![Simon Thompson (12) poses for a photo with his family. "One thing that I miss from Germany is just how everything's fresh made. They don't have a whole bunch of processed stuff. So [I miss] bakeries, German bakeries," Thompson said. Thompson has family in Dieburg, Germany.](https://myohsonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/e0021c45-1c9f-489d-bf95-57f9f1f1599d.jpeg)
For many, Oakville is a quiet and comfortable place to call home. However, because of family circumstances, students Simon Thompson (12) and Cohen Flowers (12) had the opportunity to live abroad in a multitude of locations.
“Well I lived in Rome for about three years, the first three years of high school. But from there I traveled all over Europe just for family vacations. I went to France, Germany, the UK, including Ireland, Scotland, a couple of the Baltic countries like Sweden and Finland,” Flowers said.
While the two students were abroad, they may have crossed paths without even knowing, a Thompson spent time throughout the Middle East and Europe over the course of three and a half years, having been in Qatar and Germany. Being an ocean away, the two faced social and cultural differences in their day-to-day.
“We weren’t allowed to drink water in public during the time that they were all fasting and it would be 130 degrees outside. So that was pretty crazy because we were sweating and everything. Also, my mom and sisters weren’t allowed to wear tank tops or anything — girls aren’t allowed to show their shoulders,” Thompson said.
Flowers faced a different degree of differences.
“Well there was one thing, whenever a lot of places at I think around 3 p.m. would close for a little while so that they could like take naps pretty much,” Flowers said. “It’s just like a time during the middle of the day to take naps. Also, a lot of times they start work a lot later as well, they like to sleep in …”
While the students learned the ways of the local culture, there were some things they could physically take home with them.
“I actually had a button from a uniform from the concentration camps. So I went to the Ravensbruck concentration camp,” Thompson said. “And I was going in an area that hadn’t been opened for visitors and everything, and I found a button from one of the uniforms.”
Though the two were abroad for different reasons, both students brought home more than just a souvenir.
“I definitely got a few souvenirs. Like this one time I went to one of the islands in Venice where they make hand-blown glass and I have a fish bag thing, which is way overpriced,” Flowers said. “Also, [I have] just an appreciation for all the different cultures.”
