Sydney Study Tour 2011 - Blog
The study tour group comprises nine Y12 students from Queen Elizabeth's Grammar, Alford: Ben B, Ben C, Alice, Patrick, Gervaise, Sophie, Charlotte, Joe K and Joe W. The group left at 4:15 am on 11 February, catching the 10.55 am flight from Heathrow. The first stage of the journey was on an Airbus (A380) to Singapore (a journey of about 14 hours) and from there on to Sydney (a further 7 hours), arriving on Saturday night at about 8.30 pm. Each day a different student leads the day and will write the blog for the day:
Day 8
Charlotte Everard - Sunday 20 February 10:45pm Australian Time
Despite being very tired we were all looking forward and very determined to make the best of our last full day in Australia.
Right from the beginning of the day we were on a very tight schedule, starting with some last minute buys from the Rocks Market and then moving on to bush walking in the Blue Mountains.
The Rocks Market held lots of souvenir opportunities for us. I have lost count how many boomerangs and didgeridoos I spotted whilst shopping. The area was ideal with all the streets covered with sun shades to block the sun. We all found the perfect gifts for friends and family back home.
As it was my leadership day, I was responsible for organising our transport through the day. It was therefore very unlucky that all trains from Circular Quay were cancelled and we had to take a bus to the Central Station. At this point the whole group, and particularly me, were panicking. It seemed we had no chance to make our train to the Blue Mountains at Central Station some 20 minutes away. This would mean we would have to wait an additional hour before the next train to Katoomba. However, after relaying this to the member of staff co-ordinating the buses he made a special effort by evacuating the next bus of all of its passengers and ordering the driver to display 000 as the number and take us directly to Central without stopping for other passengers. Totally unexpected and extremely kind - we were all extremely grateful to Sydney Bus services. With this 'private bus' service speeding through the centre of Sydney and a sprint to the train platform we made it just in time…
Everyone, after such a stressful morning, was throughly looking forward to our time in 'the bush' away from the hustle and bustle of Sydney city centre. It took us 2 hours to get to the Blue Mountains but it was was well worthwhile. I personally thought the views were breathtaking and it was amazing to think that this is just a relatively short train journey away from the city. The great expanse of forest is just so different from the urban city landscape in which we have spent the previous week. The blue haze created by the oil from the eucalyptus trees was just spectacular.
Our bush walk took us on a number of different trails many very steep with lots and lots and lots of steps. 1 hour 30 into our specified 45 minute walk I started to realise we may have taken a wrong turning or two!
However all the aches, pains and sweat were definitely worth it when the canopy cleared to leave Katoomba Falls. The waterfall was truly magnificent and was perfect way to end our study tour.
We travel home tomorrow, Monday, afternoon and are due to arrive back in Alford at midday on Tuesday. We hope you have found our blog interesting.
Day 7
Joe Webb - Saturday 19 February 8:25pm Australian Time
Today we visited Taronga Zoo. We enjoyed being able to have a more relaxing breakfast than in the last few days and this put us in a good mood for the start of the day. We were then able to catch the bus up to Circular Quay, although we did miss our stop and a quick detour later, we were back on route! This allowed us to catch the ferry with plenty of time and let us enjoy the views as well as plan the course of action for the day. Our seats on the ferry allowed us to see the Opera House and the Harbour Bridge from a different perspective so we were able to get some good photos. It was really hot, reaching around thirty-one degrees outside so plenty of sun cream had to be used!
Once the ferry had taken us to the entrance of Taronga Zoo, we were able to arrive 'in style', as Ben C put it, by going up in the cable car. This allowed us to see the zoo from an aerial point of view and got us all excited about what we wanted to see. We then spent the day in the zoo, feeling the heat as we trailed around. Joe K was able to get a photo next to a kangaroo and we all got the chance to touch a snake which, it was agreed, was the strangest feeling we had ever had, and see some really amazing animals such as the Lions, Koalas, Anacondas and many more. We were also able to walk through a 'Wildlife Australia' section which allowed us to walk along a path where the Kangaroos, Emus and Wallabies could walk unrestricted alongside us. This really allowed us to get a feel for the Australian wildlife and appreciate how different the animals are compared to Britain.
