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 I, however, was withdrawn and I imagine fairly cold.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.
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
