learnt something about the way we live and the way the French Aurore's stay at Brisbane Girls' Grammar taught us a lot and live. I am huppy my family decided to host Aurore, and happy I'm sure her English improved (certainly in some particular her family decided to send her to Australia. areas). I hope that Aurore enloyed her stay in Australia as much EMMA HARRISON as we enjoyed having her. FREYR PATTERSON (L-R): Freyr Patterson. Aurore Sillard and Emma Harrison

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