Displaying items by tag: kiwi

It has only been over a month since we returned from our trip to France and it feels like a dream far in the past. I still find myself thinking about it and reminiscing on our experiences everyday. The past 10 months preparing for this unbelievable experience have been life-changing. I have formed lifelong friendships, and had countless once in a lifetime experiences.

Before I applied for this trip I wasn’t even aware that I had ancestors who fought in WW1. At that time I wouldn’t have...

Man, what an adventure! Having returned from our trip to France I feel accomplished, for having carried out my project; amazed, at all the things I’ve seen and the experiences we all shared together and lastly, proud to say I did my duty as a Young Ambassador.

Seeing the places I researched was unforgettable. The scale of The Great War was always visible, through the landscape and the ever-present cemeteries scattered around the countryside of North Eastern France. Each one commemorated men...

The past 10 months have been consumed by the preparations for the Shared Histories project as a Young Ambassador to continue the relationships between New Zealand and France and remember the battles and fallen soldiers. The role of being a Young Ambassador created memorable experiences that will last a lifetime and that I could never have fathomed would occur before leaving High School.

Time has flown by since first finding out that I was lucky enough to be selected to participate in this incredible programme. I remember exactly when and where; I was at the movies with my friends, and having just come out of our viewing, I thought, “Maybe I’ll just quickly check my emails to see if they’ve told us.” Sure enough, I had an email from Pascale, and I remember being so wound up that I made my friend read the email for me! It seems surreal that two weeks from now, we will have...

Bonjour a tous! The Young Ambassadors exchange is really picking up pace. In the autumn holidays we spend a week with the French Young Ambassadors in Wellington. It was so fantastic meeting the French Young Ambassadors and throughout the week we got to know each other really well. It was so special sharing experiences like the powhiri and the overnight stay at the Waiouru Army Camp with them because they were completely new for most of us! Being in an environment where French was the default...

Kia ora koutou, bonjour à tous, hello everyone.

The trip to Wellington and the week spent with our French counterparts was incredible and something that will stick with me for years to come. The whole experience was filled with a plethora of moments that moved me deeply and others that filled me with happiness. It was an honour to take part in it.

I was excited and nervous headed up to Wellington on the plane as I was getting my head around the week’s proceedings. Everything fell into place...

Kia Ora et Bonjour tout le monde
The week spent in Wellington seems a long time ago now with a month and a half having gone by, but the events of the week will never be forgotten.

Time is progressing towards our trip to France - and it doesn’t seem so long ago that the French students were just with us.

Spending the week with the French students was really interesting in lots of ways. We spent a lot of the week comparing the differences between our two cultures, and a point that came up a fair bit was the difference in the ways that New Zealanders view their own history, as opposed to the French attitude towards their own. The French seemed bemused at the way that...