News from our International Exchange Student, Alex Kraan

21/6/17 – 20/7/17

Wednesday I didn't go to school as I was able to have a day off by using my half days. I spent the morning by sleeping in and getting ready for the Euro tour. I was changing host families as soon as I returned from the tour so I had to pack everything. Once I had done that I had lunch and went to the Klontal lake. I rode the push bike there and once I got there I met with my host sister and 6 other friends. There is a special spot where we go cliff jumping into the lake and that was awesome fun, we done that for a couple hours before walking back and relaxing on a nice grassy area. Before we knew it, it was 7pm and probably time to leave. One of my friends lost his wallet so he took my push bike back while I caught the bus, unfortunately it was up hill all the way there and downhill back so it was an unlucky deal for me.

Thursday I had school and then after school I went to players club with a few friends. Friday I had school and for sport we went to the pool. This was good fun as all my friends were there and we were swimming and having fun together. In the afternoon we went to a small park and relaxed for a while, and talked with some friends. This would be the last time I would see some of them until we return to school next semester. Once I got home I finished packing my suitcase and then my next host mom came, she took the things with her which I wouldn't be taking on the Euro tour. I then had dinner with my host family for the last time. Saturday I had breakfast with my host family and then carried my suitcase to the door. We loaded the suitcase into the car and took off for the train station. We said our final goodbyes and I left, while I was on the train I also met two Australians, so I had a talk to them for nearly an hour which was good. Once I got to the Zurich train station I met with some other exchange students and then we caught the train to the river where we spent a couple hours relaxing and waiting for more exchange students. Once more of us arrived we left to go to our hotel in Zurich for the night. Once we got there they went through the basic rules and procedures of everything and what we would be doing over the next 16 nights and 17 days. Once we done that we had dinner and then went and sat outside for a few hours before heading off to bed. The next day we got up at 6:30 to have breakfast and pack our bags, we left at 8am and were heading for Paris. After 8 hours in the bus with 67 other exchange students from around the world we arrived in Paris. We headed to our hotel and got settled in. Once we got settled in I went to the gym with some friends and then had dinner, once dinner was over we went to the pool. We nearly had everyone in a 15m by 5m pool, it was full! It was awesome fun though and was a really good way to end a long day on the road.

 

(First impression of Paris) it's an old city with not too many tall buildings. It seems a bit overrated. You can drive 15mins out of the city and be in open paddocks which was also pretty cool.

 

Monday we got up at 7:30 for breakfast and then got ready to leave by 8:15am. The bus left at 8:16 and it didn't wait for anyone, 5 people ended up missing the bus and had to take the taxi into the city center. It was a day full of walking around the city and looking. We had a tour guide showing us around and giving us some interesting facts and history in the city which was good. We saw the Eiffel Tower from a distance, but we did see the Mona Lisa which was pretty amazing. It was so busy though, it was hard to get in through the crowd and see the Mona Lisa up close, just cause of the amount of people trying to also see it. I ate snails for lunch which was special, a true French dish to say the least. We bought 12 snails to share between 4 of us. Surprisingly it was not that bad, it is coated in butter and sauces so you really just taste the butter and saucing. We then had dinner at a restaurant in Paris and then returned to our hotel. Today we saw more of the poverty side of France and it is quite bad. I always imagined Paris as a really nice and clean city, well unfortunately it is not. It was quite dirty with a lot of homeless people and rubbish just floating through the main river going through the center of Paris. I thought the Yarra River was bad and dirty but it is clean compared to the river in Paris. Walking through the Main Street in Paris though, there was a lot more fancy and more delicate shops and stores for things such as clothing and perfume. I think it out beats Melbourne in terms of prestigious stores. Tuesday we went into the city center of Paris at 8am. First we had a 3 hour tour of Paris in regards to some of the famous painters and where they lived and got inspiration. We learnt that many of them were actually drunks and painted when they were drunk, and so some of what the museums and tour guides say about what the paintings represent and may not be true. We then saw an old large Roman catholic church and after that had lunch. I had a French baguette which was nice. After lunch we went and saw the Eiffel Tower, we went all the way to the top which was amazing. The view over Paris from the top of the Eiffel Tower is a sight which cannot be imagined. Once that was over we went on a boat and took a tour up the Lyon river running through the centre of Paris. We then had dinner and returned to our hotel at 11pm.

