Grammar Gazette- Issue 1, 1995

Exchange students

A true blue Aussie-Arg~nti n ian

w ith all the facilities you need to grow up physically and mentally well. Enjoy what you have, because in other parts of the world it is not the same. Not at all. Australia is a beautiful country, with amazing nature and out back and friendly people. This country will be my second home FOREVER. I feel now like a true blue Aussie-Argentinian, and this is a big problem for soccer games when both teams play one another! My heart'll be for both sides!! This year was the best of my whole life. Thank you for making it possible. I want to thank all my teachers for being patient and helping in every thing. Special thanks toMrs Lazar who helped me a lot so I could improve my English. Thank you to the whole school for all the opportunities given to me. I really appreciate it. This is not goodbye; it is just to say ...Catch you later, Mates! ·cos I'm coming back for sure and I promise to visit you some day. Muchas gracias Thank you!

Lorena Dlaz-Lozano

AFS Student from Argentina Mrs Hancock, staff members and students, I decided to share with you. my feelings and hopes as the time ran so fast and I'm already home. I still can' t believe the year is gone. II seems like yesterday, when I spent my first day at school, feeling a little bit scared, homesick and without knowing friends . But that situation changed slowly, step by step, time by time and now, I can look back and see what I achieved: great mates at school, won derful friends from all over the world and a beautiful Aussie family. II was hard at the beginning without a family, friends and living in acountrydifferent from mine. · I've spent a great time at B.G.G.S. playing hockey and volley ball and trying to understand what the teachers were saying, but anyway 1 really enjoyed it. My first impressionwhen I saw the school was: Wow! This is huge! You have a beautiful school

My name is Kanako Ishikura. I came from Tsushima Girls' High School in Japan on April 23rd. I am staying in Australia for one year. I'm staying with Linda Liu. All my host family are very nice, so I'm enjoying my bomestay life. I belong to Year 11 at B.G.G.S. B.G.G.S has many buildings, so I was a bit con· fused at first, but always my friends helped me. I'm taking French class. In Japan we don't have French at high school, just a French club. I've learnt French for 8 months in Japan, and I'm interested In French. I'm learning French with Year 8 students, but sometimes it is a little difficult. And I'm lak· ing P.E. class. We are doing fencing now. I had never done fenc ing before in Japan, so I am happy to do it. Also I'm taking E .S.L. class. This class is a special class for exchange students. Mrs Lazar teaches me English so that my English will improve quickly. Life at B.G.G.S. is quite different from my school in Japan. At Tsushima Girls' High School the whole class stays together for every lesson and the teachers come to our class room. This is very dif· ferent from what we do at B.G.G.S. My school has three courses. In the information processing course, students use computers, but I belong to the international course, so I have never used a computer at school before. But B.G.G.S. students often use computers during class, even during lunch. There are many differ ences between Tsushima Girls' High School and B.G.G.S.,soeverything is new for me. I'm looking forward to enjoying Australian Ilfe and I'd like to make a lot of friends atB.G.G.S. them or not. I'm enjoying most of our lime in the boarding house and recently I don't feel so lonely because they are a lotof friends who want to talk to me and exchange greetings. I can get happiness from talking with people who will be my friends forever. Look at the photo I took with the girls in the grade 9 dorms. They are so generous and kind and a lot of fun. After I goback to Japan, they will be in my heart and I will keep in touch with some of my best friends and I won't forget them ever. That ' s why I say these eight weeks have been the great· est and happiest time in the year. Thank you very much Mrs Hancock and Mrs Parsons for gener ously acceptingme to live in the board ing house.

don't ask your age. At school in France, weneverwearunifonns,ex.ceptforsome boarding schools, and there are nomeet ings or assemblies like here. In France, friends are very important but I suppose they are here, too . little about corning here, for different reasons : becauseformeit'sveryhardto be separated from my family for a long time because we are very close. It' s not always easy to adapt to a new faf!llly, and we don' t always have the Chance, As I said earlier, I hesitated a

Sophie Neboul

Exchange Student

Lycee St Paul, Angouleme Some time ago, if someone had said to me that I would go to live in Australia for almost five months, I

wouldn't have believed them.

