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By Kathryn Hill<\/strong><\/p>\n This is the second in a three-part series about a teacher exchange involving the Hallman\/Foxcroft family from Port Sydney and an Australian family, the Hills. Here you’ll read an account of the Hill family\u2019s life in Muskoka over the past nine months. A third story, about the two families meeting in Vancouver at the end of the exchange, will appear on Huntsville Doppler later this year.<\/em><\/p>\n As a family of five\u2014Kathryn, Shannon and our three children Ella (age 11), Sophie (age 9) and Daniel (age 8)\u2014we agreed one sweltering summer night that a year in Canada sounded adventurous and slightly cooler! So, we decided to take advantage of the teacher exchange program\u2014essentially swapping our job, home and cars for 12 months. Upon reading Andrew and Mara\u2019s application and getting a sense of life in Port Sydney, Muskoka, we knew that this was the right opportunity for us! I would be swapping my teaching role at St. Joseph\u2019s Charlestown, Australia for Andrew\u2019s at St. Mary\u2019s Huntsville.<\/p>\n Over the course of 2018 we prepared in every way for what 2019 would bring. Exchanging our home meant upgrading appliances, a kitchen reno, and cleaning every aspect as if preparing for our home to become an Airbnb. Likewise with swapping cars\u2014detailing, organizing to register each other\u2019s cars, international driver\u2019s licences, not to forget visas and the daunting reality of booking the flights! And then there was the winter clothes\u2014 shopping our first ever set of snow clothes, boots, gloves and beanies (toques).<\/p>\n We were slightly anxious about the Canadian winter experience. Might I add it did not disappoint. We left nearly 40 degrees Celsius weather in Australia to arrive in -5 degrees Celsius weather in Toronto with only our three suitcases in total for the year ahead. Within our first few weeks in Muskoka the weather plummeted to a whopping -40 degrees. The toughest challenge was adjusting to driving on the \u2018wrong\u2019 side of icy roads. Luckily, my friend had advised me ‘right turn tight, left turn long and driver always to the centre’. Think it through, it works! Snow equals skiing, boarding, sled riding, snowshoeing, and snowman building, not to mention snow days (school rarely, if ever, closes in Australia).<\/p>\n Travelling from the sunny beaches of Merewether NSW, Australia to the community of Port Sydney, Muskoka where the sign reads ‘Home of 800 nice families and 1 old grouch’ and arriving in a snow-piled wonderland, we have embraced the change of countries. Muskoka truly is stunning, from the snow-covered pine trees to the sublime summer lakes.<\/p>\n The Canadian community have been so welcoming and have lived up to the reputation that Canadians really are the friendliest people in the world, eh? From the many dinner invitations to exciting offers to tap maple trees, snowmobile, hike Algonquin as well as boating trips down the Muskokan and Georgian lakes including tubing, snorkelling, fishing and enjoying \u2018water on the water and beer on the pier!\u2019 We have already had invitations for Thanksgiving and Halloween, so we plan to make the most of our last few months in this beautiful part of the world, including our first white Christmas, a slight change from the summer Christmas we are used to. We have made friends for life and we look forward to them visiting us in the land down under!<\/p>\n\n\t\t