All Good Things Come to an End

I started off this week with mixed feelings. I knew that every day I'd be doing things and going places I'd have to say goodbye to in a few days and the thought leaving made me sad. On the other hand, however, some really exciting things were planned for this week including my 16th birthday which I will tell you more about later.

On Monday afternoon Do and I took a bus from Southport to Surfers to do some big time souvenir shopping. And believe me, when I say big time, I really mean BIG TIME. Our plan of attack was as follows: first we looked around various souvenir shops to compare the prices of the by now oh-so-famous kangaroo and koala backpacks and once we'd compared the prices of these backpacks in all the shops we went to the one where the cheapest ones were. Subsequently, we spent no less than one and a half hour in this particular shop. In total we bought 7 sweaters, 5 T-shirts, 12 kangaroo and koala backpacks, place-mats, tea towels, Australian flags, post cards, key rings, magnets and I probably even forgot some more stuff. We asked the Chinese shop owner if we could get some discount (seeing we bought half his shop) and next he gave us a free T-shirt worth about one gazillionth of the amount of money we spent. "Thanks sir, that's so generous of you." NOT.

After all our hard work (yes, souvenir shopping really is hard work and so is carrying two ginormous bags containing your purchases), Do and I treated ourselves to some Zarraffa's (Australian version of Starbucks). We got a chicken avocado pastry and a caramel fushion cream. I was just about to say that it was delicious and I'm wondering now how often I've actually said that before. Probably a million times. I think that while rereading this blog when I'm in Holland I will realize how much I've actually written about food. And this is the moment where you come in and say "Duh, how could you not have realized that before?" Well, I just haven't.

On our way back to Bella's house we bought a present for Ms Power, St Hildas exchange coordinator, and looked around for a thai massage to go to for my birthday on Thursday (and also for Do's birthday, we were treating each other). Back home we had dinner together and we spread out all the souvenirs we had bought on the ground and took some photos. I also took a photo with my host family (except for Rory who was at uni). Too bad though that the dogs couldn't sit still properly for the photo...

"Tuesday I checked off something else from my bucketlist," she casually said. No, what are you thinking?!? I WENT ON A #&*^@%$ HELICOPTER RIDE AND IT WAS #&*^@%$ AMAZING!!!!!!!!! Bella and Kaia had organized it as an early birthday present because there was no possibility to do it any other day this week, but who cares? IT WAS THE BEST BIRTHDAY PRESENT I COULD'VE WISHED FOR! When we arrived at Seaworld (where the helicopter ride took off), I was under the impression that we were simply picking up a package for Kaia's work. But we weren't (obviously). At first I said, "Can I stay in the car?" but then Kaia said, "No you're getting out." Next thing I knew I was flying high over the Gold Coast and its beautiful surrounding lands. The feeling while taking off was completely different from that of an airplane. I think I was still overwhelmed and flabbergasted by the surprise when we got home and I only realized what I'd just done when I was looking at the photos afterwards. It was so extraordinary and I can't thank my host family enough for this incredible experience.

However, to my surprise it wasn't over yet with the early birthday presents because on Wednesday the Torv's had planned something else for me: a facial at a well-known beauty centre! Kaia picked me up from school early and an hour later after I'd enjoyed my lovely facial and gained some valuable beauty advice, we went back to school to pick Bella and Do up. Back home I started packing my suitcase, watched some Revenge and stayed up till midnight with Do because it was my 16th birthday on Thursday! It was still only 3 pm in Holland so not yet my real birthday there, but I still skyped some friends and family. Afterwards, Do and I chatted for a bit and then we went to sleep because we had some exciting birthday activities planned for the next day!

