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By: Georg Hello, my name is Georg, I’m an exchange student from Austria and I have spent half a year at Golden Bay High School. At first, I didn’t know exactly why I chose New Zealand as my exchange country and to be honest, I hoped to arrive at a paradise for surfers on a hot tropical island. However, none of these dreams became a reality and on the contrary, in Golden Bay there are no waves to surf on and it is definitely not a tropical island! Nevertheless, there hasn’t been one day that I have regretted my decision to come here. That’s especially because of all the extremely nice people I’ve met and all of the wicked things I’ve experienced in this half-year. Five months have never passed so quickly in my entire life. It was on 1st February that I started my trip from the other side of the world and as I write this, it is June and my journey is nearly over. Of course, I’m looking forward to going back home and catching up with all my friends and family, but I will miss New Zealand a lot and there is part of me that doesn’t want to leave. New Zealand has become my second home in no time at all. I especially want to thank my host family, the Couper-Scannels, for being such a lovely family and allowing me to stay at their place. They showed me a lot of beautiful places, took me everywhere around Golden Bay and made a little Kiwi out of me. I also had a great time at Golden Bay High School where I made heaps of new friends – thanks to 12B. All of the students welcomed me into their school which I thought was very cool. I think you guys are awesome! Thanks also to Mr Compton who helped me with all my little problems, and thanks to all the teachers who made my time here very pleasant. I’ll realize how much I miss New Zealand when I’m back in Austria. I’ll always remember the good times I had and hopefully will come back some day to catch up with all my New Zealand friends. I also invite you to visit me whenever you travel through Austria and I will welcome you as warmly as you welcomed me. Georg |
By: Martin Hi! My name is Martin. I came to Golden Bay on the 5th of July. By now my stay here is halfway over but it feels like I just stepped out of Nelson Airport. My sister has been here as a “Woofer” after she finished school about 11 years ago. She “discovered” Gay Dodson’s farm for my family, as my brother came here two years later. Like me he really enjoyed the stay at the farm. I think everyone should try to do a student exchange programme in a different country because experiencing different cultures and lifestyles is just GREAT! I enjoy school here a lot more than in Germany! A big advantage is that you can choose your timetable individually and the classes are small! A disadvantage has been that there are no regular music lessons for the whole class and no school orchestra. During my time here I went on two very nice trips. First I went to Rotoiti with the Year Nines, where I had a lot of fun doing river rafting and snowboarding. Then I went tramping with my Outdoor Education class in the Cob Valley. All in all I’m very happy to be here! Martin |
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By: Chinatsu Hello, my name is Chinatsu Nakai. I’m a student from Osaka in Japan. I’m 17 years old and belong to Year 12 and I came to Takaka on January 27th. At first, I was nervous about going into a host family as I’d heard many rumours about host families in Japan. Golden Bay High School is so different from my Japanese school. My school is really strict, but GBHS is not. At GBHS everyone is friendly, including the teachers. When I went to the old Clifton cemetery with my host family for the first time, I was very surprised because the beach was so beautiful and I had never been to a beach before! My host parents love to take a walk on the beach and I have loved it too. The view of the Takaka area is really lovely. From my home in Japan, I can’t see any mountains or beaches at all. It is very different. A highlight of this year was the Rotoiti trip with Year 9. It was much more fun than I had expected. What I enjoyed was skiing, riding on the Flying Kiwi, abseiling and the group activities. The Year 9 students and teachers were so kind and friendly. When I was skiing I fell down so many times from the big lift. It was very scary! I love my host families! If they were not my host family I wouldn’t speak English so well. They are so kind and such fun. They took me to Golden Bay beaches so many times. I loved the beautiful beaches. I enjoyed playing the piano too. Without Naemi I wouldn’t have been so happy. She helped me so much. I’d like to come back here in the future. Thank you Mr Compton, Ms Price, Mr Durkhan, and all my other teachers. See you again!! |
By: Naemi Hi! My name is Naemi and I came to Golden Bay on 27th of January this year but now it is nearly time for me to go back to Japan. I really don’t want to go home because school in New Zealand is so different from school in Japan. We have to study hard for University Entrance exams and my school, Kun-ei, doesn’t have many extra events. It has just two or three events and a lot of exams! There is no swimming sports day, LipSync, drama production, School Ball, cross-country, Fun Day or camping. Nor does Kun-ei have subjects like outdoor education and photography. I hadn’t developed photos, kayaked, or tried rock-climbing before I came here. They were good experiences for me. They were fun and they were sometimes difficult for me too! Playing uni-hockey, netball and cricket with the Year 11s and going on the year 9 Rotoiti camp were good experiences too. I like Golden Bay so much. My host family took me to lots of beautiful places so that I could get to know Golden Bay. I really loved Wainui Bay and the sand dunes at Kaihoka. They are such pretty places. I’m jealous of you because you can go to beautiful beaches whenever you like. My hometown in Japan doesn’t have any beaches. And…..and….I really like cows and sheep - especially their calves and lambs. They are sooooo cute. I’d like to take some back to Japan. They are smelly though! I would like to thank everyone who has helped me, especially the Year 12 students, Mr Compton, Ms Price and Mr B. Thank you for your help. I enjoyed my time at Golden Bay High School. Finally, I really, really want to say thank you to my host family. Naemi |
