Memories of My Exchange

28/04/2024

It has not quite been 2 months since arriving back in Australia, and I still wonder every day if Germany was really a dream. It’s hard to believe I spent the start of my year travelling in the largest Stipi free travel group in SAGSE history (13 strong!), ‘meandering’ around Germany no matter the weather. I understand now why GASS has continued for so long, through war and pandemic — not as an organisation — but as a family. The GASSies I am lucky enough to call my friends have blessed me with so much love, fun, and a shared experience that will stay a part of our lives forever. We bonded together over the best and hardest moments of our exchange, and have so many unique and unexplainable moments to reminisce on at future events. The experience that SAGSE has awarded me with has opened my eyes to not only a new culture, but a new way to live life. I have learnt lessons about myself, grown in my confidence, thrived in newfound independence, and (of course) improved my language skills! My favourite experience, apart from free travel, was Christmas time with my host family, who opened their arms to me and made me feel at home over Christmas. I understand what was meant when we were told the exchange would be the best — and hardest — thing we would ever do, but looking back, I appreciate every moment for what it taught me and how it strengthened me. The SAGSE exchange program will forever hold a very special place in my heart for providing me with this incredible opportunity to discover more of myself and the world, but what I will always treasure most are the people I have formed lifelong relationships with along the way!

Anna Douglas-O'Loughlin

2023/2024 Jahrgang

My Time In Australia

21/09/2018

A few minutes before I arrived in Melbourne, I was so excited. Excited to see my host family for the first time and to see my Australian uncle after more than one year. I have got magical memories of my first moments in Australia. I fit in very quickly and easily. The normal school days where like this: I got up early in the morning, put on my school uniform, which I loved because it is so different to german clothing rules, had my porridge for breakfast and finally my host mother drove me and my host siblings (except the youngest one) to Sacred Heart College in Kyneton. The school is so different to Germany. It is a catholic school, so we had a prayer in the morning during our ‘Homeroom’. After that, we had 4 lessons, each one took 75 minutes. I had a few exotic subjects in my timetable like Food Studies and Visual Communication. Food studies was especially amazing and lots of fun because we never cook in classes in Germany. I think it is a helpful skill for the future life of students. I also enjoyed the lunch breaks when the whole group of friends of me and Chantelle, my host sister, sat in the school talking and eating our lunch. I loved my vegemite sandwich the most for lunch. After school my host mum picked us up again and we drove home. There we could relax, play games, watch movies and, because it was winter, have a cuppa tea. When Chantelle had a lot of homework to do, I always found a good activity to fill my day. I often spent time with the other host siblings or wrote my journal, to keep the experiences I made during the day in a book. It was my way of remembering my experiences and finishing the day. Once a week, I went dancing in a dance school. This provided a good balance to my daily life in Australia. Sometimes, I joined my host sister playing badminton. I also remember some wonderful afternoons on a paddock having a picnic with my host sister while listening to typical Australian music. I also loved having dinner with the whole family, because it was often the only time in the day where everyone sits together and talks. It gave me a feeling to be home and I really appreciated that. The good thing is that I never felt homesick in a negative way whilst in Australia. I often thought of my home and my life in Germany, but more so to compare and find differences between the countries, the culture and the lifestyle. On the weekends, we often visited Melbourne or explored regional places like the Gisborne Market, Hanging Rock or Sovereign Hill.

The best time with my host family was definitely the holidays, when we went to Phillip Island and Wilsons Promontory. We visited a penguin show and went for some walks in this beautiful landscape of South Victoria. I loved going for wombat walks at night where we saw 10 to 15 Wombats. Another amazing experience was watching the sunrise early in the morning at the beach with Chantelle. This time helped me form a really strong bond with my host family, which had by now become like a second family. We had a great relationship, the most important for me in Australia by the way,  and I am sure that I will visit them again. The school friends were really nice to me and we had a lot of fun. It is just not that easy to keep in touch, although I still have got a letter friend or ‘penpal’ from Sacred Heart College.

Eleanor Mueller

Melbourne Weekend - A German Perspective

06/07/2016

Hallo ihr Lieben!

Nachdem eine weitere Woche in Down-Under mit Jogging-Routen entlang des Yarras (habe mich lediglich zwei Mal verlaufen, gute Bilanz), heißer Schokolade und Bisquits im Englischunterricht und zahlreiche Treffen mit den lokalen Kängurus (eine Familie bestehend aus fünf Kängurus: Bob, Charlie, Bruce, Martha und Agatha) zuende ging, standen die Ferien und damit auch das Melbourne-Weekend vor der Tür.