Wednesday we had breakfast early and then got on the road. We were bound for Belgium. Once we got to Belgium in Brussels we had lunch there. This was a really beautiful city and one I defiantly wish we could have seen more of. Unfortunately we could only spend a couple hours there as we were back on the road heading off to Amsterdam. This was incredible as we had breakfast in Paris, lunch in Brussels and dinner in Amsterdam, three countries in one day... can it get any better? We got to the hotel at 8pm and it was 9:30 till we got ready for dinner. Unfortunately, I was the last table to be served and it was 10pm before I was able to get dinner. Fair to say I was hungry! Dinner was really nice though and it was a good meal. Thursday we woke up and went to breakfast, thankfully I got there early as the line for breakfast became incredibly long. Once breakfast was over we got on the bus and headed towards the center of Amsterdam. While we were on the bus we got the news that two of our friends and fellow exchange students on the Euro tour were getting sent home. This was really unfortunate since we were only 5 days into a trip of a lifetime. Once we got into the city we went on a push bike tour around the city. You cannot see Amsterdam any better way than on a push bike. The city of Amsterdam has more push bikes than people. It was a really good tour as we were able to see the city and its culture. The streets were narrow and the houses even more. If people want to move house or put furniture on a top floor, because the houses are so narrow you cannot get furniture up the stairs so instead all the houses have a small winch at the top of the house to winch furniture up and down and then move it through the window. Many of the houses in Amsterdam are also on an angle.  Theories have it that many of the wooden poles have rotted or sunk in the ground causing the houses to be on angle. Especially since many of the houses have been there for over 300 years. Part of the Dutch culture is also the legalisation of marijuana. When we were on the bikes you would often smell the very distinct and clear smell of marijuana. I suppose it is normal for the Dutch people but it was a bit of a shock to smell it so often and to see shops selling it freely. We then went to the Anne Frank museum and got some more information about her and her family and life. The museum which was only really small, receives 4000 visitors a day. I was astounded by this many people as it was only a small museum and not much room for people to walk around, as it was in her original house. Later we went on a boat trip for an hour and thirty minutes through the canals of Amsterdam and it was amazing. The things we saw were incredible and just cruising down the canals of Amsterdam with some good friends, defiantly a highlight of my exchange. Once we finished with the boat tour we had dinner at a restaurant which was nice and then headed back to the hotel.

