Student's Impression

We arrived in San Francisco yesterday and went on a cool tram ride (tram-tastic according to Coach Jordan). In the afternoon we came to our fourth school St Ignatius but had to go on a 6 or 10 mile run which awasn't the best. Awesome to meet our billets and after eating more Mexican food than in Hollister I'm looking forward to what's ahead.- Shannon Perera

San Francisco reminds me of Auckland, it's pretty green and close to the sea. We went to the union square for breakfast and had a shop around the city and later went for a 6 mile run which ended up being 8 miles after getting lost in the bushes and running straight pass the school. Having a good time overall and am looking forward to Hawaii.
-Sungwoo Baek

Arriving in San Fran you definitely notice the differences between here and L.A. It is a lot more like Auckland in terms of the topography and the temperature. It's hilly and the heat is nice like Auckland's. W've now been to Alcatraz - it was really interesting looking at the old prison and taking the audio tour. Also it is fleet week in San Fran and as we were catching the ferry back to the main land. Webhad the Blue Angels flight squadron flying over us and performing acrobatics and this was pretty cool. While on the island we saw the NZ americas cup boat zipping along in the bay and gaining steadily on the boats ahead if it. Spent the day in downtown yesterday and we were all amazed at the Nike town shop there which was a four storey shop full of Nike gear. We're heading to Stanford today and spending the day out before returning back to Saint Ignatius for another run with our billets.
-Tobias Lorimer

Loving San Fran, feels a bit like Auckland, found myself in the San Fran 'Ghetto', with Scotty Madgwick (As a result of his navigation skills), but made it out safe. I have done some more shopping, and now have no more room left in my bag. St Ignatius is pretty cool, almost an hour drive to my billets house near Palo Alto. Looking forward to Stanford today and purchasing some more merchandise... Few hours later... Stanford was amazing, facilities were much better than anything in New Zealand, bought a lot at the Stanford shop- my older brother will be happy with my purchases- Henry Watt

San Fran is completely different from the other cities we have been thus far. The 10k runs seems to be getting easier as the tour continues. Walking throughout down town was great with amazing shops. Also one has had to navigate through hoards of hobos as they to beg for some breakfast or money. J.Ellis.

SF has been milder in weather than what I was used to from Hollister and Orange County but it has been much more bearable. Yesterday we went to Union square and did some shopping which was really cool just seeing how much everything is; for example Macy's was 6 floors of clothing and accessories. We saw the apple store and then saw the IPhone 5 which was cool. We are flying out to Hawaii on Thursday which I am really excited about - M.Haycock

First impressions of San Fran are completely different to those of LA. The city seems to have a lot of character and reminds me of Auckland and Wellington. The trams were a real highlight, in particular how each one was different, reflecting the change in the city over the years. Also enjoyed the 10 mile run, which took us through an assortment of parks and then along the cliff tops, giving a spectacular view over the bay and to the Golden Gate Bridge. - Oscar Clarke

San Francisco was awesome- it had everything i love; cool weather, massive 5 storey sports, clothing and shoe shops and an epic, buzzing atmosphere. It reminded me of Auckland mainly due to the nice refreshing weather. I made a massive purchase but I will leave this a surprise for my family who is reading this. We went to Stanford today and all I can say is WOW. The facilities there are just incredible and truly like nothing I have seen before!
-Asher Meltzer

San Francisco is a lot like Auckland,except there is a lot more people, shops and space within the city.The weather is pretty similar too. We went to Stanford today and we walked around the campus and saw the awesome sporting facilities. Also we went to the Stanford stores on the campus and saw a lot of memorabilia. - salty Kirk 'Scotty Swagwick'

Stanford was absolutely amazing, Grammar's whole campus could of fitted into Stanford at least 15 times - the facilities were absolutely brilliant containing an amazing track and a diving pool. The church was gobsmacking in how much work had gone in to creating the amazing carvings in the walls. Overall Stanford was great- M.Haycock

Stanford was an amazing place- the facilies are crazy and everyone bikes everywhere, which is the first time I've really seen anybody on bikes since we have been here. Their football stadium holds 50 thousand people! That's almost as big as Eden park but its only a college stadium
-Hamish Kerr

Stanford was pretty unique compared to any place we've been yet. It's easy to see why it is viewed as one of the best universities in the world. Still can't quite comprehend how big the actual campus is!
-Fletcher Boswell

Stanford was simply awe-inspiring due to its amazing facilities and its sheer size. The church in particular was incredible. It's almost ridiculous how fantastic a university like Stanford is. Z.Xie