After spending just over four hours at the zoo, we got the cable car back down to the ferry - making us all see sights that made us wish we were still in the zoo for another day or two. We had to run for the ferry and got there with just under a minute to spare, so the group was panting and hotter than ever. After the ferry ride we went to the 'Rocks' and spent some time looking around the area and grabbing some food, before we decided it was really hot and an evening to relax, have a swim and catch our breath was needed! Everyone really enjoyed their time at the zoo and being able to see the indigenous Australian animals.
Day 6
Patrick Jowett & Gervaise Mille - Added Saturday 19 February 9:10am Australian Time
Patrick Jowett
Our day in Sydney began today with a trip to the Harbour Bridge for the bridge climb. Despite being battered and bruised after surfing the day before, the group's enthusiasm was high and everyone saw it as a valuable experience. The views after climbing the 200m tall bridge were spectacular and we all left with a team photo to remember it, some even left with their fears of heights conquered.
The day continued with a trip to the Australian Museum, that included the global travelling world photography exhibition. The exhibition displays some of the world's most acclaimed nature photographs taken in the past year and travels to all the major museums of the world. Everyone chose a favourite picture to write about, even those not interested in photography finding it as a worthwhile activity. Personally, as the photographer on the tour, it was one of my favourite activities of the week and we are all looking forward to taking our own photos of the animals we see at Taronga Zoo tomorrow.
Now, we are all getting ready in enthusiasm for our trip to the Sydney Opera House, to watch the Opera Madame Butterfly. Everyone is dressed in their smartest dresses or suits and we will make sure to get a picture of us all outside the Opera House.
Gervaise Miller
After coming back to the hotel from the Australia Museum we all took a lot of time to get dressed up for the opera. Around the harbour near the Opera House the atmosphere was electric and when we arrived we were treated to live upbeat music while we ate. Unbelievably after the meal we managed to meet Michael Buble (and have photos taken with him), who was casually walking around the harbour. Upon arriving at the Opera House we found that several people walking around the area commented on our smartness. We were seated in the penultimate row from the top, this was in my opinion the best view in the house and the atmosphere inside the Opera House was amazing, so many people were there to appreciate this event. The opera we went to see "Madame Butterfly" was memorably conveyed by all of the actors involved and it made all of us focus on every part of this near 3 hour opera. There were powerful emotions stirred inside each one of us during the superb singing and during the interval we were all glad that this night at the opera had been arranged. The second act moved me especially because of the opera's dramatic ending and i personally found the whole experience incredibly enjoyable and i hope to have the opportunity to see more operas in the future.
Day 5
Ben Blanchard - Thursday 17 February 10:50pm Australian Time
Today, the group visited Manly beach, where we took part in a surfing lesson and experienced the Australian beach lifestyle. We woke up to immense heat, which really excited all of the group, with everyone looking forward to a day in the sun, something we hadn't been very fortunate with over the last couple of days. To get to Manly we had to catch a ferry, something quite unusual to us, but an integral part to the life of Sydnians. Getting to the ferry, was, admittedly, quite rushed. We even ended up running to just catch it in time, which caused a bit of panic, and was a bit of a stressful time for me! Being new to the ferry, when it started to rock sidewards, we all started to become unsure on whether we liked the new experience, and to some of us, thought it was all a little bit scary. Greeting us at Manly was a heat wave, with 30+ degrees really taking its toll on the group, which, to some of us was a real joy as we hadn't yet seen the Australian sun, but, to others including me, was just a little too much! With water and sun hats bought, we lathered on the factor 50 sun cream, and when I say we put a lot on, we put a huge amount on, so much so that the local people looked in awe at the amounts we had used! Even with this, some of us burned, but this did not dampen our spirits, as we were all in such a relaxed, happy mood, that even when the rain did come out, the sunglasses were still on!
