News Detail
Exchange Farewell
Saying goodbye
Two of our exchange students bid us farewell in Chapel on Tuesday:
Good morning Mr Robertson, Mr Welsh, Mr Samuel, staff and students. Or should we really say: G’day mates. If you can’t already tell by the generally obnoxious accents, I’m Christine, this is Eddie, and we are the last two standing of Australia’s invasion of Shawnigan Lake School. And can we just say, that our experience here has been an absolute blast.
After travelling almost 20 hours to get here, with jetlag slowly taking us under, we kick started our arrival to Shawnigan by doing the most frightening thing imaginable: walking into Marion Hall just as you were all dismissed from Saturday lunch. It was so much to take in, a tsunami of new faces and the sheer size of your dining hall was enough to throw us completely off our game. But we soldiered on, meeting everyone from our houses who would soon become more than just peers, but our families.
They always say that Canadians are some of the nicest people that you’ll ever meet, and in true Canadian fashion, you all welcomed us with open arms, helping us feel right at home in the Shawnigan community. An eye-opening display of kindness and generosity happened just before the Easter weekend. After only meeting Mr and Mrs Hall briefly the day before, here they were, inviting us to stay with them and their family at their home on Saltspring Island. One thing we definitely learnt that weekend: when you stay with the head of sports, be expecting to do some physical activity. And when we mean physical activity, we mean a three and a half hour hike with a stair case vertical enough to be considered a cliff climb. But don’t be fooled. This did not deter the Halls. They powered on, with the poor Australians slowly dying behind. However, despite that small part of physical exertion, we’ve never appreciated the comfort of home cooked meals and family time as much as we did that weekend.
Another major part of the Shawnigan experience would have to be the teachers. Although Mr Doyle constantly reminded us that we were his “maaaaaaaaates” and P-Mo would ask us on occasion to “throw some shrimps on the barbie”, Mr Monro would have to be awarded the high honour that is the Best Aussie Accent. That’s quite a title, congratulations. Now, throughout our time here, the chances are that if you didn’t find us in the classrooms, you’d find us up a hiking trail with Mr Samuel and Clive. The time we spent with you on this exchange has been invaluable and I think I can speak for Christine as well when I say that you have become a father figure for the both of us. We are going to miss you so unbelievably much when we leave because you have truly made the Shawnigan experience even more special. Thank you for everything.
The past ten weeks have been an unbelievable adventure that I am so thankful to have experienced. Thank you Mr Robertson and Mr Welsh for welcoming us into the Shawnigan community and allowing us to experience the world from a whole new perspective. Thank you Mrs John, Mrs Ransom, Ms Ness, Ms Agate and Mr Lamb for your undeniable support, and for welcoming me into the house as a true Renfrew girl. Thank you Mr Fraser and Mrs John for being the best soccer coaches out. I’m sorry Mr Fraser, but it looks like you’ll be losing your favourite down under. And of course, an unbelievable amount of love and thanks to all the friendships I have made over the past few months. Without any of you, my time here at Shawnigan wouldn’t have been nearly as wonderful as you all made it to be. I’m going to miss you all so dearly, but don’t think that you’ve gotten rid of me that easily. This is just the beginning of it all.
I'd like to say a massive thank you to Mr Robertson and Mr Welsh for making this exchange possible and so graciously allowing us to experience life here at Shawnigan. Mrs Cholack, Mrs Ronald-Jones and Mrs Welsh, without your guidance and help I honestly don't know where I would be and I can't thank you enough for taking care of me. And finally, I'd like to give a big thank you to all of the Groves girls. Over the past 10 weeks you have become not only my friends, but my sisters. I will miss you all so much. We have shared some amazing moments together and you all mean the world to me.
When Christine and I were told we had been granted the opportunity to speak to you all in chapel, we both agreed that this would be one of the most difficult speeches we have ever had to write. Not only because goodbyes are always hard, but because it is a near impossible feat to explain the Shawnigan experience simply in words. The gratitude we feel for being granted this opportunity and for all of your kindness is indescribable and immeasurable. So thank you Shawnigan, for all you have given us and, whether it be on your home turf or ours, we will be meeting again. Thank you.
Photo by Stephen Lane
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Good morning Mr Robertson, Mr Welsh, Mr Samuel, staff and students. Or should we really say: G’day mates. If you can’t already tell by the generally obnoxious accents, I’m Christine, this is Eddie, and we are the last two standing of Australia’s invasion of Shawnigan Lake School. And can we just say, that our experience here has been an absolute blast.
