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By Mara Hallman<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n Mara and Andrew live with their two daughters, Joan (age 11) and Ellie (age 9), in Port Sydney. Andrew is a teacher at Saint Mary Catholic School in Huntsville and is currently on a teacher exchange in Australia. This is the first in a three-part series about the exchange. The second story will be the Hill family\u2019s account of life in Muskoka, followed by the story of the two families meeting in Vancouver at the end of the exchange.<\/em><\/p>\n “Do you have bears in your backyard?”<\/p>\n This was one of the first questions the Hill family asked during our initial Skype conversation. It was met with, “Do you have sharks at your beach?”<\/p>\n The answer to both questions was, \u201cNot likely.\u201d Once our biggest predatory fears were laid to rest, we began the work of discussing what exactly it would mean to swap jobs, houses, communities, loved ones, and countries with a family on the other side of the planet.<\/p>\n Exchanging lives with complete strangers requires a leap of faith. For Andrew and I, the draw to explore something new, to escape monotony, and provide our daughters with a unique life experience gave us the motivation to take that leap. However, the process of arranging a teacher exchange is not an easy one.<\/p>\n We completed a lengthy application with the Canadian Educators Exchange Foundation in January 2018. We were told it could take months before we had any news, so we were surprised when an email came late February suggesting the Hill family as a potential match. It was exciting to learn that Kathryn (the exchange teacher) and her husband, Shannon, have three children around the same age as our daughters. Within 24 hours, both families had reviewed each other\u2019s application and agreed to the swap. It was both thrilling and terrifying to realize a dream we had discussed for several years was actually going to happen.<\/p>\n Close friends and family can attest, the months that followed were some of the most stressful we have faced. I often described the process as akin to moving, changing jobs, and planning a huge holiday all at the same time. Over the next few months we enjoyed getting to know the Hills over Skype; it was a disappointment to realize our friends, family and colleagues would have the opportunity to forge closer relationships with them than we ever would.<\/p>\n On December 31, 2018, our family boarded a plane for the longest flight of our lives, all of our belongings for the year crammed into four large suitcases plastered with Canadian flags. After over 30 hours of travel, we landed at the Hills’ doorstep.<\/p>\n Newcastle, or Newy as the locals say, is a lovely coastal city just 2.5 hours north of Sydney. During our first few days here anyone we encountered assured us “it isn\u2019t usually this hot” (highs of +40\u00b0C). Ironically, the Hills arrived in Muskoka during a cold snap (lows of -40\u00b0C) and were assured by locals that “it isn\u2019t usually this cold.” It appeared we had not only swapped lives, but also extremes\u2014a difference of 80 degrees.<\/p>\n There have been many adjustments and much to learn about Australian life and culture. In Muskoka, Joan and Ellie attend French Immersion; however, in Australia, they are attending St. Joseph\u2019s Catholic Primary School where Andrew teaches Grade 4. The school has a unique arrangement with classrooms in separate buildings and pathways winding through the school grounds. Also new to the girls was having to wear a uniform, which is required by all school children in Australia.<\/p>\n\n\t\t