Week 8 was both International Languages Week and Te Wīki o Te Reo Māori, so it was entirely appropriate that we receive a visit from the Collège de Paita in New Caledonia, for our students to try their skills in a variety of languages. 

At the Pōwhiri, our guests spoke in French and English, and sang our national anthem in Te Reo, while Mātua acknowledged them as “our Polynesian cousins”.

This was the first visit to Riccarton; for some, their first time off their island, and for most of them, their first time for snow and ice. 

They were hosted by our French students for a week, visiting the school every day, but often engaged in activities and excursions beyond the classroom, including visits to Mt Hutt and the Alpine Ice skating rink, Willowbank, the Antarctic Centre, Orana Park and the Restart Mall. 

While they enjoyed these excursions greatly, they all agreed that the best part of this exchange was the time they spent in the homestays, where they experienced true kiwi hospitality and friendship. The tears at the farewell tell their own story.

We are, as always with similar exchanges, grateful to the parents who accept our visitors, look after them so well, and share their home and daily life with them. 

I was really pleased to hear the improvement in speaking French from our own students, as they found out that the language they are learning in class actually works!