Surfing was a new experience for all except Charlotte and I, and therefore, there was the obvious feelings of excitement within the group, with everyone eager to get involved and surf a wave! In comparison to my previous experiences of surfing, I can say that surfing at Manly was extremely different. Apart from the same technique we used, everything was different. The surf was bigger, and a lot bigger. There was a bit of nervousness within the group as we looked out at the huge waves coming towards us, but we were reassured by our instructors that we would fortunately not be tackling those any time soon. A big difference I found was the rip currents. In the places I've surfed at in the UK, there hasn't been as much of a problem with the currents, but at Manly, this was one of the big dangers for us. A couple of us actually got caught in them, quite a scary experience, and we had to be really careful not to get taken out to be crunched by the big waves! We also found that the pure strength of the sun meant that when walking on the beach, the sand was quite hot, something we don't get in the UK, and really nice. We all got on really well, and after the first couple of waves, you could see the buzz that the group had, and I think everyone was addicted. Although we got bashed around a bit, we all got on really well, with everyone managing to stand up on the board at least once. I can safely say that many of us expressed the want to catch some more waves back home, although we might not be tempted by the colder water!
Our evening meal took place at a really nice restaurant by the harbour, which gave us great views of both the Harbour Bridge and Opera House as they became lit up. I think everyone would agree with me saying that Sydney at night is an incredible sight. With the city landscape lit up so brightly, with the landmarks standing out so well, we all enjoyed walking to and from the restaurant, and seeing the city still a hub of activity at night. At the restaurant, we were treated to not only an excellent meal, but also incredible service. Not only were drinks refilled regularly, but our napkins were kindly placed on our laps by the waitress, something that not many of us were used to! We did do our best to help the waiters and waitresses though, with all but one of the group choosing the same meal of fish fillets and chips! Not only really enjoyable and filling but we all felt that, after our tiring day surfing, it was the perfect end to the day, and a really nice occasion to have whilst in Sydney.
I have really enjoyed, and am grateful for, my day as leader of the team, and even though it was slightly stressful at the start, had a great time with the group soaking up the sun and surf.
Day 4
Alice Rayiru - Wednesday 16 February 10:00pm Australian Time
Today has been for me the most exciting and rewarding so far. For those of us that did not perform a speech at the university, much preparation and practice had been put in to this day, and i can say personally that our nerves were at their highest in the morning. As we set off for our journey towards Strathfield, the mood of the group was slightly tense. As the group is male dominated, to go into an all girls' school, was in fact quite worrying for them.
As we walked into the school, and saw the pool on our left, we were immediately impressed by the environment around us. It was refreshing to see girls already in the pool, as again it was humid and starting to get hot, well at least hot for those of us who are only used to these temperatures on the odd day in the summer, if we are lucky. As soon as we walked into Meriden, we were given a very warm and friendly welcome by the staff and the students who gave us all a tour. We had a huge sense of relief, as we felt far more relaxed and welcome, especially the boys, who in fact gained a lot more attention than they were used to, which i know they all enjoyed! Once a brief introduction was given by the Principal, and ideas were shared between the two schools, we could all begin to appreciate the similarities and differences between us. We found, that in fact we were very similar. We both focus on our individual students, and we could tell that each girl at that school was full of confidence and was certainly a warm and friendly person to be around, which is similar to the students of QEGS. Joe K and I were interviewed in their chapel service by the chaplain and our accents definitely attracted the students' attention. To us, our accent is of course normal, and to hear so many people imitate our accents sounding far more posh than normal showed us how differently we both hear each other.
