9 minute read
School Tours
It is said, to have another language is to possess a second soul. – Charlemagne
2019 PLC French Trip
On 7th December 2019 12 PLC students accompanied by two staff, Madame Payne and Madame Fourquet took off from Melbourne airport to a very exciting destination for us all: France. For the students, France was the dream destination after many years of studying French. Finally, they were going to put in practice all they had learnt in class: the verbs, vocabulary and expressions in an authentic way. They would experience the food, school, French family life and hopefully the well-known French “Joie de vivre”!
Our first cultural experience was the very infamous “French transport strikes”, trains were scarce, there was no Metro and it was very strange for some of us to wait in the train station of Montparnasse for a few hours hoping the only train running would not be cancelled, with very few people around us and no trains on the platforms. We were very fortunate to be able to get to our final destination and meet our host families without too much trouble.
Life in France could start! Students attended school the next day after our arrival and had to manage jetlag, discovering a new school, new friends, new families and on top of that speaking in French the whole day. The first week was fun, challenging and exhilarating at the same time. Students were spread out in two regions: Aquitaine and Brittany in the west of France and they all were in different towns. It was truly a full immersion experience.
After two weeks at school, Christmas holidays arrived. Many students travelled to different cities and regions, from Strasbourg, Lyon, Paris to the tiny island of Houat in Brittany. By then, we had all adjusted to our lives in France, speaking or 2. 3.
1. Kshipra Baidya Year 12 in front of the Eiffel Tower. 2. Kriphra Vaidya Year 12 and friends. 3. Maella Teel Year 12 in Strasbourg. 4. PLC German students standing in front of the Fortress in Salzburgburg
understanding French was becoming easier, everyone could relax and fully enjoy the holidays. Food was the main theme of the holidays, as lunches and dinners seemed to merge into one big feast. Students tasted regional dishes, plenty of seafood, foie gras and of course the traditional Christmas Log cake. Food also became the main subject of our conversations when Madame Fourquet and I caught up with students on the phone. They had been converted to the French way of thinking. Food had become the centre of their lives.
After the holidays, students had one more week at school before going home. Although we all looked forward to going home and enjoying the summer, leaving behind the lovely host families and new friends we had made was difficult. Students came back to Australia feeling empowered, confident and ready to explore the world further.
Estelle Payne Head of French
Language and cultural understanding are closely interlinked. Students at PLC are guided to reflect on a country’s unique identity and cultural traditions as they interact in a foreign language in the classroom. Language learning provides a window into different ways of thinking and doing, and thereby broadens a student’s view of the world.
Our Exchange Program at PLC offers students the opportunity to practise their language skills and experience another culture first hand.
On 8 December last year, 9 enthusiastic German students, Frau Ursula Wehrer and I set off on an adventure to Austria and Germany with these two goals in mind.
Although apprehensive, students were excited to be making a reciprocal visit to their German exchange sisters, who had visited PLC for almost 6 weeks in Term 3 2019.
To be on the other side of the globe within 24 hours and to step out into the fresh, cold air of Vienna is a surreal welcome to Europe for our students. A day’s tour to some of the city’s landmarks and a walk through the grounds of the famous Schönbrunn Palace gave students an insight into Austrian history and the grandeur of its architecture.
A language is not just words. It’s a culture, a tradition, a unification of a community, a whole history that creates what a community is. It’s all embodied in a language. – Noam Chomsky If you respect a language and culture, it shows in your work. – A R Rahman
Learning a foreign language, and the culture that goes with it, is To speak a language is to take on a world, a culture. one of the most useful things we can do to broaden the empathy, imaginative sympathy and cultural – Frantz Fanon outlook of children. – Michael Gove If culture were a house, then language would be the key to the front door to all the rooms inside. I hear and forget, I see and remember, – Khaled Housseini I do and understand. – Confucius
2019 German Exchange Trip
Our main destinations in the first week were the contrasting cities of Salzburg and Berlin. We spent 3 days and nights in each of these spectacular places. While in Salzburg, the students loved the magical atmosphere of the Christmas markets, the extraordinary Hohensalzburg fortress set on top of a mount in the centre of the city, Mozart’s birthplace, and walking through the many enchanting narrow streets.