For me Australia seemed an

inaccessible country, too far from France. When Lisa Mason suggested to me that I should come to her house last year, flrst , I confess , I hesitated

like me, to have a great famil y.

It 's very important, tqo, that, because 1,---------- ------,when some didn't wantf-----------------jone is a for to leave my Angouh!me eigner in your family and group, at my friends Grand nom pour petite ville, school , you and, because Tu es Ia ville ou j e suis nee et voudrais mourir should speak (a stupid rea- Tu es MA ville, remplie de mes souvenirs. to them , be son) I was nice to them. afraid to take Tu es Ia ville oil les gens que j'aime vivent You should the plane. Avec tes bars, tes boites de nuits, la ville s'anime not judge Butlrea1ised Ton coeur est rempli d ' amitie, d 'envie de vivre them by their that to come Tesjardins, tes remparts sont un plaisir a decouvrir. appearance here was a and habits. big opportu- Je t'ai quiue pendant cinq longs mois. Before you nity that not Pourun pays vraimentdifferent: I'AUSTRAUE, judge some many people Mais c' est mieux le n:trouver apres un sCjour donlj'ai one , you must have . So I bien profite. know them, plucked up because life enoughcour-'---------~-------'styles are at age to come here. ways different between two countries . Now I have been here for a Tobeniceortobesensitivetoaperson's little more than three months and I feelings is very important and this will have learned many things.When peo- help them to adapt to the new culture. pie go to a country as far from France Living in another country gives as Australia, they are sure to begin a us a lot of advantages like learning a "new life". It ' s not always easy to different language, livingadifferentlife leave home just like that, because we and also learning to tolerate differences don ' t know where we are going to in culture, having new friends and, of ''fall" or what the people are like . course, discovering the country. Livinghereihavediscovered What I have just written is what differentcustomsfrominFrance.For I felt before and during my stay here, me, in France I have the impression which, luckily, was great (itisn'tlikethis that teenagers are more free . From 16 for a11 foreigners in another countty). years of age (and even, sometimes, Thanks to everybody who has earlier) they go out to pubs or to contributed towards my happiness and I nightclubs, drink, smoke. For exam- hope to see you again soon pie when you buy cigarettes, they

FRIENDSHIP

It doesn't matter the place or time I'll be there with you right by your side

I don't care the problem or reason for your tears I'll be there with you Walking through the long life's way

Because I'll always remember those moments we lived together

A friend is like a light shining in the darkness I will always be your friend That is the only important reason in my life

AMORY AMISTAD PARATODOS (love and friendship for everyone)

The greatest time in the year

get to know other girls at school. Since I startedmylifeattheboardinghouse,Igot to know heaps ofpeople from grades 8to 12andl'mgettingon well with the most of the girls. Another good side is I'm getting to know the girls in the younger grades . When I was a day girl, I hadn't any contacts with grades 8 to 10, soI was lucky to have opportunity to live in the boardinghouse.They come from many parts of Australia and also from for eign countries likePapuaNewGuinea and I can learn about the towns they come from and this is the beginning of our friendship . I often tell them about Japan and our life style and I also help them with their Japanese language. Before !came to the board· ing house , I was anxious about whether I would get on well with

Sachle Takase Exchange Stndent from Tsusbima Throughout the whole year, I had great experiences at B.G.G.S. and I was abletodiscoverAusttalia.We'veleamed to appreciate many things about each other. I have made many good friends, not only from Australia but also people who come from many countries. That's a very amazing experience getting to knowpeoplewhohave different nation alities as well as the great charm of Aus!Ialia which I have been fortunate to experience. The time I enjoyed the most was in the boarding house. During the year, I stayed with five different host families which was good but it was not easy to Girls' High, Nagoya, Japan

Page 4 GRAMMAR GAZETIE,:Term 2 1995