Do and I decided to wear our normal clothes to school as it was my birthday and we were only staying for 2 classes (don't worry we're not known as 'the disobedient exchanges' now, we were actually allowed to). Afterwards, Kaia picked us up from school and dropped us off at home because we had a booking for the Q1 climb at 12 o'clock. Q1 used to be the world's tallest residential tower but now some building in Dubai has got that title. Anyways, the preparation for the climb was pretty much the same as the preparation for the Sydney Harbour Bridge Climb (remember, the one we couldn't continue with because of the weather). You basically just had to put on a big onesie and a harness and with a cable you were connected to the building. I was the first one in the line and it was so much fun climbing around the building. I knew that I was safe and everything so I didn't have to worry about falling off and  I could just enjoy the 360 degrees beautiful views over Gold Coast's coastline and hinterland. I could even recognize Bella's house from up there! The climb took us about 90 minutes in total and afterwards Do and I had a lovely birthday lunch at the observation deck on level 77 of Q1. We could even order some champagne to celebrate my 16th, even though the legal drinking age in Australia is 18 and not 16 like in Holland. Following lunch, Do and I walked around Surfers for a bit and then we decided which thai massage shop we wanted to go to. There was one with the cutest little thai women wearing thai dresses and they were just so adorable that we decided to go there. We even got 10 minutes extra for free. It was very relaxing and we both didn't really feel like getting up when it was over as we'd become pretty sleepy. Back home, Do got picked up and I got ready to go out for dinner with my host family. We went to a teppanyaki restaurant, a concept I'd never heard of before, and the food was delicious (there we go again...) I have to say I've had such a special birthday and even though I wasn't with my family and friends (except for Do), I don't think many people can say they celebrated their 16th birthday climbing a 348 m tall building in a country 16.000 km away from home. :)

Today was our last day at St Hildas and tonight will be my last night in my bed here. I have mixed feelings about leaving which made it a strange day. People signing flags, taking some last photos and eventually, saying goodbyes and packing my bags. Everything has almost come to an end and honestly, I don't think I realize I'm actually leaving yet. It feels like tomorrow will just be another day of what I now consider my "normal" life. See, that's the thing, I'm not exactly sure what my "normal" life is anymore. I've spent so much time here in Australia, in this house, with my host family and especially with Bella, that I'm not sure if I'm ready to say goodbye to all of it yet. Of course I look forward to seeing my friends and family again after having been away from them for 8 weeks, but I cannot exactly say that thought makes up for the feeling of leaving everything here behind. I've had the absolute most amazing time here in Australia. I couldn't have wished for anything else, and even if I would have, it just wouldn't have been the same. I've experienced so many cultural differences, learned new things, made new friends, did things I'd never done before and most of all, developed a valuable friendship with my exchange sister Bella. I'm sure we'll keep in touch and one day, we'll meet again.

Time Flies When You're Having Fun

Another week has passed already! Only 6 more days left here in Australia... :( I'm going to write one long post about this whole week as it's already Sunday so it wouldn't make sense to write a different one for the weekend. Monday was Jess and Kate's 16th birthday, so in the morning we drove past their house to pick Kate up for school and say happy birthday to them. Jess suffered Chronic Fatigue in grade 9 and 10 so she couldn't go to school during that period, and even though she's better now she doesn't go to St Hildas anymore. At school I worked on my IB essay in the library (which by the way looks like the photo on the left) and did some other work from back home. Do and I also searched for guided tours to the Great Barrier Reef, because from what we've heard and read about it it seems to be amazing. In the end we found one so we rejoicingly proposed our plan to Bella, after which our excitement was gone again in less than a flash as she reminded us that someone would have to go with us. Right, hadn't thought about that. Since both Nay and Bella's parents had to work we had to wave goodbye to our exciting little plan. Too bad...

On Tuesday we had WSA (Whole School Assembly) again. This time, the principal showed us Youtube movies about robots and a robotized restaurant. It wasn't really clear to me what he was trying to get across but I guess I don't have the right australian humor level or something. I think I was the only one who didn't get it. I do appreciate the fact that he was trying to keep things amusing though, instead of merely talking about the usual boring stuff you expect a principal to talk about.