After travelling almost 20 hours to get here, with jetlag slowly taking us under, we kick started our arrival to Shawnigan by doing the most frightening thing imaginable: walking into Marion Hall just as you were all dismissed from Saturday lunch. It was so much to take in, a tsunami of new faces and the sheer size of your dining hall was enough to throw us completely off our game. But we soldiered on, meeting everyone from our houses who would soon become more than just peers, but our families.
They always say that Canadians are some of the nicest people that you’ll ever meet, and in true Canadian fashion, you all welcomed us with open arms, helping us feel right at home in the Shawnigan community. An eye-opening display of kindness and generosity happened just before the Easter weekend. After only meeting Mr and Mrs Hall briefly the day before, here they were, inviting us to stay with them and their family at their home on Saltspring Island. One thing we definitely learnt that weekend: when you stay with the head of sports, be expecting to do some physical activity. And when we mean physical activity, we mean a three and a half hour hike with a stair case vertical enough to be considered a cliff climb. But don’t be fooled. This did not deter the Halls. They powered on, with the poor Australians slowly dying behind. However, despite that small part of physical exertion, we’ve never appreciated the comfort of home cooked meals and family time as much as we did that weekend.
Another major part of the Shawnigan experience would have to be the teachers. Although Mr Doyle constantly reminded us that we were his “maaaaaaaaates” and P-Mo would ask us on occasion to “throw some shrimps on the barbie”, Mr Monro would have to be awarded the high honour that is the Best Aussie Accent. That’s quite a title, congratulations. Now, throughout our time here, the chances are that if you didn’t find us in the classrooms, you’d find us up a hiking trail with Mr Samuel and Clive. The time we spent with you on this exchange has been invaluable and I think I can speak for Christine as well when I say that you have become a father figure for the both of us. We are going to miss you so unbelievably much when we leave because you have truly made the Shawnigan experience even more special. Thank you for everything.
The past ten weeks have been an unbelievable adventure that I am so thankful to have experienced. Thank you Mr Robertson and Mr Welsh for welcoming us into the Shawnigan community and allowing us to experience the world from a whole new perspective. Thank you Mrs John, Mrs Ransom, Ms Ness, Ms Agate and Mr Lamb for your undeniable support, and for welcoming me into the house as a true Renfrew girl. Thank you Mr Fraser and Mrs John for being the best soccer coaches out. I’m sorry Mr Fraser, but it looks like you’ll be losing your favourite down under. And of course, an unbelievable amount of love and thanks to all the friendships I have made over the past few months. Without any of you, my time here at Shawnigan wouldn’t have been nearly as wonderful as you all made it to be. I’m going to miss you all so dearly, but don’t think that you’ve gotten rid of me that easily. This is just the beginning of it all.
I'd like to say a massive thank you to Mr Robertson and Mr Welsh for making this exchange possible and so graciously allowing us to experience life here at Shawnigan. Mrs Cholack, Mrs Ronald-Jones and Mrs Welsh, without your guidance and help I honestly don't know where I would be and I can't thank you enough for taking care of me. And finally, I'd like to give a big thank you to all of the Groves girls. Over the past 10 weeks you have become not only my friends, but my sisters. I will miss you all so much. We have shared some amazing moments together and you all mean the world to me.
When Christine and I were told we had been granted the opportunity to speak to you all in chapel, we both agreed that this would be one of the most difficult speeches we have ever had to write. Not only because goodbyes are always hard, but because it is a near impossible feat to explain the Shawnigan experience simply in words. The gratitude we feel for being granted this opportunity and for all of your kindness is indescribable and immeasurable. So thank you Shawnigan, for all you have given us and, whether it be on your home turf or ours, we will be meeting again. Thank you.
Photo by Stephen Lane
We acknowledge with respect the Coast Salish Peoples on whose traditional lands and waterways we live, learn and play. We are grateful for the opportunity to share in this beautiful region, and we aspire to healthy and respectful relationships with those who have lived on and cared for these lands for millennia.
Shawnigan Lake School is an independent co-educational boarding school for ages 13 –18 on Canada’s beautiful Pacific Coast. Our diverse, interdisciplinary and innovative programming helps shape the next generation of global leaders.
