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Download Center Rotary YE Volunteers Tours and Travel Questions?
Download Center Rotary YE Volunteers Tours and Travel Questions?
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Sponsor Country: Belgium Host Club: Cranbrook
What could I say? Nothing is bad, everything is good. Canada is a beautiful country and Cranbrook is a really good place to live. We've got everything we need: McDonalds, Burger King.
It is the first time in my life I really enjoy school. So easy, it is a joke. But I chose easy classes: woodworking, music, mechanics, food...
People at school are really cool and I can't count all my friends because I have so many. It is fun. My host family is pretty good. There are children of 16, 14 and 10 years old. There is also an Exchange Student from Denmark and that is very cool. We have a lot of fun and the house is always "alive". I can never get bored. I'm always busy 'cause there is always something to do. I don't have any homesickness.
Everything is cool.
See you Quetin
Sponsor Country: Germany Host Club: Hayden Lake
Hi Everyone
I'm late I know but hopefully this will make it. I'm enjoying it here in Coeur d'Alene so much. I've been here for 3 months now and I've already had so many new experiences...and so much fun! Last week I moved to my second host family. I really like it but I miss my first host family! School is fun. I got to know lots of new people and also made new friends on my cross country team. Practice was so much fun!
It was also amazing for me, how much fun the Orientation and Dworshak camps were. I hope that our District trip will be lots of fun and that I'll meet you before that. Because that's still far away. (My e-mail is fiaa@gmx.de) I think that I'm having my best year here. I hope you all feel the same way. So if you really want to do it, GO FOR IT because it's only one year! Love, FIA
Sponsor Country: Belgium Host Club: Golden
I hope you enjoy your stay here or wherever you are staying. We have been away for 2 and a half months and I am starting to miss things from Belgium....how we say hello (giving a kiss). Once, one of my friends gave me a "hug coupon" and then a hug. That was very nice. On this "hug coupon" is a poem:
HUGS It's wondrous what a hug can do, A hug can cheer you when you're blue. A hug can say, "I love you so", or, "Gee I hate to see you go". A hug is, "Welcome back again". and, "Great to see you!" or "Where've you been?" A hug can soothe a small child's pain And bring a rainbow after rain. The hug! There's just no doubt about it We scarcely could survive without it. A hug delights and warms and charms, It must be why God gave us arms. Hugs are great for fathers and mothers, Sweet for sisters, swell for brothers, and chances are some favorite aunts love them more than potted plants. Kittens crave them. Puppies love them. Heads of state are not above them. A hug can break the language barrier. No need to fret about the store of 'em. So stretch those arms without delay and give someone a hug today.
So, that's it.
HAVE FUN!!! Violaine
Hello everybody! I am doing really perfectly fine here. I got lots of things to do and experience new things almost ever day... My time is filled with cheerleading -Football season was great, and now basketball is almost even more fun (at least no more freezing out in the rain next to the football field, and Basketball players don't try to sing on the bus to away games). I survived a powder puff game and a Morp Dance and date and pictures, homecoming week, Nutcracker Ballet, Dworshak Conference, a first change of host-families (I love them all!)(how much more luggage can a person have to move?), lots of good food (TURKEY! PUMPKIN PIE!!!) , birthday parties, Halloween Trick or treating, a Rotary presentation, a piano concert, a baseball game, and I never have been homesick again but I start crying when thinking about leaving the USA again next year. Hope you all have a great year and make the best of it, CU J
Julia
Sponsor Country: Russia Host Club: Grand Forks
I am very happy being in Canada. All my life I wanted to be in a country with the English language and to live in it during a long time. My dream has become the truth. Every day in Canada goes gladly and lucky. I learn lots of new. Also my English improves every day. To tell the truth, it is my main aim - to improve my English.
Every weekend I go somewhere and have fun. I made friends here. Most of them are from other countries. In my school I have a girl from Mexico. So I have an opportunity to study Spanish. Since I am in Canada I went to Kelowna, Vancouver and Golden. Most of all I liked Golden because there were 17 people, of my age and a little bit older, from different countries. It was so cool to know about different countries, their religions, traditions, people, etc. Two days we had fun. Most of all I loved in Golden is to be in Indian's huge house, to see the real Indians, to hear their language and prayers, to eat their food and to take pictures. I was so excited, like other children were too. I live in Canada only one month and a week but I knew and see many different places. I live in Grand Forks, which is a town with Russian people. Children study Russian at school. As I am from Russia, so I help many students with Russian. I had the work experience in the Elementary School. I was very happy to work with children. I helped them, explained all they did not understand and again…I taught them Russian, our country's poems, jokes, sang songs of a Russian popular group. After my work - experience they made a big album with their wishes, comments and pictures. They liked me very much and I did too.