On Wednesday the Year 12's were allowed to play music during lunch break and all the girls danced in the Reeves Courtyard. It was really funny to see how everyone was just being crazy, enjoying themselves and not caring what everyone thought about them. I can't imagine anyone at our school starting to dance when they play music during lunch breaks on Fridays haha. I think this definitely has something to do with the fact that St Hildas is an all-girls school, as it doesn't really matter if you act weird if you're just around girls. I mean, admit it, you wouldn't start dancing like a retard and singing falsly if the hottest guy of the school could be watching you...

We baked pastries in hospitality, but frankly, they were a bit disappointing. I think because the school has to provide ingredients for so many classes they usually don't buy the cheaper quality products, which is okay most of the time but sometimes it is noticeably at the expense of the taste, like this time.

I also had to go to the orthodontist because they said they had to make some adjustments to my retainer, which they eventually didn't end up doing for unknown reasons. So you could basically state that went for nothing. Back home, I went to the supermarket just down the road and bought some chocolate, bananas and strawberries, because I decided to try and make Max Brenners at home. See the photo provided to see the result of this, if I may say so myself, mouth-watering master chef performance. I also did some more school work and started watching the TV series Revenge, which I'm totally obsessed with now. At night, I sat outside again with Hans and Kaia, and we discussed my plans for the following few days: Infinity on Thursday, Vapianos with Bella, Do and Nay on Friday, kayaking and snorkelling on Saturday morning, Jess and Kate's 16th birthday dinner Saturday night and Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary on Sunday. Pretty busy schedule hey?

Thursday morning Bella had touch as usual, but Kaia offered to bring me to school normal time again. We had Relgion for the third time this week and I'm starting to wonder what the point of these classes are. Obviously to learn about religion, you would think, but so far we've spent all our lessons watching movies. I wouldn't mind earning money like that if I were the Religion teacher... I worked on my IB essay again and was very surprised to find out that I was the only one in my French class (consisting of 17 people) who does skiing or snowboarding! The Aussies are definitely missing out on something if you ask me...

In the afternoon Bella, Do and I took a taxi home because Hans and Kaia both had meetings at work. The traffic was so bad that it took us 40 minutes to get home! (Note that normally it only takes 10-15 minutes). Do and I ate some freshly baked muffins and did some organizing for our Sweet 16 party, which will be in 3 weeks from now. Afterwards Bella went upstairs to do homework and Do and I started walking to Infinity, which is basically a building with numerous different rooms containing all sorts of lights and special mind-meddling effects. Disappointingly, Google Maps had let us down once again, but eventually we got there. Unfortunately you weren't allowed take any pictures, so my vague description and some pictures from the Internet will have to do. There were rooms with all sorts of laser rays, mirrors, giant skippy balls, ropes, floating aircushions, a glow in the dark bridge and many more things which I cannot exactly remember. Some were pretty scary because you had no idea of depth and height, but overall it was an exciting afternoon!

Friday was National Women's Day and since St Hildas is an all-girls school, this was a pretty big thing for them. We could all go to school in our House T-shirts, sports pants and sports shoes, and I have to say it was so comfy not having to wear the hot, long uniform for a change. In Assembly, three teachers gave a speech about the women in their life they admired, and when Mr. Crowe (Head of Year 11) started talking about the admiration he had for his wife he nearly started crying, which everyone found really cute and touching. In the afternoon I did some running on the treadmill in the garage and then took a shower. Then Do came over because we were going out for dinner at Vapiano's (Nay didn't go with us because she was feeling sick). I was very surprised when I first heard they had a Vapiano's on the Gold Coast, because I thought the one in The Hague was the only one that existed. There was a pretty long queue at all the  counters to order so we didn't eat our food at the same time. My bruschetta and pasta were delicious though!

