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Previous International Students
Hi! My name is Julia Beran. Most of you might have seen me around school. I am 17 and I have lived in a big city in Austria my entire life. A couple of months ago I decided to get away from the daily routine, leave home and go on an adventure to New Zealand. Little did I know this adventure would soon change the way I look at life forever. It’s crazy how people who were strangers a few months ago can become family. Thanks to all who make my trip amazing, and I am thankful for all the great things I get to experience. Guten Tag. My name is Joline Hensen and I am attending GBHS since July last year. I come from a small town (about the size of Nelson) in Germany, near the border with the Netherlands. I like Golden Bay so much as it’s very different here – more exciting, amazing nature and the people are friendlier too. I have learnt a lot of new things here and have had some cool adventures such as caving, sailing in the Bay of Islands and doing Outdoor Education. I have made good friends and hope that we can keep in touch when I leave in July. If I could choose I would stay for another year. Hi, I'm Beate and I'm from Germany. I'm here for six months but half of my time here is almost over. I have enjoyed participating in all the really cool activities outside of the classroom and the trips on the weekend. The nature is so beautiful and there are so many places to visit. One of my best activities I've done here so far was the gator driving. I am really enjoying my time here and hope my second half is as lovely as my first half. Hi, I am Amelie from Germany. I am here for Term 1 and 2 and already almost half of my time in New Zealand is over. I really like it here in Golden Bay. You always see mountains, even when you are swimming in the sea, which is so wonderful. I hope my time here continues to be eventful and exciting and I hope I catch a little bit of the Kiwi accent. See ya Amelie Hi, my name is Nina and I am from Germany. I am staying here for the whole year. What I really like about Golden Bay is that you can see so many different things compared to Germany. I am happy that I have had so many different experiences so far like seeing and helping the stranded whales, camping at the beach or eating ice cream. I really love the ice cream here. 
From Left: Lawritz, Amelie, Jolene, Nina, Julia, Beate
Georg from Austria
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 |
Elli from Germany
Kia ora, I am Elli, an international student from Germany, and I have been at the Golden Bay High School for two and a half years.
When I left Germany, I was planning to stay in Aotearoa (maori word for New Zealand) for no longer than a year, however, plans have changed and now I am here two years later and have achieved level 1, 2, and 3 and I am planning on doing my degree as well in New Zealand. At the start, it was scary to adapt to the new life style the kiwis have, but after a time, and finding the right bunch of people, I start leaving my comfy-zone and start ejoying New Zealand with all its opportunities. The years have passed by really quick but with awesome memories which I wouldn’t have at any other place in the world. I have meet so many new people and gained new life experience which I will never forget. I recommend every new international student, who is coming to Golden Bay, find a group of funny people who you can have many laughter with, as this will make you stay even more memorable. I really appreciate and want to say thank you, to the welcoming host family who I am staying with as it is a loving big family, treating me as one of their siblings and children, which is very important to me. Leon from Germany
Hi, My name is Leon and I’m an exchange student from Germany. I have been in Golden Bay almost a year and now have only one week left.
When I first thought about going on an exchange, America was the only country I wanted to go to. However, for some reason, I got to change my mind and a couple of weeks later I found myself on a 100,000 hour flight to New Zealand. Now, having spent eleven months on this rather green island, I can say there hasn’t been a day when I have regretted my decision. OK, now I only have three days left here to finish this. Aaah! Aaaah! I should start talking about my exciting experiences and how friendly all the people are and how much I love my host family. I have had a lot of exciting experiences such as dislocating my shoulder on the trip to Rotoiti with the Yr 9s last year and doing the 134m bungy jump in Queenstown in the holidays (which was way too short for $100). The people are indeed really friendly! Well, most of them are. And how much I love my host family? Lots!!! I would like to say thank you to them. I honestly had an awesome time staying with you guys. So thank you so much for doing such a great job! I would also like to say thank you to the Yr 13s for being such a great group of people. I wish everyone who reads this all the best and a happy life. Byeeee..Leon Yuria from Japan
Hi! My name is Yuria. I’m 17 years old and I come from Osaka in Japan. I arrived here in January.
I didn’t know anything about Golden Bay before I came here and at first, I was surprised at lots of things here. I have never stayed in such a beautiful place. Life here is nice and relaxed. I love it! The good things I’ve noticed about Golden Bay are that I can drink water from a tap and it tastes good. Also, I can see very beautiful stars in the night sky – even the Milky Way in summertime, and the people here are very kind. Most people say hello to each other around here. In April I went to Murchison, on a kayaking trip with my P.E. class. At first, I didn’t want to go on the trip because I hadn’t done any kayaking before I came here, and I thought it was too dangerous for me to do. But my instructor was very kind and looked after me well so the trip was a good experience. Kayaking became a highlight. I also enjoyed the swimming and athletic sports days. This year, I had such an awesome time in Golden Bay, with great experiences and wonderful memories. I’m so lucky to have stayed here and I would like to thank everyone. I want to come back some day! Yuria |
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