On Tuesday October 19th, twenty-four Dutch students and two teachers arrived in Canada after a grueling nine-hour flight from Holland. As a part of their bilingual education, the students were participating in a weeklong exchange program with Earl Haig Secondary School. These visitors stayed in the homes of Earl Haig students, and in March, would return the favour by housing their Canadian hosts when they traveled to the Netherlands.
The Canadian side of the exchange was coordinated by Ms. Chiu of the Modern Languages department, and Mr. Dixie of the English department. Apart from various school-arranged outings, the Dutch students were under the care of their assigned host family.
After school on the Tuesday that the Dutch students arrived, the Dutch and Canadian students attended a get-to-know-each-other cooking class at Upstairs at Loblaws. The students mingled with one another, and had a chance to meet their host partners in a laid-back atmosphere before going home together.
“The first day or two was awkward, but after that, I got along with Martijn [my exchange partner] and his friends.” said Faraz Abtahi, 16. “We played billiards the whole week, and went to the movies.”
For the Dutch students, the benefits of this exchange model include a chance to see famous Canadian landmarks, as well as an opportunity to experience a day in the life of an average Canadian student. The Dutch students went enthusiastically with their hosts to classes, lunches, and after-school meetings, clubs, and practices.
However, the Canadian students found themselves with the challenge of balancing their obligation to their guests with their school responsibilities. Kinga Koranyi, 15, pointed out, “Not only did we miss classes, [but] we felt bad if we went in our rooms and quietly studied, since they didn’t come to Canada to watch us study.”
To parents, this balancing act is just one of the many vital skills to be learned in life. When a student is required to handle school and extra-curricular activities, and to take care of another person, he or she benefits from this experience, by learning time management skills and the importance of prioritizing tasks.
“A lot of people [in Canada] are really disciplined,” said Iris Koele, 16, one of the exchange students. “In Holland, students aren’t as disciplined: they’re just lazy,” she laughs.
The Dutch students are a part of the bilingual education program for high school students. For the first three years of high school, classes are in English
The exchange allowed the Dutch students practice their spoken English by conversing with their hosts, as well as with other students at Earl Haig. As one of the exchange students, Leandro van Kuijk, 16, said, “[Coming to Canada] forces you to speak English.”
Some of the hosts, however, do not agree. “They prefer to speak Dutch among themselves,” said Koranyi. “It excludes the Canadian students sometimes.”
Despite this, there were no hard feelings between students. The exchange not only gave host students a chance to learn about a new culture and meet people from a country halfway around the world, but it also gave them an opportunity to meet students within their own school community. The group of students participating in the Holland exchange bonded through their experiences together in the various school-organized activities.
One of the places visited was the CN Tower. “Canada seems to be a lot bigger. Not only the size of the country, but also how tall the buildings are,” remarked Martijn den Os, 15, from the top of the tower. As one of the Seven Wonders of the Modern World, the CN Tower did not fail to impress the Dutch students.
The group also visited Niagara Falls, one of Canada’s natural wonders.
“I expected it to be bigger; it looks so big on the postcards,” said van Kuijk. “But I really enjoyed visiting the Falls. I like Canada [because of] its nature.”
The way in which natural scenery intertwined with the city was one of the things that many of the exchange students commented on. “I love how the nature is blended with the city. You see trees in between buildings. We don’t have that in Holland,” said den Os.
The nature in Toronto would be one of the many things missed when the Dutch students departed from Earl Haig. Along with Toronto’s detached houses and modern buildings, van Kuijk mentioned that he liked “the big trees and the beautiful grass.” He said jokingly, “I’ll miss the squirrels.”
On Wednesday afternoon, goodbyes were said, and email addresses and hugs exchanged. As short as it was, that one-week in Canada was full of exciting new experiences for both the Dutch and Earl Haig students. Despite the bittersweet departure, the Canadian hosts saw the ending as a hallmark experience in their high school year, only to be followed by a greater adventure in March.