Friday we spent the whole day on the road. We travelled from Amsterdam to Berlin which was 670km. We left our hotel at 9am and only stopped a few times for toilet breaks and lunch. When we arrived we had dinner at the hotel and went for a swim. Saturday we had a tour of Berlin, we first drove around in the bus and then walked around Berlin. We saw the remains of the Berlin Wall and other historical buildings. They say Melbourne was based off Berlin and parts of it is, Melbourne is similar to Berlin in a way. 89% of Berlin was bombed during World War 2 so many of the buildings have been destroyed and are getting rebuilt. The buildings are still getting rebuilt as Germany has no money. They say Germany is a very nice city but also very poor. We went to a shopping center in Alexander Platz which had some really cheap shops, and I was able to buy some clothes there. We then went for dinner at a traditional German restaurant. It was really nice, the meals were huge and the drinks also. I had pork and struggled to finish it all. They also had a live band at the restaurant so all us exchange students got together and danced to some traditional German music. It was a really nice night and so far the best place we have had dinner. Sunday, we went to the Sachsenhausen concentration camp in the morning, and we had the same tourist guides as the day before. It was good to see but yet also really emotional. This concentration camp was set up as a labor camp and could hold 60 000 inmates but held 80 000 at its peak. The true number of deaths was unknown but as it was a labor camp and not a camp for murder, it had different purposes. This camp however can be seen as worse than Auschwitz as the torture which occurred at this camp was incredible and truly horrific. Most of the buildings had been destroyed and dismantled by the Soviets as an attempt to also hide what they were doing. Once the soviets took over they also continued using the camp but this time to imprison the SS soldiers. The Soviets used this camp for another 5 years after the war. The only things remaining were parts of the Dorms, some jails, the cooking facilities, the medical rooms used to practice new medical treatments so they could then use it on soldiers in war, the morgue and remains from the gas chambers and furnaces. It was horrific to see and you could smell the monstrosities which had occurred. I went in one of the dorms and went into an old janitors room and immediately felt sick, this room was used to often torture prisoners. They would be forced to go in there and then left for days on end for no apparent reason. It was scary to see and they will be images which I will never forget. When I left I was feeling sick and was not feeling the best. I was sad and upset but yet also horrified by how bad it actually is. I had heard about it and seen images but it is nothing compared to seeing it in person. Once I got back on the bus and talked to a few people and listen to some music I soon felt better again but I cannot stop thinking of my Grandpa and how he was in one of these concentration camps. For all I know he could have been in the same camp. We then went to Dresden which is a city in Germany. It was completely bombed in WW2 so every building has been rebuilt. It looked amazing, it was full of old buildings still and had some amazing squares for people to sit and relax. We also saw an Australian restaurant, a fellow Australian exchange student and myself went there to have a look. Unfortunately there were no Australians working there though.

We then continued our journey onto Prague. We arrived at our hotel and put our things away and then had dinner. Once dinner was over we went for a walk through the city. It was so nice and pretty, looking over the buildings at night and seeing it light up the sky. We took some amazing photos and had an awesome time while walking. Monday we had two tour guides through the city of Prague. It was really nice and Prague is an amazing city. It was full of tourists though, it's a very touristy city. All the streets look very similar so if you get lost it will be hard to find your way. One of the good and bad things about Prague is we had to exchange our money into a new currency which was annoying, but the price of things was cheap. Clothing was a similar price but food was much cheaper when you compare it to countries in Europe and especially Switzerland. Once we finished with the tours we went back to the hotel for dinner. After dinner some of us went to the cinemas to watch a movie, we had the choice between Baywatch and Pirates of the Caribbean. I watched Baywatch with some others and it was pretty good. Even if we got yelled at for spilling popcorn. We then got back to the hotel at 12am. Tuesday was another one of the incredible days where we had breakfast in Prague, lunch in Bratislava and dinner in Vienna. For lunch we also had a guided tour around Bratislava and learnt some of its history. For dinner we went to a typical Austrian restaurant, however the meals were massive. I had some ribs with wedges but most people weren't able to finish it all so I just mainly had ribs and other people’s schnitzel. It was an incredible feast and by the end of it everyone was full. We then got to our hotel and it was really nice, possibly the best yet. The only issue is because it is so fancy we were not able to splash and have fun in the pool as it was a “relaxing pool”. Well when you have 20 exchange students in a pool which can only just fit 20 people, it's pretty hard for everyone to be quiet and move slowly but yet still have fun. To also top it off, there was no wifi in the rooms, you had to pay for it. Every other hotel had internet except this one. Majority of people were disappointed. The next day we went for a tour around Vienna, we had a tour with a guide in the morning and then we had lunch. Once we had lunch we had a look at Mozart’s house and some of his famous compositions. Then we were meant to have a horse and carriage tour but I was unable to do it as I am allergic to horses. I went back to the hotel with some others and then spent the afternoon doing some washing and getting my clothes and bag ready for our departure the next day. We then had dinner and after that went for a swim in the pool. We had to leave the pool and go outside as there was too many people so one of the girls got her guitar and we listened to her and sang a few songs and just relaxed.