As we all got the unique opportunity to get involved in different lessons, in some cases actually teach at the front of the class (I taught a Y8 Maths lesson!) and get involved in sports, we were all able to gain a real understanding of an Australian school. Whenever we came back to meet, i could see the excitement and enjoyment on each of our faces as we all had a story to tell about what we had just experienced. It was a huge sense of relief to be welcomed so well, and being looked after throughout the day by both the teachers and girls, made our speeches at the end of the day far easier to deal with and did in fact calm all our nerves down. We were able to recognise friendly faces in the audience which then created a more conversational and relaxed atmosphere. Our speeches went well, and I can say that i am proud of all of us who gave one and answered questions afterwards. It was nice to get to know the girls, and I can certainly say that if i lived in Australia i would be happy going to Meriden to become as confident, well spoken and friendly a student as all the girls at Meriden portrayed. I would like to thank again all those at Meriden for giving us such a beneficial opportunity to come into their school. It has been immensely enjoyable to be there and we left the school relaxed and excited about our future activities.
After this, we were then rewarded with a short shopping trip to buy some souvenirs in the city centre, and to carry out any further research for our projects. I can say, that at the end of this highly beneficial day, we feel much more relaxed now that all of our speeches are completed. We are also all very excited about our next few days, in which we visit some of the iconic landmarks of Sydney and experience surfing.
Day 3
Joe Kheng - Tuesday 15 February 9:30pm Australian Time
So today was the "apprentice" day that we expected to be filled with tasks much like the ones off the famous show. Amazingly we managed to get to Naked (an Australian marketing company) on time and didn't have any glitches with the journey. When we arrived in the office it was very apparent that Naked was a marketing specialist. The design and layout of the whole office was 100% unique; wacky wall paper was on the walls, stuffed animal heads dressed as humans with baseball caps and scarves, sofas and different coloured lights. The most remarkable part of the building was the room known as the "Ideas Finder". This is a room that is solely designed to help the brain think of new ideas. As we entered the room we were all staggered by the amazing design of it. The corridor leading to the main entrance was mesmerising. The walls were painted in black and white stripes which almost hypnotised you, but what we were unaware of was that the door was a lot smaller than your average door. The illusion of it being the normal size was created by the design of the walls. As you can imagine this lead to a few banged heads.
Once we had successfully managed to enter the room we were greeted by Andy Pilkington (my uncle) and he gave us a little tour of the Ideas Finder room. He opened four doors that had been seamlessly hidden into the spherical room. These doors lead to rooms that were created to prompt the mind's creativity. The first room was a bathroom, yes I thought the same! "what is a bathroom doing in a marketing office?!" this room contained a bath that had been converted into a table, which is used for creators to gather round and come up with the latest marketing strategies. The second room was a large open space with random photos and drawings on the walls. It also contained a random sofa and a drawing board. There was a relaxed feel to the room which allowed people to concentrated on what they were creating and nothing else. Adjacent to this was a golf room. The floor was all artificial grass with two putting greens, the idea behind this was that the brain works most efficiently when it is active. The final room was the workshop aren that contained an array of tools and materials in which ideas and prototypes could be created.
After the tour we were briefed on what the day had in store for us. We were told we had to create the latest sports drink. The aim was to create a drink that can hydrate, give a quick and long lasting energy supply and also contain sufficient vitamins and minerals. We were then split into groups which both brainstormed names for the drinks. After a long discussion we came up with the name "PB: An Ultra Hydrating Performance Booster". We then branched off into two groups again; one to create the taste of the drink, design of the bottle and a logo for the business. The other group had to produce a company mission statement and a strong advertising campaign. With the help of Andy and other experts we managed to create a bold, powerful and unique drink. The shape of the bottle was different to any of the competitors and would stand out on the shelves of any shop.
Everyone in our team was very happy and impressed with the final result. We all learnt that it is vital to study ideas and avenues, even if they aren't going to lead anywhere, when creating a marketing campaign. The Ideas Finder room has definitely drained the group as we have been struggling to keep our eyes open, but thankfully the close- knit group have managed to keep each other awake through the constant joking and laughs that we have shared during this evening's meal.
Day 2
Ben Chapman - Monday 14 February 10:30pm Australian Time!
G'day England!
It is fair to stay that the group are still recovering from jetlag and adjusting to the time difference in Sydney. However, this by no means stopped the group's motivation today and drive to make the most of this trip!
