Global Connections - Individual Tours

Individual Tours to France and Japan

FRANCE INDIVIDUAL TOURS

Darcy Spragg-Harris, Year 12 French

During the school holidays, Milly Eyres, Ronnie Bhuteja, Chloe Dickens, Chester Webb and I went to Toulouse, France for five weeks. 

The experience was unforgettable. I made lifelong friendships, not only with my host sister, but also my entire host family. Being integrated into another family was a truly incredible experience, and one that I will treasure forever.  

Throughout the trip, we had two weeks of ‘holidays’ and three weeks of French school. French school was quite tough, with a nine-hour day being normal! However, it was so rewarding to be in an all-French environment, especially since I'm studying Year 12 French this year. 

Also, since we were mainly with one core class the whole time, we were able to make French friends. They were hilarious and made the tiring school day incredibly enjoyable. I definitely experienced culture shock, with the amount of bread and cheese being eaten the biggest, but after a while, I felt thoroughly French and a bit like 'Emily in Paris'. 

Obviously, the language barrier was tough, but after a few days of acclimation, I could understand what everyone was saying with enough confidence to respond back. By the end of the trip, we could all converse easily with our host families, many of whom didn't speak any English. We even managed to teach them some English along the way!

Milly Eyres, Year 12 French

Thanks to the incredible generosity of our host families, we had the opportunity to participate in various activities outside of classes. Highlights included holidays in the Spanish Basque Country, skiing in the Pyrenees, road trips to the Mediterranean coast and Barcelona, and weekend trips to Paris

We also spent Christmas there, and it was fascinating to see how the traditions and customs vary on the other side of the world. Of course, no trip to France would be complete without indulging in French food, including enjoying five-course meals every night.  

The warmth and hospitality of my host family truly enabled me to fully immerse myself in French culture. Although the initial language barrier posed its challenges for all of us, everyone was patient and encouraging with us, always willing to help us improve our French. 

By the end of the five weeks, I can confidently say that we all improved immensely, not only in our French-language abilities, but also our general communication skills.  

Thank you to Kilvington and Madame Dickens for fostering these global connections and enabling us to embark on amazing trips like these. Thanks to their tireless effort, we now have memories that we'll cherish for a lifetime and have gained new families on the other side of the world.

JAPAN INDIVIDUAL TOUR

Shiyan Yin, Year 12 Japanese

During the January holidays, I had the chance to go to Tokyo for three weeks on an individual tour. While over there, I attended classes at Todoroki Senior High School and explored the amazing city of Tokyo. 

Due to my poor Japanese skills, I had a hard time communicating with the local people. But this also meant I had much to learn and room for improvement. I took away a lot of useful learnings by making mistakes and remembering how to correct myself. This experience will greatly help me in my future Japanese studies. 

My overall experience in Japan was wonderful, with many friendships being formed with my host siblings and classmates. It's a memory I'll treasure for a lifetime. 

I'd like to thank Kilvington and Ms Dickens for providing me with the opportunity to visit a country I've wanted to explore for a long time. Without their help in overcoming various challenges, this trip would not have been possible. Thank you. 

JAPANENSE PARTNER SCHOOL STUDENT REFLECTIONS 

Yurika Imai, Year 11 

Thank you to Kilvington for the chance to attend classes during Term 1. A special thanks to my friends and teachers for helping me and for making my stay in Melbourne so comfortable. 

Everyone was friendly at Kilvington, and I really envied the way students seemed to enjoy school life. I found many cultural differences between Japan and Australia, such as families enjoying their weekend by doing a lot of activities. I now think this is one of the most precious memories of my life. 

As I'll be in Year 11 in Japan from April, I decided to start my Year 11 studies here. This has given me insight into how busy my new school year will be and how much hard work it will require; but I am inspired by my Australian friends who are keeping up with their studies.  

I wish you all good luck and hope you had a fun time with me this term.

Ririka Mastuda, Year 11

The time I spent at Kilvington was so amazing. It was difficult to join classes in which English was spoken, but I could still have a lot of good experiences. 

For example, in English classes I thought about my identity, in Art classes I discovered beautiful artworks, and in Health and Human Development classes I learnt about the health problems of teenagers. From taking part in these classes, I feel my English writing skills have improved a lot. 

While staying in Australia, I also learnt a lot about culture, not only the Australian culture, but also from other countries. There are many people who have different backgrounds in Australia. I believe that's one of the reasons why I was able to adapt to Australia so easily. 

I was impressed with how Kilvington also treasures diversity, and how I could join some events which celebrate diversity and inclusion, such as the International Women’s Day Breakfast and Harmony Day. 

In terms of classes, I was surprised by the variety of classes of offer. In my Food Studies classes, I cooked a range of foods from around the world, and my favourite dish was the Turkish delight.  

Fortunately, I had wonderful experiences outside of Kilvington as well. Even going to a normal grocery store was new and exciting for me! I was also excited to find that there were a lot of Japanese restaurants in Australia, and many enjoyable places to visit such as the State Library, the Bentleigh Festival, Scienceworks, and so on.

I want to say thanks to my host family, friends, teachers … everyone was so lovely. You should all be very proud of attending such a good school!

The Parent Perspective 

Sharon Spragg, 2024 Year 12 parent

The 2023 individual tour to France was a joy from beginning to end. 

Back in July, we were very excited to meet Victoire, our guest student from France. We had a five fabulous weeks together, culminating in Victoire and my daughter Darcy attending the school formal together. There were lots of tears at the airport when saying goodbye. 

Fast forward to December, and a very excited group of Kilvington students headed off for five weeks to Toulouse. 

Darcy had a fantastic time with Victoire’s family. She enjoyed every minute of it, from the amazing food and French Christmas markets to traveling throughout the Occitanie region and Basque Country, including a quick trip to Spain.

Overall, it was an amazing experience for Darcy and our family, and we've made friendships for life.