Thursday we packed our bags in the morning and had breakfast. We then left, first we had a tour of a famous castle/palace in Austria. We also had lunch there and took a few group photos. We then left at 2pm to head off to Budapest. Once we got to our hotel we then had dinner and left to go for a walk, this walk was special though. We had the person in charge of Belo Travel with us and he took us on a surprise boat cruise to celebrate Ursula’s birthday. (Ursula is the Rotary Youth Exchange president) we had an amazing time on this boat, seeing Budapest at night and taking a lot of good photos. The next day we had a walking tour of Budapest, here we saw the Parliament House, it is the 3^rd largest Parliament House in the world. We also saw an old castle and multiple other buildings. Once we were done with the tour we went to a natural hot springs pool. There were 3 large pools, and multiple smaller pools with all different temperatures. In total there may have been at least 20 different pools and multiple saunas. It was really nice and was an awesome day, swimming and socialising with all the other exchange students. The "oldies" are now leaving in less than 10 days. They are all upset that their time on exchange is now coming to an end. We had dinner at a traditional restaurant. There were multiple courses and through the whole dinner was traditional music and dancing. I was lucky enough to be pulled up onto stage where I danced with one of the dancers and made a fool of myself.

Saturday we got on the bus and left for Slovenia to see some caves. The cave we visited was the largest cave in Europe and it was formed millions of years ago, the exact date was unknown. It was amazing to see and interesting to think that it has been here for millions of years and yet the river still runs through part of the cave and how far it has changed and moved. We then continued our journey to our hotel which was in Venice, Italy. Once we got there we had dinner and went outside for a while to play some volleyball and soccer. On Sunday we had a tour of Venice in the morning from a tour guide and then we had lunch. For lunch we naturally had pizza which was amazing. We then went for a Gondola cruise through the canals of Venice and then we took a boat to an island to watch some glass forming. Here they heated glass and made certain things from it like, bowls, animals, jewelry and many other things. Venice was really nice but there was a lot of tourists. I think there would have been more tourists than locals. We then returned to the hotel to have dinner. Once we had dinner, since it was our last night we had a party. We all dressed up and there was a DJ, so we partied into the night. It was fair to say that night we didn't get much sleep. The next day we left to return to Switzerland. There were books and flags getting signed the whole time on the bus and when we arrived at the train station in Switzerland it was just hugging and crying. We hung around for a while together before I left to get on my train. It was the last time I would see my "oldies". I have made so many friends and some of them I have become great friends with and now they are leaving. Once I got to my new host family I had dinner with them and then went to bed, I was really tired from the past 2 weeks of traveling.

Tuesday I got settled in with my new host family and just had an easy day. All I did was unpack my bag and spent some time looking through photos of Euro tour. Wednesday I went with my host sister and some of her friends to the Zurich zoo. It was a smaller zoo compared to Melbourne but nevertheless still had all the animals. We then had dinner together by the side of Zurich lake. Thursday I saw my last host sister in the morning and then during the afternoon just chilled. Friday I went in the morning to the airport to say goodbye to one of my host sisters, she was going to Kenya for four weeks. Then in the afternoon I went to one of my classmates parties. This was good as I was able to catch up with a few friends again. Saturday and Sunday were some easy days with my host family. We just spent time at home, however Sunday I had my last host sisters going away party. It wasn’t really a party though, it was more of a lunch where we just talked and then everyone left by 6pm. Monday I went to a Rotary club meeting and then in the afternoon went swimming in one of the lakes with my host family. Tuesday I went for a walk around a lake early in the morning with my next host mom and then in the afternoon I went to a pool with my youngest host sister. Wednesday I went for a hike with one of my school friends, she is leaving for Chili in the next 6 days for an exchange year, so this would be one of the last times I would spend time with her. Then in the afternoon I went to Zurich to meet with some friends. Thursday I had breakfast with my host mom in the morning and then went to Zurich airport to say goodbye to one of my fellow exchange students. He was getting sent home early from his exchange which was very sad but at least he got to enjoy 6 months of his exchange.