Lucy Burke and Greer Egan were our St Hilda's representatives for the 2023 Perth Exchange. They share their thoughts about this fantastic experience below.

Greer: In Term 2 we went on an exchange for 9 weeks to St Hilda's in Perth. Lucy stayed with Abby Pond in the boarding house whereas I stayed with Amelia Bruce and her family in the city. This was a great way of doing it because I got to experience school as a day girl when I am usually a boarder, and Lucy got to experience school as a border when she is normally a day girl.

Lucy: After our 9 weeks, we had a month to be back with our families and friends until Abby and Amelia arrived for their exchange. They were here for 8 weeks with Abby staying with me at my house, and Amelia staying with Greer at Tolcarne.

Greer: The school in Perth is also called St Hilda’s, and like ours is all girls and Anglican. They have a senior school with years 7-12, including 150 boarders and a junior school on another campus. There are around 1,200 students in total. My favourite part about the school was the big performing arts centre that held our assemblies every week, there was even an underground orchestra!

Lucy: When we arrived, the teachers and students were all very welcoming. It was easy to find our way around, but just in case, there was always someone around we could talk to. There were seven periods a day which were 50 minutes long, and all the subjects were very interesting and similar to here.

Greer: Even though we had a great time, exchanges provide their own challenges! What I found a bit daunting is having to live straight away with a family I had never met before, but thankfully this turned out to be fine. We met so many new people and had to adjust to new routines so during the first few weeks, it definitely took me a while to get used to everything. I was also worried about having to miss so much school and all the catch up we would have to do when we got back but it wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be. We did the school work from St Hilda's in Perth which I found a bit difficult for a start since we had been learning different things, but it helped that the teachers were very understanding.

Lucy: Navigating around the airports was also a bit of a struggle especially because neither of us had travelled on our own before internationally. Even though it was comforting that we were together, it was also a bit stressful at times, but it helped us build independence. Being in the boarding house, I was anxious that I would be intruding and find it hard to make friends, but fortunately this was not the case and all the girls were so welcoming. Because I was in the hostel, I had to adapt to the routines and living with a roommate, which at first was very different but I grew to love it.

Greer: I was very lucky to do lots of cool activities and see so many sceneries with my host family. My favourite was going to Rottnest Island but I also really enjoyed spending time in Fremantle, Margaret River, the beach, Pinnacles and more! It is also really nice that Amelia got to come back to NZ with me, meaning I got to know her really well and I could also show her around and spend time on the farm. I loved putting myself out there to try new things such as rowing, surfing and backstage for the school production, but also meeting lots of new people and making new life-long friends.

Lucy: Separated from school, when I first arrived in Australia I officially met Abby and her family, and got to spend the first week at her sheep and crop farm. I immediately noticed how red and flat the country was, which was very beautiful but also unique compared to New Zealand. Throughout the exchange, I made so many new friends, and spent a lot of free time doing different activities, such as going to AFL games, walks along the river, surfing, and shopping. Halfway through the term, there was a long weekend where I was invited to spend time at my friend's house in Esperance, down the south of Western Australia. The beaches there were so gorgeous and I had a wonderful time. 

Greer: I think the most important things I got from this experience was independence, confidence and the desire to want to see more. It makes me excited to see what is out in the world while still having people around to help if things go wrong. It is a great opportunity if you really want to go on an exchange but find it a bit daunting as it is not too far away and everyone speaks the same language. I especially loved trying new things that I wouldn’t do otherwise and I would encourage any other girls going on exchange, to do the same.

Lucy: Going on the Perth Exchange was not only a great personal experience, but also an incredible travel and social opportunity. I definitely recommend that students who are interested in this should apply in the future, as Greer and I can both safely say we have no regrets.