The Australian Exchange: Developing a Global Mindset

By Sadie W. (’26)

QMS launched an exchange program last year, providing Grade 10 students with an enriching opportunity to connect with students from the other side of the world. For our exchange, QMS partnered with two Australian schools: Knox Grammar School and Abbotsleigh School.

I can still remember the day we welcomed the Aussies like yesterday. It was a typical, rainy West Coast day. I distinctly remember us standing at the airport with our “Welcome to Canada” sign, excited but nervous, having no idea what would happen. It was full of the unknown, we had never met any of these students before, and they would each be staying with one of us.

Despite not knowing each other before, all of us became close with our exchange partners: Lachie M. and Ben K. from Knox Grammar School, and Emily C. and Selena G. from the Abbotsleigh School.

“The school was very good about finding people we could get along with,” agreed Kailie M. (‘26). The four Aussies fit right in. They went right into the QMS routine, tried out different classes, and met new people.

“I enjoyed experiencing the different schooling life and getting to know people from a different country,” said Emily C. “I really liked Med Sciences and Culinary Arts.”

On the weekends, we showed the Aussies what our beautiful Island is about. We ordered them their first poutine, took them to see the rooftop goats at Coombs, and ran with them on the Tofino beaches under the freezing rain. We also explored Vancouver together. We woke up before dawn to catch the ferry, walked around downtown until we couldn’t feel our legs, and spent too much money in Sephora.

The time we got to spend together was almost too short. Five weeks of school had always sounded like such a long time to me, but those five weeks that they were here felt like two. The day that they had to walk back into those airport gates, it was hard not to shed a few tears. Those great memories we made together made it so much harder to say goodbye. However, we all knew we would see them again in just a few months.

After counting down the days, it was finally our turn to go to Australia. On February 5th, the QMS Trio, Kailie M. (‘26), Matthew R. (’26), and I, Sadie W. (‘26), packed our bags and boarded a very long flight to Sydney, Australia. The cool thing about Australia is that their seasons are the opposite of ours, meaning that it is currently summer there. We had been prepared for a good dose of heat, but definitely not for the 40-degree weather we were greeted with the minute we stepped off the plane.

The roles were now reversed. The Aussies were now the ones taking us around, showing us places, and introducing us to new people. Everyone I’ve met at their school has been very welcoming. While not in school, we took advantage of the summer Aussie weather and went sightseeing. We went to many beaches, such as Manly, Kiama, and Bondi. We hiked, we surfed, we got sunburnt, and we even saw a Shakespeare play in the iconic Sydney Opera House.

This exchange trip has been such a great opportunity for all of us, and I am so glad I got to meet so many new people and that I got to venture to a new place that I had never been to before. If you ever have the chance to go on exchange, I think you should.