- This is the Sunshine Coast in Queensland, Australia.
And this is where I go to high school.
But I'd better hurry. I gotta go to class.
My name is Leo and I'm from Germany.
I'm an international student here on the Sunshine Coast.
I started surfing here. I just fell in love with the sport.
It's a great way to connect with the ocean.
We have surf lessons in school every Wednesday.
The beaches are absolutely beautiful.
The whole scenery is just paradise.
Most of the people are just really warm and have a big heart.
You know, they interact with you. If I walk past and just smile at them,
they smile back and go, "Hey, how are you?" and stuff,
and that's really a beautiful thing.
So, school here is really, really different to Germany.
I have a lot of opportunities in music and marine science,
which are my two passions.
- (ALL PLAY ROCK MUSIC)
- I get great support from all the teachers
and from my amazing coordinator, Fleur Parker.
- The Sunshine Coast is an outstanding destination
for any international student here.
It's a very safe, welcoming, hospitable environment.
We now have an international airport here on the Sunshine Coast.
And then for students wanting to sort of continue on with an academic pathway,
we have a world-class hospital and university, as well.
We have beautiful shopping centres,
so they love doing their shopping on the weekends.
And there's so many tourist attractions they can also immerse themselves in.
- Oh! Hello! - (SQUEALS)
- The Sunshine Coast really surprised me with what it has to offer.
In the Hinterland, there's all the mountains and the jungle,
and for me as a nature lover, that's just the perfect place to be.
I've been to all these places that just really inspire me as a person.
Oh, my God! You're very greedy!
And to get to see the Great Barrier Reef was one of my dreams in life.
Once you dive under the surface, it's just another world.
- It's not just about coming over and experiencing different culture
or speaking English in an English school,
it's really about them discovering who they are.
And they feel really at home here with our sort of Aussie culture.
- With my host family, I remember I travelled up to Rainbow Beach,
which was a different experience, cos I'd never been in a car on the beach.
That was pretty cool. And we got to see the whales
and dolphins and Double Island Point.
I'm lucky enough to have my host family,
cos they really take me around beautiful places, more local places.
This is my host mum, Fifi, and that's my host dad, Nick.
I feel really safe on the Sunshine Coast.
I especially feel safe with my host family
because I really have a big connection with them.
- How are you going, Leo? Nearly done? - Yeah.
Fifi's an amazing cook.
- Do you wanna add extra cinnamon? - Oh, yeah.
We like to do banana chocolate cake. (LAUGHS)
- When Leo and I are cooking together, there's a lot of laughs.
Moments where he's discovering things,
and in those moments, it really gives me joy.
- When I go back to Germany, I think I will just
kind of overload my family with banana chocolate cake. Yeah.
- We create for Leo a home environment
that's full of love, comfort, honesty, trust,
and most of all, that his parents would expect.
- It's really good. - Really good job, mate.
I feel like I've been given a privilege to look after him.
- (PLAYS GUITAR)
- Being here at the school, in this environment, on the coast,
it really has helped me to find myself and to really light up.
# Memories...
The Sunshine Coast, to me, is inspiring, fascinating,
incredibly beautiful.
To all the young people out there who are looking forward to
doing an exchange here and to come to Queensland,
just go for it. You'll love it.