by Dio Communications
Dio Exchanges
Dio Communications — July 30, 2023
After an eight-week Dio exchange, Elizabeth Macdonald and her family recently bid Ella Grace Lazenby (of Baylor School, USA) farewell for her long journey back to Chattanooga, Tennessee. Thank you, Ella Grace, for your wholehearted embrace of this exchange experience and for generously sharing your knowledge, unique perspective and wonderful humour with our community. You have been a breath of fresh air, and we were very sad to see you go! Below is Ella's final assembly presentation.
Tena koutou Katoa
Ko au Ella Grace Lazenby
No au Chattanooga Tennessee
Kia ora Tatou katoa
Hey, y'all. I’m Ella Grace, and I’ve been on exchange here in New Zealand for the past six weeks. I go to a school called Baylor in Chattanooga, Tennessee, where I finished just my Sophomore year of high school, which is like Dio’s year 11. When first coming to Dio, some may have been disappointed that I didn’t “talk like this” *southern accent*, that I’ve never actually met a celebrity, or that Americans don’t regularly eat fried butter. I’ve enjoyed answering everyone’s questions like “Do you really have yellow school buses?”(We do) or “What part of Texas is Tennessee in?”
During my trip, I had the pleasure of staying with Elizabeth MacDonald and her family, where they’ve taken me to places like Taupo, Auckland, Rotorua, and the Waitomo Caves. I’ve gotten to attend some Dio classes as well as and getting to participate In House Singing (Go, Wilson).
I’ve learned some important lessons during my time on exchange, including never associating New Zealand and Australia with each other. I’ve been informed that they are VERY different.
I’ve also learned that 75 degrees Celsius is not the same as 75 degrees Fahrenheit and that Kiwis pronounce Aluminum as Al-u-min-e-um.
I’ve been introduced to a variety of different words and phrases, including togs (swimsuits) and jandals (flip flops), and still, after six weeks, I don’t fully understand what “sweet as” means.
In all seriousness, my time in New Zealand has been an incredible experience. It is a beautiful country. I am so grateful to have learned about its culture, particularly the Māori culture. I admire New Zealand’s relationship with its indigenous people (which I feel America could take some notes on.)
I wanted to thank Mrs Foot and all of the Dio faculty for helping me throughout this exchange and making me feel so welcome. Especially Mr Harmon (who demanded special recognition). Thank you for being so warm and for all of your honesty in your level 3 History class (I’ve learned a lot from Noam Chomsky).
Thank you to Mrs A and Mrs Greenslade for all of the great chats we’ve had over making thousands of red paper chains for the level 1 production. Thank you to Lizzie’s amazing friends and Mr Harmon's year 13 History class for making me feel so included here at Dio. I wish I could spend more time with all of you guys. Thank you to the MacDonald family for making me feel like an additional family member. I can’t thank you enough for the kindness you’ve shown me during these past two months. Lastly, Thank you so much to my host partner, Lizzie. You truly are like a sister to me, and I have loved every minute I’ve spent with you. You’ve made this exchange feel like an 8-week-long sleepover, and I’m lucky to remain friends with you, even after this exchange ends.
