Durante el pasado mes de octubre, el Colegio Orvalle firmó un acuerdo de intercambio con Tangara School for Girls para que nuestras alumnas puedan viajar a Sydney durante cinco semanas y recibir posteriormente en su casa a estudiantes australianas durante el mismo periodo de tiempo. De este modo, nuestras alumnas pueden vivir una experiencia multicultural en un país de raíz británica.

Actualmente tenemos en el Colegio a cinco estudiantes de Tangara School que han llegado para vivir su experiencia internacional después de que cinco alumnas de Orvalle volvieran de su intercambio en Sydney. A continuación os contamos sus testimonios:

• "I’m so happy I got the opportunity to live such an amazing experience. I’m so thankful for the family who is hosting me, they are amazing and they made those five weeks the best weeks of my life. Australia has always been my dream country to visit, and thanks to Orvalle my dream came true. We have gone to the city twice and both times I was fascinated, Sydney is such a beautiful city, but the best part is the “cultural mix”. There are people from all over the world, Chinese, Lebanese, Germans, even Spanish, and, of course, Australians. This multicultural environment makes Sydney, and Australia in general, so special. You don’t feel like a tourist or a foreigner, you feel home and everything is so much better when you feel comfortable and safe. Another thing that amazed me are the beaches, I only visited two, Manly and Bundeena, but they where so beautiful, the water is clear, the sand is almost white, and everybody is having a great time. What did I like the most about Australia? I would say “The vibe”. “The vibe” in Australia is such a calm, happy, enjoying-life one and I absolutely love that. I will definitely come back, even if is just to visit, because those weeks have been so amazing and I’ve learned so much. I will always be in love with Sydney. And thanks again to my school for giving me this opportunity to learn and enjoy the world." Anna Janer

• "It seems as if yesterday was the day we landed in Australia! I have to thank Orvalle for this amazing experience because I might never have go there if it wasn’t because of the school!! School in Sydney is very different from Spain. They have many activities such as “swimming carnival” or “wacky Olympics”. Sport is a huge part of Australian’s culture, you can see it in the numerous ovals they have everywhere so that citizens can do sport in a big and free space. The city is amazing, everywhere you look you can see sea and beautiful landscapes. I personally felt as if Australia was my second home, people are always smiling and everyone helps you in everything you need. The first day we went to school everyone gave us a hug as if they already knew us!! I adore my family there, they remind me a lot of my parents, and they were always helping me in everything I need. This experience has made me grow, not just physically, but in the spiritually way too. A curious aspect of Australia is the multiculturalism, there is not a unique culture, each family has their own culture. In fact, there were just 3 originally Australian girls in my grade. This mix of cultures means that not everyone is catholic here, so that made me realise that I am very lucky to have faith and that I have to help others to understand and believe. The other girls were from very different places and I have learnt a lot of things about today’s world thanks to this. Again, I would really like to thank Orvalle and my parents for this fantastic and complete experience, I had the chance to do some tourism, meet new people, go to the beach and improve my English. There are no words to describe all the experience." Gabriela Lachiondo

• “My experience in Sydney has been amazing and I’m so thankful for the opportunity that I have been offered. This trip has helped me improve my English skills and come out of my comfort zone, as well as becoming more independent. Since we came to Australia the school treated us like the rest of the students and we did activities that we weren’t used to doing in our school like going to the forest to draw nature, going to the beach to learn how to surf, a swimming carnival, sports competitions, etc. I met some wonderful people and made many friends who helped us to adapt to a completely different lifestyle. The most surprising thing I’ve found about Australia is the multiculturalism which has enabled   us to taste different foods and learn about other countries' traditions. The exchange family I was staying with have Japanese and Chinese background so I have had the opportunity to learn about Japanese, Chinese and Australian culture.” Marta Garrido

• "I have been for 5 weeks in Australia. I couldn´t be happier, not only my English skills are improving, but also I am learning a lot about so many different cultures: Australian , Egyptian, Lebanese, Chinese, Japanese…all the cultures have a place in Australia and that makes this country unique. Apart from the multiculturalism other thing that I love about this experience is Tangara (the school were I was staying). It's a lovely school with lovely students I miss already. One of the other things that is really impressive is the character of the people. They love the sports and going out for a walk, but what is more important is that they are all really nice. I would never forget this trip and I'm really glad of having the Aussies in my school." Isabel Rodríguez Busto