2013 School Magazine

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Early one Friday morning, with the rest of the School tucked up asleep in their beds, nineteen Girls Grammar students began to congregate at the Brisbane Domestic Airport. What they didn't know was that the next time they would be there. they would have changed, grown somehow, and become stronger and more resilient. Thus began the BGGS Space Trip of 2013 and also one of the best experiences of my life

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Next up was the main attraction - Space Camp itself We were split up, first into girls who were going to Advanced Space Academy and girls who were going to Aviation Challenge. and then into teams associated with those programmes. I had decided to do Advanced Space Academy and was put into team Holderer. named after Oscar Holderer, an engineer who worked with Wernher von Braun to develop the Saturn V rockets that launched Apollo missions to the moon. There was only one other BGGS girl with me. Sophia. and over the week we became firm friends. in fact. I became friends with every member of my team. and I'm still in contact with them now. Space Camp itself is beyond description: the opportunities and experiences on offer were priceless I got to pilot a space shuttle. took command of the international space station and ran mission control it gave me a new way of looking at the adversities In my life and some strategies to use to overcome them

I was amazed to see the United States for the first time. When we reached Dallas, the first place our group visited in America. it was astonishing to see the places and stores that featured so prominently in our media. The bus ride from the airport was full of girls leaning over laps and shouting out familiar names. drunk on the excitement and apprehension of finally being there. Simple things were cause for excitement; for example. we shrieked when we saw our first American flag. Dallas was beautiful and. coming from our winter. we welcomed the warmth of the city's summer seeping Into our bones. but we didn't stay long

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