SIMON LINDNER (6F) returned to Germany and wrote the following:

I want to thank you again very much that you gave me the opportunity to come to New Zealand and for being so helpful and caring to me all the time! It has really been an amazing experience, and this semester, especially the second term, was without a doubt the most wonderful and fulfilled one of my life! I am still in contact with many Kiwis and we are very certain that our relationships will last long-term. I feel very lucky about everything.

 

 

 

TOM ATWELL - who left Auckland Grammar 5 years ago, sent us the following:

I'm pursuing degrees in Applied Economics, History, and Geography from the University of Wisconsin. I've also just returned from a five month stay in a small and undeveloped village in the Dominican Republic, where I was doing manual labor in the farm fields, researching development in relation to agriculture and food production, trying to overhaul an existing charitable operation, and learning spanish (without prior experience).

I'm finding Uni quite tough, in the best of ways, similar to how I found my AGS experience. Being surrounded by talent can both defeat you and bring out your best, and both of those are opportunities for learning and growth. Five years on from my time at AGS I still carry the lessons in defeat I learned from being trounced in my mathematics and history classes full of brilliant boys and finishing in last place (albeit without training and very much still in recovery from knee surgery) in a distance race. To be beaten is easy, but to recover and improve is harder. AGS helped me learn this skill, along with giving me a dose of humility, which have been so important moving forward in my life.

I might go so far as to say that going to New Zealand was the first big challenge in my life, and it gave me a hunger for more of the same. It is this desire for challenges, and the knowledge, wisdom, and adventure they provide, that drives me and countless other AGS boys onward.

FLORIAN WEILAND - who attended Auckland Grammar for one term in 2010, sent this:

My name is Florian Weiland. I am15 years old and I come from Germany. I was at Auckland Grammar School for one term (April-July 2010). I decided to go to Auckland Grammar School because I wanted to improve my English and to learn more about the culture of New Zealand.

On the first day I was a bit nervous because of all the new information’s that I had to handle and of course everything was in English. One of the biggest changes was to wear a school uniform but it was better than I thought it would be.

Auckland Grammar School is a very old school with many traditions like the assembly every morning in the big hall. The school is also very open-minded about international students. It’s very easy to get friends at Auckland Grammar School and in this sense it´s very easy to become member of a sports team or music band.

I would like to thank all my teachers and classmates who have been very friendly and helpful. Many thanks also to all the members of the international student department who made it very easy for me to stay at Auckland Grammar. Especially I am very happy that I could play in the school football team and for this opportunity a special thank to Mr Hogg who was a very good coach.

My stay at Auckland Grammar School was very nice. I gained lots of good and new experiences and I can recommend everybody who get chance to go to Auckland Grammar School.