Hi, I’m Rachel from the US!
For the past 4 weeks, I have been staying with the most amazing host family and attending a wonderful school. In such a short amount of time, I have been to the Blue Mountains, Taronga Zoo, the Opera House and Harbour Bridge, and the Botanic Gardens. I went surfing at Dee Why beach, watched a footy game, went to Manly beach, and went to the shops in Chatswood with my host family and the friends I made at school. There is so much to see and do in Sydney, I wish I had more time to do it all! I was worried about starting a new school in the middle of the school year, but everyone was very kind and helpful with giving me directions to each class.
I became very close with my host sister Georgia and had a great time spending time with my other host siblings, Sarah and Patrick, on the weekends as well as hanging out with the two adorable dogs. I loved spending time with her, meeting her friends, and going to her music and dance competitions. I also loved meeting the girls at school and hanging out with them.
Throughout my time in Australia, my host family showed me so many new foods and experiences that I had never tried before. I’ve eaten vegemite, lamingtons, tim tams, chicken salt on chips, pavlova, trifle, passionfruit, salmon pie, and Australian lollies.
We went exploring through the Blue mountains, went up to the Barrenjoey lighthouse, surfing for the first time, ate breakfast at Balmoral, and ate dinner at an Aussie pub. I saw kangaroos, wallabies, and even took a picture with a koala at the zoo!
Thank you to CEA and Jennifer for making my dream of coming to Australia a reality, and thank you to my host family for making it the best time of my life and giving me an unforgettable experience. I hope to visit again and see everyone I’ve met here again soon!