Students were also absorbed by the city of Berlin. Visits to the Brandenburg Gate, the Reichstag Dome, the Jewish Holocaust Memorial, the remains of the Berlin Wall, the Wall museum and the House at Checkpoint Charlie gave them an understanding of the city’s incredibly complex history and its diverse and thriving community today.
For teachers who accompany students on these exchange trips, it is a privilege to see students’ excitement when they recognise cultural features previously researched in class, as well as their fascination when discovering other cultural traditions different from their own. Trying out German food specialities was a priority! Pretzels, sausages, meat dishes, potato dishes, sauerkraut, chocolate and the many cakes were popular discussion topics.
At the end of the first week, students headed to Gevelsberg, Mainz or Münster for a 4.5 week stay with their host family. They attended school, enjoyed a festive Christmas and 2 weeks of school holiday. While on an exchange trip, students learn by genuine cultural and language immersion. Not only do they gain increased confidence when speaking the German language, but also in what have been termed “struggle skills”. A language learner is put in situations with which she is not familiar. One’s innate desire to cope creates the motivation and necessity to learn. The more a student engages with the culture and Interacts with others in the foreign language, the greater the language learning experience. In short, what she puts into it, is what she will get out of it.
Saloni Kandalkar in the Year 12 German class described her exchange experience in the following way:
“On the German Exchange I learnt how to be more independent and how to solve problems on my own. I also learnt so much about the history and culture of Germany that you can only learn by being immersed in the culture and that you wouldn’t be able to experience in a classroom. I would really recommend going on a language exchange”.
If you are considering whether to participate in a language exchange in the future, you will discover it to be one of the best and most useful things you will do in your life. Not only will you speak a language, you will also take on a world, a culture.
Sarah Buckman Head of LOTE and Head of German
Tours
1. Cultural dance afternoon at Neno.
Neno trip 2019
Another trip to Malawi – my 5th, but the first for most on our team of 20 students and 4 PLC staff. I don’t say that as if – here I go again, but as someone who is thrilled to return again and again to Malawi. You see it’s the people who we meet that make this trip such a unique one.
Life in Malawi is simple but vibrant. Even though the people have less, they give more of themselves as they greet and welcome us. Life doesn’t quite make sense when you are there – you feel more alive, challenged, energized, connected, younger, and no matter what your age, you want to make the most of this experience. And often this means doing things that are out of your comfort zone.
At Neno Girls School – we are greeted warmly – old friends come and envelope me in their arms. Jane (that’s what they call me) they call from across the yard. And with the biggest smiles. It’s not because I’m anything special, but because they like people and are generous with their welcome.
Watching as our PLC girls are swallowed up in a sea of Neno girls is a wonderful experience and to see the smiles on both, and the friendships that are made over the week is heartwarming. Even the toughest of PLC students finds leaving Neno at the end of the week an emotional experience. It is always a privilege to see the girls flourish during their time at Neno.
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The staff at Neno are very appreciative of all that PLC donates and has provided over the years. And, we are grateful for the meals and care we are given. Whether it’s Alfred the cook, Edwin the vice head teacher or Roderick who works on the grounds, they all do their job with pride. Esther (head teacher) very ably leads them all and the recent success of school results has been due to their hard work.
The remainder of the trip – travelling around Southern Malawi is a time to enjoy each other’s company and see sights that most Malawians don’t get to enjoy. Majete Safari Park – hot and dry and the perfect place to spot zebras, giraffes, hippos and elephants in the wild. Satemwa tea plantation – green and lush and a chance to taste and see one of Malawi’s biggest exports. Mount Mulanje – a strenuous 3. 4.
bushwalk is rewarded with a swim in an icy cold mountain pool. Exhilarating for all. Fishermen’s Rest – an organization and accommodation designed for groups such as ours. We were taken to a local village and learnt how to make a simple brick stove for people to use in their homes. I would highly recommend a trip to Malawi if you are adventurous and love to travel.
As is custom, we have our farewell dinner with Moses as our host and speeches from students and staff. Moses shares his appreciation and invites the girls to come back again one day. We know we will always be welcomed warmly again. And for me, seeing the impact of this life changing experience on our PLC girls makes each and every trip absolutely worthwhile.
Jenni Williams School Nurse and Neno Co-ordinator.
2. Neno and PLC netball teams combine. 3. PLC girls hard at work in the village. 4. Neno students studying outdoors during a spare period.