On Saturday morning my alarm went off at 6:15 am because Do and I were going on a kayaking and snorkeling trip. We were picked up at a bus stop near my house at 7 am by a guy who introduced himself as Steve, and after picking up some more people we arrived at the location where we'd go into the water. We first got some instructions on how to kayak but Do and I had already done it before so it wasn't too hard for us. Unfortunately, the weather wasn't too great so we didn't get the tan we hoped for while we were out on the water. We first kayaked to Stradbroke Island and guess what... on our way over there I got stung by a jelly fish. At first I didn't see that it was a jelly fish and I saw this weird thing on my arm so I started panicking and eventually it had stung me on my legs as well. There was also some kind of ink all over them. Nasty creatures I can assure you... We'd been promised a lovely breakfast at Stradbroke Island, which turned out to be some milk poured into a mini package of Cocopops, so that was a bit disappointing (euphemism). We then made a walk along the island and had some time to relax at the beach. Do and I fell into conversation with an older lady who lived in Melbourne and had a son who'd also been on an exchange. After a while we kayaked to Wavebreak Island where we did some snorkeling. Unfortunately the water wasn't very  clear, so Do and I got out after not too long. Sadly I couldn't take my phone with me in the kayak so I haven't got any photos to show you :(
 

Back home we both took a shower and went to Pac Fair with Kaia and Bella to buy a present for Jess and Kate, because they gave their real birthday dinner at night. The one at Max Brenners last weekend was just with a few girls, but this time it was at a formal restaurant and they'd also invited the guys who were with us at the farm. After Pac Fair, Do and I had a little nap (remember, we got up at 6:15) and then dressed up for dinner. Bella, Do and I were the last ones to arrive at the restaurant and Do and I were sitting at the end of the table, next to Abby and Tomikah. However, they weren't too talkative and we couldn't really hear the conversation the people at the other end of the table were having so Do and I just ended up talking to each other. After dinner we went over to Jess and Kate's house for a bit and just chilled with everyone. Craig dropped Bella, Do and me home and then Do and I chatted in bed for a while.

Do and I slept in on Sunday and went out for breakfast at a little cafe just down the road. We then caught the bus to Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary, which took us about 45 mins. We had some vouchers for discount on our tickets so we also decided to add the "Green Challenge" for a few extra dollars. This started at 3 pm so we first spent some time in the park, just looking at some animals including our favorite Aussie friends: the kangaroos! For the Green Challange we had to change into a onesie suit over which we had to put on a harness. This harness had two clips so that you were attached to the course at all times. The entire course took us about 1,5 hours and it was a lot of fun just climbing around, it made me feel like a child again haha. We got home around 5:30 pm and then Do went back to her house. I changed to go out to dinner with Kaia, Craig and Bella. We had lots of little tapas and I really enjoyed it. I just got back from dinner and I'm realizing now that time next week I'll be back in Holland, which is such a strange thought. Better make the best I can of my last week here!

 

House Musicals: Back to the Future!

Yesterday was the big day: HOUSE MUSICALS! (FYI: red, yellow and blue are the colours of the houses). Let me first fill you in on the rules of St Hildas house musicals in general. The entire event is a competition between the three houses (Banksia, Karragaroo and Melaleuca) and obviously, the one with the best musical wins the competition. Each house has to create a musical of about half an hour and fulfill the set conditions. These include one original composition (meaning a self-written song), one song played by the house band, self-made dances and a certain number of main characters. Furthermore, the musical as a whole has to relate to the theme "Back to the Future". Bella and I had to be at the Gold Coast Arts Centre at 12 o'clock for dressed rehearsals. Except, we weren't aware of the 'dressed' part, so we were the only ones not wearing costumes, oops... Kaia had filled an eski with lots of yummy snacks for us, so we survived rehearsals and were picked up around 4 pm. At home we had an early dinner (Hokien noodles with beef), because we had to be back at the Arts Centre at 6 o'clock, and this time for real. Bella and I did our hair and make-up, put on our costumes and were dropped off at the Arts Centre again. 

