By Mikayla van Loon
From the snowy mountain tops of Toluca in Mexico to the lush greenery of the Dandenong Ranges, 11 students have travelled to the outer east as part of an exchange program.
Taking in all the tourism sites of Sydney before making their way to Mount Evelyn’s Birmingham Primary to meet their host families, the students have loved every minute of their time in Australia so far.
Exploring the region with their host families, while getting to learn about culture, the environment and some of Australia’s iconic landmarks and animals, is just the start of this near month-long experience.
Thiago said the trip to Healesville Sanctuary was quite the highlight.
“We went to the zoo yesterday (6 March) and we saw albino kangaroos,” he said.
While excited to see some wombats, Renata said before she leaves Australia she would love to pet one because they are so cute.
For Aranza, 11, learning about day to day life in Australia, as well as First Nations culture has been quite the experience.
“I enjoy being with my family and learning the culture and what they normally do on the weekend,” she said.
“We have learnt about the Gadigal people, the Aboriginal people… I want to learn more about their independence.”
Having heard stories of Australia being filled with many different kinds of spiders, this surprised Ana, who said “there’s not too many spiders” because “I was hoping I will get to see a lot of spiders”.
With much still to explore, Grade 6 student Aleisha, who is hosting a student, said after making a bucket list, her family planned to go camping and to a rodeo to show off more of Australian life.
For Maya, also in Grade 6, it’s the smaller things that have stood out to her.
“Renata says she wears a seatbelt in Mexico but we always have to remind her,” she said.
“At the petrol station, she’s like, ‘you have to get out, we get it done by other people’. We went inside and she picked out a chocolate because she’s like, ‘I’ve never seen this before’.”
Quickly learning about each other, culture, food and the differences in how people live in other countries, the students said has allowed them to become great friends more easily.
From spicy gummy bears and peanut lollies, Birmingham’s students have also had a taste, figuratively and literally, of Mexico.
Treated to a cultural show put on by their Mexican counterparts on Thursday 7 March, Birmingham students learned of the dances and music traditional to Toluca.
Hoping to travel to Mexico themselves one day, the students said already having friends and some knowledge of the language and customs will make it easier.
With a few weeks left to spend in Melbourne before departing for Dubai, Thiago said there is still much to explore.
“I think I want to see and learn more about the city. I went on the weekend and I saw the river and it’s very nice. There’s a lot of cafes and things and you can just stay there and see the river flow. I think that’s a very nice thing and I want to see more of it,” he said.
The International School-to-School Experience (ISSE) allows students aged 10 to 12 years old to travel to partnering host countries.
Birmingham Grade 1 teacher Meg Liddell said the program allows first hand cross-cultural learnings and said the school was honoured to host students from Anahauc School in Toluca.
“It is an innovative approach for our school and our global education program. Birmingham Primary School has a long and proud involvement with the ISSE,” she said.
“We have previously travelled to and welcomed seven different counties to our school, including the United States of America, China, Malaysia, India, Costa Rica, Peru and Mexico.”