Am Samstagmorgen wurden zwischen Stipis und Hosties zunächst fette Umarmungen und erste Erfahrungen der letzten Wochen ausgetauscht. Der erste Programmpunkt war der Queen Victoria Market in Melbourne. Nachdem zahlreiche kleine Stände abgeklappert waren und das ein oder andere Souvenir gekauft war ging es weiter zum zweiten Programmpunkt: Mein erstes Footy-game!!! Mit brüchigem Halbwissen über das Footy-reglement war ich bestens vorbereitet um mit den anderen mitzujubeln oder mitzupöbeln. Neben jungen Männern in knappen T-Shirts auf dem Spielfeld haben wir außerdem die Sonne im Gesicht und das Eis in der Hand genossen. Ein tolles Erlebnis.

Als nchstes visierten wir den Eureka-Tower, das höchste Gebäude Melbournes an. Als wir aus dem Fahrstuhl des Hochhauses stiegen, bot sich uns ein atemberaubender Anblick. Zu unserer linken war die endlose Weite des Meeres zu bestaunen und ringsherum die Millionen Lichter der Stadt, die bei genauerem Hinsehen flackerten, als würden sie tanzen. Während die Sonne hinter den Gebäuden unterging, und die Straßen und Gassen in ein leuchtendes orange tauchte, erfasste ich das erste Mal die unglaubliche Größe und Weite dieser Stadt. Mich erfüllte ein Gefühl der Freiheit, das schwer in Worte zu fassen ist. Es fiel mir entsprechend schwer zurück in den Aufzug zu steigen und Abschied von diesem fesselnden Anblick und dem damit verbundenen Gefühl Abschied zu nehmen. Ein unvergesslicher Gänsehaut-Moment.

An excerpt from German scholarship recipient Nele Jochimsen’s blog: nelsongoesstraya.wordpress.com/

Start Of A Journey

18/12/2015

The first few weeks of the trip have been amazing, it's weird to think how much time has passed already! A highlight has definitely been visiting all of the different Christmas markets, not only the local ones but also those in cities that are a bit further away (like in Heidelberg for our regional day). Our regional day was another thing that has stood out for me so far, it was so much fun to be able to explore a new city and meet some more of the people that we'll be spending Winter Camp with! It's been so lovely to get to know my host family and learn about all the little differences between a typical day in Germany compared with Australia. I've been lucky enough to meet so many members of the extended family and family friends already and I'm really looking forward to Christmas and meeting the whole family then.

Nicola Alexiades

How Exchange Changed My Life

22/08/2015

The biggest thing I remember about before I went on exchange is how much I didn’t want to go. As an introverted and quite anxious 16 year old boy who was fairly settled with a close group of friends, a girlfriend of two years, and a small number of pursuits I was heavily involved in, I was hardly looking forward to exchange and all the challenges it poses: making new friends, both German and Australian, getting to know a new city, having to push yourself out of your comfort zone, the list goes on. At that point, I was thinking of all the reasons why I didn’t want to go – I’d miss my girlfriend, my friends, I wouldn’t be able to watch The Ashes… the horror. I’d already flown through Year 11, with a vocabulary, grammatical understanding and Sprachgefühl that advanced any of my peers. I didn’t need to go on exchange. And when it was inconveniencing my life in the ways I thought it was going to, why would I even want to?

I distinctly remember the flight over; all the nerves and excitement that you’d expect. The banter amongst the 31 of us, 16 of whom I’d met for the first time at Singapore airport, was incredible. The first foundations of friendship were being built. I, however, was withdrawn and I imagine fairly cold. I genuinely thought I was above this experience, and above the other people in it. I’d try to have a nice time with my host family, I’d skype home regularly, and see a few sights. Get in, get out. Easy. From the moment our plane took off I was counting down the days until I would be home.

I never came home from exchange. The combination of the places, the people, and the experiences slowly moulded me, changed me. I gained an appreciation of another culture and their people and history, I now see the world with a completely different, and broader perspective. I gained many new friends - like-minded high school kids from around Australia, who I’d never have put myself out there to otherwise. Kids that I now go to uni with, kids who I see every time I’m in Sydney or Melbourne (and they are a large part of why I’m in Sydney and Melbourne with increasing regularity). Germans too, with a sense of humour to match mine and a great outlook to everything in life; just really easy to get along with. I’d had some fantastic times with fantastic people all around the country, and best of all, I now have a second family on the other side of the world who I’ll share a bond with for life. We still write to each other all the time, and they’ll always be there for me.

My German ability went through the roof. Like most high school German students, I’d hardly actually been afforded the opportunity to speak the language. The first few days of translating my textbooks into my entire social life were part of a huge learning curve, and it had such a huge impact on my ability. It allowed me to go straight into Advanced German in first year uni, and I’m now well on the way to fluency.

The biggest thing I gained an appreciation for was myself. Capabilities that I didn’t know I had. Parts of my personality that had been slowly crushed by high school status quo had now vibrantly come to life. The exchange challenged me to challenge myself, and it left me not just a better person, but more me. They say exchange broadens you. They’re correct, but that’s not it. The life-changing SAGSE exchange I was lucky enough to receive didn’t just broaden me, it deepened me. I am the person I am today because of this experience, and I couldn’t be more grateful. 

Jack Maclean