The show actually started at 7 pm, but we had to be there an hour beforehand to make sure everything was organized and everyone was wearing the right costumes. First up was Melaleuca house. Unfortunately, I barely followed what their musical was about as we watched it backstage with 50 people on a tv screen no bigger than the size of a laptop. My house (Banksia) was second. Everything went surprisingly smooth but I have to admit I was kind of relieved when it was over because I was pretty nervous I'd forget one of the dances. The last house up on stage was Karragaroo (still think it says kangaroo every time I read it). Luckily, we could join the audience and watch their musical from there. I had been told they have all the drama people and singers in their house, so surprise surprise... They won the competition. Banksia did a good job too though; we won a few prizes, including one for the best original composition and best band. All in all it was a successful evening and even though the rehearsals were a bit boring most of the time, the actual show was great fun!

Today was a bit of a relaxing day. I slept in and when I woke up Bella and Kaia had already left to go shopping at Robina because they needed to buy some stuff. I made myself a delicious breakfast which consisted of avocado, tomatoes and scrambled eggs. I think I've literally eaten more scrambled eggs here than I have in the previous almost 16 years of my life. Speaking of, (tessas) it's my 16th birthday in less than 2 weeks: EXCITING!! However, this also means we only have about 2 weeks left of exchange, as we're leaving 2 days after my birthday. Time flies by so incredibly fast! Anyways, the rest of my day was a bit uneventful. I worked on my IB essay which I have to hand next week and I watched some series. Right now I'm about to finish this blog post and go to bed. If only it wouldn't take me so long to put the pictures in the right place...

Greedy Girls, Outback Spectacular and Embarrassing Encounter with Head of Senior School

Monday was just a normal school day. Nothing extraordinary happened, so I’ll spare you the boring stories about what I did in my classes and what I had for lunch.
 

On Tuesday, Bella had touch at 6:30 am and I had a spare first period so Kaia offered to bring me to school at the start of the 2^nd period. This was hospitality and this time we were making sandwiches! I was in a group with 2 girls I hadn’t met before, so that was good, and we were assigned to make ‘open sandwiches’. I’d never heard this name before but it was simply a bun with lettuce, bacon, grilled chicken, Parmesan cheese and sauce with mustard, mayonnaise and a herb which I can’t remember the name of. Do and I were a bit surprised by the behaviour of some of the girls, because some people were still cleaning up while others were already sitting at the table with their hands on the sandwiches they wanted. Once the teacher said we could go ahead and pick three sandwiches, some girls literally snatched them from the plates as fast as they could and some even took two when there were only six in total to share with a group of 16 girls. This way, the well-mannered people ended up having the leftovers and unpopular sandwiches, which was a shame because some of them looked really good and if we would have shared them equally everyone could’ve tasted them.

 

At the end of the day we had chapel and directly after school we had to go to musical rehearsals, because Saturday is the big day already! Around 5 pm, we were picked up by Kaia, had something to eat and quickly changed because we were going to see a show called Outback Spectacular and get a backstage tour at six o’clock. Hans and Kaia wanted to stay at home because Bella’s uncle Miles was spending the night at ours, so Hans had organized for a lady from his radio station to go with us. Her name was Brooke and she was pretty young and lively. We first got a backstage tour and we saw everything you can think of related to the show: the changing rooms, actors’ lounge room, laundry, costumes, horse stables, sheep and bull barns and also the kitchen where the meals for the 1000 visitors of the show are prepared. After the backstage tour, we went back to the main hall where we had a drink and listened to some typical Aussie music while we were waiting to go in. I won’t go into too much detail about the show, cause I don’t want to bore you with a dull description and you just should’ve been there to know what the vibe was like. Anyway, it was really good and I definitely enjoyed it!

