PLHS is delighted to welcome international student Paola Allejos Padilla to our school community for 2019. Paola comes to us from the northern German city of Hamburg (population: 1.8 million); she has joined our Year 11 group and is being hosted by the Hamnett family.
Whilst Paola’s mother Susanne is German, her father Asterio is Peruvian; consequently, Paola speaks three languages – Spanish, German and English. She has a twin sister Melissa (age: 17) and a brother Tobias (age: 24).
Paola’s hobbies include scuba diving, playing soccer, choir singing and playing the trumpet. Her real passion however, is travelling – she has visited her family in Peru several times and loves meeting new people and experiencing other cultures. When asked which country she would most like to visit, she replied “Australia!”
Since arriving in the much smaller city of Port Lincoln, Paola has enjoyed the more relaxed pace and country atmosphere. She described Port Lincoln as a “beautiful place”, particularly the abundant beaches, nature and animals. The quality of our seafood has also impressed her (as well as Tim Tams and Golden Gaytimes – Vegemite, not so much!) Paola shares lots of laughs with her new host family and already feels comfortable enough to ask questions and discuss any issues with them; “I feel like part of the family, not a guest” she said.
With only 200 students attending her school back in Hamburg, the sheer size of Port Lincoln High School has been a shock to Paola. She is intrigued by the range of subjects available to choose from, with Aquaculture an early favourite. She is hoping to go shark cage diving at some stage during her time in Port Lincoln, as well as travelling to explore other parts of Australia.
We thank Paola for choosing PLHS and wish her all the best for her year with us.
~ Mr Shaun Thomas (International Education Manager)
Above: Paola Allejos Padilla (right) with her Australian host sister Emma Hamnett (left).