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By Kumiko : I have a favourite class. It is Outdoor Ed. I enjoyed some wonderful experiences in Outdoor Ed. Like tramping, orienteering and rock climbing. The rock climbing and tramping were soooooo hard for me! Yet, it was fun. The most exciting memory for me is orienteering. I got lost…I was so scared. There were heaps of sheep but no people. I walked alone for a long time and had no idea which way to go. So I asked the sheep, but they ignored me. Suddenly I remembered that Mr Wilkens said to me, “If you get lost, you have to use the whistle.” I did it and Mr Wilkens found me and saved my life. What a relief! Also, I enjoy my weekends in Takaka. Usually I spend time with my friends. We talk lots. I think my English is getting better with talking to my friends. They always help me. I’d like to thank all my friends and teachers who were kind to me. I’ll never forget my NZ memories. I hope to come back to Takaka one day. I’ll miss you guys heaps! |
By Sayaka: The most surprising thing at GBHS is the number of students. I’ve never before been in a class with hardly any students. For example, in my maths class there are only six students, including me! Everyone is nice, friendly and kind. That is the main reason why I feel comfortable in this foreign country. I’ve learnt a lot of things at GBHS and I try to make the most of them. I’d like to say a big “thank you” to all the teachers and students of GBHS, especially Mrs Heywood and Mr Compton, the Year 12 students and my host family. I am happy to have lived with my host family. Jess and Chris.You two are really like a brother and sister to me. You’ve made me laugh and feel happy. You helped me a lot of times at school, Jess. Thank you also to Wendy and Patrick for helping me to improve my English. I am so pleased that you are my host family. |
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The girls at the school ball |
In the marei at the Te Papa Museum on a visit to Wellington |
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By Mirei: I really enjoyed my stay in Takaka. The students and staff of GBHS were so kind to me. So, it is a bit difficult to explain my feelings. I should feel pleased to return to Japan, because I miss my family and friends there, but I am not a 100% happy about it. Golden Bay is too lovely! I can’t find enough words of praise for it: it is so beautiful, peaceful and cheerful. When I first came to Takaka, I thought that such a small town would be boring, yet I never felt bored here. I know that I’ll miss Takaka when I’m back in Japan. I’ll never forget this wonderful experience! I’ll definitely come back here one day. Good Bye! See you sometime, |
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By Shoko: When I came to New Zealand, I could not believe that I had actually arrived here. I couldn’t imagine what life would be like here in New Zealand, so I was really nervous and worried at first. It was even scarier to think that I had to spend a whole year with a family I didn’t know, in a strange country, speaking a foreign language. In fact I was overcome with emotions when I met my host family. I had nothing to be worried about because they are kind, funny and they always talk to me and treat me like real family. The teachers, students and people who live in Takaka are also friendly and kind. Everyone always says “Hello” to me when they see me. And when I can’t understand English, they always explain things to me till I understand. I didn’t like school in Japan, because we just have to sit at our desks and listen to the teachers talking all day. It was boring for me and it made me sleepy. Here in New Zealand students bask in the sun during lunch time and teachers and students make jokes in class. They are like friends and it looks as if they enjoy their classes. The best part is learning about subjects that I haven’t heard about before, for example photography. It is exciting to me, because I’ve never done it before. I can also understand mathematics better here than in Japan. One of my highlights this year was when I went with the ESOL class to Wellington. I enjoyed seeing a New Zealand city, seeing new sights and shopping! I love GBHS. Above all, it is so nice that there are always a lot of smiles in school. The best part about being an International student is the life experience that one picks up. For example, getting to know different values, getting to know new people and learning about different cultures. Takaka is a lovely place in a beautiful country. I love the countryside, the people, animals, beaches and the sky. I will definitely come back for a visit one day. I’d like to thank my host parents, Sharon and Gary, my host sister Harley and brother Sam, the Edmondson family, Year 12 students, Mrs Heywood, Mr Compton, Mr Bayliff, Mrs Stevens, Mr Slow, Mrs Wilkinson and the rest of the GBHS students and teachers. I appreciate your help very much. Shoko |
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Merei enjoying a wonderful sunny day at |
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A day visit to the beautiful Abel Tasman National Park |
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Mirei and Shoko enjoying time in Takaka town |
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