 

Wednesday afternoon we went to Pac Fair, because Kaia had forgotten a bag of stuff she bought at the chemist when we were at the Brow Bar last week. We got some sushi for afternoon tea and Bella bought some school stuff including pens, a ruler, a diary etc. from a cute little stationary store called Kikki K. Oh, by the way, I don’t think I’ve mentioned this before but Bella drives us almost everywhere these days. Now you might think “huh that’s strange,” but here in Australia you can already drive a car under supervision when you’re sixteen. First you have to do a theoretical exam and if you pass that, you are officially called a “Learner”, though most people just say “I’ve got my L’s.” Within one year, you have to drive and record a hundred hours under supervision of an experienced driver, which means someone who’s had their driving licence for 5 years. After that, you get you’re P’s (provisional licence), which basically means you can drive on your own even though there are stricter consequences for violating the law. Bella has been on her L’s since her birthday, which was in August, and has done about 30/100 hours. She’s been on exchange for two months though, and she still has six months so I’m pretty sure she’ll manage to get the hundred hours.

Thursday we had chapel again, but it was not a normal chapel ceremony. This time a guy from an organisation called yLead gave a presentation on a 23 day ‘once in a lifetime’ experience to Tanzania. It includes climbing the Kilimanjaro, visiting a local government school to teach and coach sports, visiting an orphanage, living with a local teacher for a day, going on a safari and spending time relaxing on the beach of the beautiful island of Zanzibar. Three girls from St Hildas have been on the trip last December and shared their experiences with the entire school. Do and I also asked if there was a similar program like yLead in Europe, and unfortunately the guy didn’t know of one. It is possible to apply for the trip even if you’re not Aussie, but it’s really really expensive and as I’ve just been on exchange I don’t really want to ask my parents, haha. After the presentation we still had some time left so we had a short chapel service. We ended the service with singing the song “You Got the Love” by Florence and the Machine. As most of you will probably know this song, you might understand why Do and I were a bit surprised when we started singing this in a (for our standards pretty formal) chapel ceremony.
 

After school Do and I walked to Hot Tomato (Hans’ radio station right next to St Hildas) and were brought to Robina Shopping Centre by a guy called Jake. He works at Hot Tomato and is kind of a jack-of-all-trades. He was very spontaneous and good to talk to, and we had a nice chat on the way to Robina. Do had changed into her normal clothes but I forgot to bring some so I was still in my uniform. We first had sushi at Robina and then shopped until we were hungry, and had dinner at Max Brenners. We both had a waffle with banana and strawberries covered in chocolate sauce and it was delish.

 

Today was just another school day; I won’t go into detail for the same reasons I mentioned before. Actually, I will tell you about something slightly embarrassing. Kimmy, Do and I were taking selfies on my laptop during our spare and we were laughing pretty loudly cause I have to say they were just hilarious. Then we suddenly saw that someone else was in our picture, so we turned around at guess who was standing there? Ms Brodar, Head of Senior School... She wasn't actually angry or anything she just had to talk to Kimmy about something, but it was still pretty awkward... 

After school we had musical rehearsals again, and when we got home we had some satay and couscous salad for afternoon tea. Then I chilled at home for a bit and dressed up to go to Max Brenners for Jess and Kate’s birthday. They’re turning 16 on Monday so they'd invited Tomikah, Grace Singh, Grace Usher, Bella and me to have dinner with them. It was mouthwatering as always. I don’t think I can ever get enough of it. No idea what to do with your life? Introduce Max Brenners into Holland and I bet you’ll be a millionaire in no time.

 

Tomorrow’s the big day: house musicals! I’m really excited cause most of the rehearsals were pretty boring, but apparently the real thing is so much better. Now I bet some of you were already worrying how this will turn out, as I’m the worst singer ever, but don’t worry guys, I’m mostly dancing tomorrow. Got my costume? Check. Know my dances? Check. I’m all set. Going to bed early now as I want to be fully rested to appear on stage tomorrow, so night night everyone! X