In general, I like everything in Canada: people, places, life, etc. I would like to visit as many places as I can, and to meet as many interesting people as possible, and enjoy my Exchange Student's experience as much as I can. I think I will, because there will be lots of holidays during the year and parties, and I want to see everything. I look forward to them. I want to say that it is great to be an Exchange Student and see everything new, and learn lots of useful things, enjoy and meet different people. I wish all Rotary clubs, all over the world to thrive and continue this wonderful program. Anna
Hi guys!!!! How's it going! I'm very, very good.
I've been thinking about what I can write in this magazine and today I decided to write about the worst things that have happened to me in the months I've been here in Canada.
I live in a very small town called Fruitvale. I go to school by bus or my friend Morgan gives me a ride when she has the car. The school is about 14 kms from my town. It is in Trail, a city near where I live. My host mother has a store in downtown Fruitvale. It's name is "Country Road".
The first worst thing is about my luggage. I travelled with 3 big suitcases but in Argentina you are allowed to travel with only 2. At Argentina's airport, they told me that if I wanted to send the third suitcase I had to pay $200 for it. Of course, I didn't so I had to take with me the smallest one. I arrived at Castlegar's airport but my luggage didn't. I had to wait one day to get them.
The other one was the day before Orientation in Idaho. It was Friday and I said to my host mother that after school I was going to the store because I had to go to the bank so I told my host sister that I wasn't going home after school because I was going downtown. She thought that I was going to downtown Trail so she told me to take another bus. I was surprised when she told me that because she didn't take the same one and we were going to the same place but with the difference that I would get off the bus some stops before her. But I took it anyway. When I saw that the window views were different than the others that I used to see in the other bus I didn't care. Half an hour later I was alone in the bus and the driver asked me where I was going and I answered Fruitvale. She told me that I took the wrong bus so she took me to downtown Trail where I then took another bus to Fruitvale. Now before I take a bus I read where it goes or I ask the bus driver. That was so funny. I still am laughing. That was everything I have to tell. I wish you are having a good time like me.
For ever Guada!!!!
I remember my first day here was terrible, I didn't speak English, many people wanted to know me but I didn't understand, now my English is not perfect but I can talk with other people. I love my family here, my friends, everything! I have many friends here, it is very good when somebody approaches me to talk and ask me about my country, my life here and in Columbia.
I have met many things, the culture is very
different from Columbia. I like
life here so much. The food!!!
Oh, my god! I like so much
the pizza but it is so bad because it is fattening.
I am a little fat but I enjoy life so much, it is O.K.
Now I am in my first family, I change families in a little time, with this family I am so happy. Thank you! For permitting me to write a little in the newsletter. To my family in Columbia a big hug, I love them so much. To my host families, thanks for everything, you made my experience better. To my friends from Exchange I will miss them so much. To all Latinos…never forget "Somos los Latinos del mundo". To my friends in Sandpoint "Viva la pachanga"
Karime
Sponsor
Country: Costa Rica Host Club: Moscow
Dear Friends: I'm Laura Rojas from Costa Rica. I'm so happy with my new experience in the United States. The people from here are very special with me. I'm feeling pretty comfortable about everything from here. I
have visited many interesting places such as:
Seattle, Lewiston, Spokane, etc. I
like my high school. My grades are
very good and my classmates are very cool. On the other hand, I haven't been homesick so far, because I'm busy with many activities. But I hope not to become homesick in the future. Next month I will change families. My first family is so nice and I bet my next family will be nice too. Good Bye everybody. I hope you are enjoying your experience too. Love LAURA
Sponsor
Country: Denmark Host Club: Cranbrook
Hi there It's kind of hard to start this letter but anyways I love this. Canada is a great place. Time has gone by so fast. I have had both good and bad experiences. One of my friends back in Denmark has got cancer and is not going to survive her disease so a bit of a down period that I am still trying to get out of. Enough about that. Everybody, you have got to go to the movie, House on Haunted Hill. I went to it last night and I promise you, it is so cool. I
live in a house with an Exchange Student from Belgium which is very cool.
Always something happens but maybe we party a bit too much.
See
you all. Mogens
Hello!
In these days, I am changing my family for the first time. I am excited about that. My first family was great (thanks for them). And I hope so is my next family. Sometimes I miss my family and my friends in Finland. Sometimes I am bored or lonely. Sometimes Creston drives me nuts because it is so small. But after all I enjoy my time and love it here.
Venla
Sponsor
Club: Castlegar Host Country: Denmark
Well, what would you like to hear? A beer costs 50 cents but a Big Mac costs $5.00. Strange, eh? Had a language camp for the first two weeks. Loads of fun meeting all the mates from the other hemisphere. School started in August but it's not a big deal because no one expects you to do anything. We have these school parties where all the students and teachers come to get drunk and dance. It really is amazing. Went
to Iceland on a school field trip last week.
Nine days in an amazingly beautiful country.
