It is rare that we get feedback from our Rotary Youth Exchange students during their great adventures.
So, I was surprised to see these postings on the District 7190 Facebook page to which they apparently wrote. I hope you’ll enjoy these updates, which I picked up verbatim.
ALYXE PERRY, studying in Belgium:
Hi everyone!
So I have been super busy and having the time of my life here in Belgium. I have been traveling around a lot. A few weeks ago I went to London and Paris with Rotary and then to Bruxelles and other cities with my friends.
I love having the public transportation because I don’t have to rely on my host parents for rides. It’s awesome.
School is okay, Still really different than home. I don’t think i’ll ever get completely used to it. The days are so long and the classes are so boring! We are actually taking exams now before the christmas break starts. I only have to take 4, but a lot of my rotary friends in other schools don’t have to take any. My school is really strict with exchange students and want’s us to do all the same stuff as the other kids, which is hard sometimes with the language barrier.
Speaking of language things are going really well. I’m learning a lot, not fluent yet but I understand 90% of what I hear and I can manage to say all I need to say.
My host family is really nice! For thanksgiving we didn’t do anything special and they knew it was a big holiday for me at home so my host mom made me a chocolate cake in the shape of a heart. It was so sweet.
Right now there are a lot of “Marche de noel” things being set up in towns all over for christmas. The Marche de Noel is just basically a christmas market with a lot of artesian products. The one in the town I go to school in is going on now so my friends and I spent last weekend there. I am going to Denmark in a couple weeks to visit Jasmin, the exchange student that my club hosted last year. I am so excited for that! Everything is going great, but I”m realizing the year is going way to fast. I never want exchange to end!!
Hope all is well with everyone else!
AUBREY RACZ, studying in Ecuador:
Everything is still great with my health, family, school, and Rotary. Im still going to school everyday. The principal gave all the exchange students a project that consisted of a minimum of 10 page paper and a power point presentation. I spoke about 9/11. Two of my ecuadorian friends asked a teacher who heard us all present who was the best, and she said me and one of my friends from switzerland, so that made me feel really good!! Some of the exchange students have to present again because it wasn’t good enough.
I definitely still feel accepted by the students (we are doing Secret Santa). I go to Rotary meetings every wednesday. One Saturday we had a party because it was the 75th aniversary of my club. We got dressed up and it was pretty fun, dancing and eating. Also, the chairman of my club told me that I might get reimbursed for some of the things that got stolen from me.
My family took me to Quito, the capital of Ecuador. It was amazing and I loved it. It was nice to feel some cold weather to get me more in the mood for Christmas, as I spend a majority of my time here sweating. The 13th of december I will be going to the Amazon!!! I’m super excited! We are going to swim in the lakes and go hiking and bird watching and other stuff too. Im so excited!!
When I come back, it will almost be Christmas, and then new years and then the school year ends here soon after that (sometime in Feb) so I have a lot of fun stuff to look forward to! Hope all is well in NY! Chao!
Go here for the Events Calendar.
Southern Rensselaer County Rotary Club 