Our day started with another great breakfast at Naggy's cafe, where almost the whole group treated themselves to one of their fantastic milkshakes! This prepared us for a very busy day ahead!
With my lead, the group strolled down the road to Sydney university, where we were given a presentation about the university and a tour from one of the student ambassadors. We were all amazed by the facilities the university has to offer, leading to many of the group seriously considering this university as an option after A- Levels. After the tour, we were taken to meet two professors at the Institute of Teaching and Learning. This is where four members of the group presented their speech. However to settle what seemed to be a quite nerve-wracking experience for them, cake and drinks were offered to the group. These refreshments went down a treat as the group had walked a long distance around the huge campus. My speech will take place on Wednesday at the Meriden Girls' School, so i had the pleasure of watching a very impressive presentation from my peers. The group delivered a calm and collected speech, which lasted around 25 minutes overall, without any notes to guide them! It seemed to surprise the professors, who seemed to be expecting an informal chat with the group which to me only does QEGS even more credit. From visiting the university it made me realise that when choosing possible universities next year, I am not just restricted to England and the possibilities really are endless!
After a question and answer session with the professors I proudly managed to get the group to the Olympic park even against the challenges of public transport.. I think the Park really is impressive, and from visiting both Sydney and London's Olympic area, I think it is fair to say that London will have to put a lot of hard work in to even come close to the infrastructure of Sydney! I then led the group to the cycle hire, where many of us took the opportunity of hiring tandems… recipe for disaster? Pretty much! We were given an hour to explore the Olympic Park and in this time two members who shared a tandem who will not be named, managed to cycle through some sort of mud puddle which resulted in them having to change their clothing! It definitely was a funny experience for all involved! The Olympic Park did nothing but motivate Patrick (our National High Jump Champion) to fully overcome his foot injury, so that he can regain fitness in training and battle for a place in the 2016 British Olympic team!
The day was finished off by a meal in Chinatown where we all tried with varied levels of success to eat with chopsticks.
After many changes in public transport, long distance walks around the university campus and Olympic Park, and our gruelling tandem ride, the group are now ready to have a good night's sleep to ensure we are on our toes for the ' Apprentice' styled day tomorrow. Nobody wants to be on the receiving end of a roasting from the business' manager.
The group really are relishing the opportunity of coming over to Sydney, it really is fantastic!
HAPPY VALENTINES DAY!
Day 1
Sophie McAfee - Sunday 13 February 7:30pm Australian Time!
G'day! Day 1 and it is blatant that Sydney is very similar, but at the same time, very different from England. The city has takeaways everywhere you look and the same brands of cars but differences so obvious such as the weather. Although we seem to have brought dull and rainy weather with us, it is 24 degrees. The people here are so much more relaxed and laid back, finishing most sentences with 'No worries'. The flight was gruelling for everybody, especially for myself, Alice and Gervaise who have never flown before. With a total travelling time of about 30 hours from Alford to our hotel it is safe to say that any other plane journey will seem so much shorter. Luckily, the flight was really smooth and food was excellent. Chillies for breakfast though was a weird experience.
Today, Sunday, we had our first taste of breakfast at Naggy's cafe, which the previous study tour students will fondly remember, and to say we enjoyed it is an understatement. The range of foods makes it so hard to choose, so we are thankful for the 9 days that we are here to choose something different each day. There was everything you would expect in England for breakfast but with some extras such as Muesli Trifle and smoke fired breads, Turkish bread, banana bread and the best milkshakes and smoothies any of us have tasted. After breakfast we walked to the city with anticipation growing. The first sight of the Harbour Bridge and Opera House had everyone out with cameras - it was a paradise for our resident photographer, Patrick, but Ben B had taken 80 shots within the first 10 minutes. These landmarks are just spectacular and there is no other word to describe them. We strolled through the Botanical Gardens which are beautiful, with amazingly tall trees and hundreds of flying foxes (bats), and they are literally the back drop to the city's skyscrapers. The landmarks are just spectacular and there is no other word to describe them. None of us can wait for the experiences ahead….
