To day is the last day I will enter the Institution of Jean-Paul II. In two days, I catch my plane back to Australia, on the other side of the world, but not before I have reflected on my time in this school.

I’ve been a student here for two months, and in that time, I’ve gained many impressions about this school.

Firstly, the length of the school days and the attentiveness of the students here in the Institution of Jean-Paul II surprised me.

In Australia, we commence the day at 8:45am and finish at 3pm. Our timetable never changes, and everyday we are at school for six hours and 15 minutes. Here, the school days can last for up to 8hours, which was a huge schock for me. I also noticed that during this time, students remained focused and attentive, and seemed genuinely motivated to work.

Another change I noticed, is that in this school, you can wear any clothes you desire. Whereas in Australia, my school has a strict uniform policy, including black shoes, white socks, no jewelry and no make up.

I’m looking forward to sharing all these aspects with my fellow students, and I know they are eager to learn a little about practices in French schools.

Finally, I would like to say thank you so much to all the teachers and students who made my stay in this school so enjoyable.

I’ve made some great friends and have felt accepted and welcomed into this wonderfull school,

And, for that, I’m grateful.

Karri THOMAS, Australian Exchange Student

(Karri est à droite, sur la photo)