Mariela (host mother): It’s been really wonderful being a host Mum. The girls are just lovely and I loved the experience that they brought to our home. It was great watching my own girls step up and reach out to them, embracing their culture and allowing the two to come together so they could feel comfortable and enjoy their time here.   
Suji (Korean student): (In Korean) I was integrated into classes with local students and I really enjoyed my time with them. I felt like I was a Meridan State College student every day when I walked to school with my homestay buddy, had lunch and studied with my school buddy and other classmates. 

Yeo Saem (Korean student): In Korea, I just listen to the teacher all day along but here at Meridan, I played a game with my classmates as the teacher taught classes using those games. I think it was very different from Korea.  

Melissa (Meridan State College staff): With the programs we run here at Meridan, we welcome the students from Korea to be part of our college community.  While they are here, they undertake specialised English lessons and also take part in integration sessions with our Australian buddies. The integration sessions with our buddies include things like maths, science, English and art.  We have specialised English teachers who come in and teach ESL classes to our groups and they change the program according to the needs of the visiting students.  With the cooking sessions, our teachers prepare a session based around typical Australian food. The one that we are holding for this tour group is cheesy Vegemite scrolls. We have an Indigenous teacher here at Meridan State College and she hosts an Indigenous cultural activity. She explains a little bit about our Indigenous heritage here in Australia while having a boomerang activity where the students get to decorate boomerangs with traditional Indigenous art.

Se Jun (Korean student): I enjoyed Australia Zoo the most. I saw Kangaroos, koalas and a giraffe. There are a lot of animals in there. I also saw a crocodile show and a bird show. There were a lot of animals that walk and fly, that was amazing.    

Yeo Saem (Korean student): I enjoyed Underwater World the best because I really like fish and it was my first time to visit an aquarium. 

Se Jun (Korean student): There are a lot of people I met. They were very kind and friendly. When I first met them, they shook hands, high-fived and hugged me. It was an amazing experience.

Seung Heyon (Korean student): (In Korean) My host family took me to a beach and we had a BBQ. I spent some time with my Korean friend on the beach as well and it was great. 

Isabella (Meridan State College student):  I really like being a buddy because it assists with my confidence and I like meeting new people. I have taught them a lot about Australia and they have taught me a lot about Korea. I am hoping we can still talk to each other when they go back. 

Cooper (Meridan State College student):  At first I was excited and nervous, then after a couple of days, I got to know them and we were really good friends. They taught me how to say hello in Korean ‘An-nyeong’ and their names, which were very hard to pronounce. They taught me lots of games they play. When they go home, I would like to see them again. Maybe one day I will go over and see them and be their buddy.