However, it costs $12 for a Big Mac there.
Still haven't hit Lego Land yet, but that should be going down sometime
in the spring.
Special
Hello to Kyla, Meghan, Anna, Ruth and all the Inbounds in sunny (or maybe its
rainy) Castlegar. Hope you're having as much fun as I am. I started playing basketball but no one in Denmark knows how
to play so I just rip it up. However,
I look like quite the fool when it comes to handball and football (that's soccer
for all of you that think the name football belongs to that silly North American
game).
Techno
is huge here, so I decided to assimilate and join them.
The upside to that is Danish Discos are where all the beautiful Danish
girls hang out. Man, it's just too
much fun over here; they are a great breed, one that just wants to enjoy life. One fourth over, don't waste your time, go do something. Vi
ses.
Jordan
Sponsor
Club: Clarkston Host Country: Germany
Hello everybody!! I'm doing good. Life here in Hamburg, Germany, is very exciting. Quite different than life in Clarkston, Washington. I can't believe it, I've been here close to 3 months now!! Time has passed by so fast. I'm now in my 2nd host family and I like them very much. I also have a host sister now. School is very different from my school in the U.S. I think school here is very boring. All my teachers are old (not that there is anything wrong with being old) and they talk in monotone voices. It reminds me of the teacher off the cartoon "Charlie Brown". But, I have been able to do some pretty cool things. I went to the Baltic Sea with my 1st host family and I've been to a castle here in Hamburg. Also just last week I went to the 3-times-a-year carnival here called the DOM. It is like a small Disneyland. It was very fun. All
for now, take care and God Bless. Jillian
Sponsor
Club: Golden Host Country: South Africa Howzit my fellow Exchange Students! Hope everyone's getting comfortable in their new hometowns so far from home. Well, where to begin - it's amazing how much can be packed into 3 short months. I arrived in the small town of Vryheid in the middle of their winter. Their weather is as warm as our spring. However, we did receive one day of snow, a rare occasion in these parts! Yes, I've seen zebra, monkeys, rhinos, giraffes but lions do not roam the streets and I'm not living in a mud hut. My African experience, thus far, has been incredible. Though I'm communicating with everyone in English, I also hear Africaans and Zulu all over on a daily basis. Being obligated to wear a dress to school everyday has been a drag but I've met plenty of great people and classes aren't so bad. There's another girl (Jen) from Canada as well on Rotary Exchange here with me so I've even had company through it all. So, how about some interesting stuff, eh? Last month, the girls got to play rugby (grade 11 vs. grade 12) which was plenty of fun (but unfortunately only a once-a-year event). Jen and I also got special invites to the Matric Farewell (the equivalent of our prom and a bit more spectacular). There's also been "sokkies" (dances), day trips, sporting events and other usual-to-the-average South African youth activities. However, the excitement at this moment is that I'm on the District 9270 Cape Tour with all the other students in my Province. Cape Town is definitely the city of my dreams - from the top of Table Mountain to the glorious Clifton beaches. And I couldn't have found a more wonderful family of Exchange Students with which to share these two weeks exploring South Africa's glorious lands and coastlines. The things that I have seen, learned and experienced in these first few months of my Exchange have touched me deeply. I'm sure you guys all have some idea of what I mean. Rotary District 5080, Mom and Dad; I owe that ALL to you. Thank you, syabunga (Zulu), dankie (Africaans). Take care, stay well, enjoy every experience, take advantage of every opportunity and above all, have a "lekker" time! Cheers. MANDY
Sponsor Club: Invermere Host Country: Netherlands
Hey
Everyone,
Greetings
from the Netherlands, the country of wooden shoes and windmills.
Amazingly, I live in a region that is NOT below sea level!
I live in Ede in the center of the country so travelling to places is
very convenient. We also travel
everywhere by bike. I do not really
mind at all because there are almost no hills to climb.
My
family took a short vacation to Switzerland in the fall holidays here.
I was able to see my Grandpa there, who I haven't seen in 7 years.
The only problem was the German screwed up my Dutch for awhile when I
returned.
School
is not bad. Although it counts for
nothing, I still have amazed everyone, including myself, by passing all my first
tests. The language is just another
language, not harder or easier than others.
I just find it hard to follow along with people talking because they
speak differently than they would write.
Now
one of the things I have enjoyed the most are the Exchange Student weekends.
Being such a small country, we have Rotary Exchange weekends in different
places every month. Also really
cool is going out with friends every weekend to Cafes. This is a really social
country. Well,
that's it for this contribution. Doeill.
PETER
Sponsor
Club: Castlegar Host Country: Costa Rica What
can I say? We've all been here for
about 3 months and I feel that I have gone through the worst part of my
Exchange. Everything just keeps
getting better. One piece of advice
I would like to say is to always try your best because you only have one shot.
Expecially with the language. I
know one Exchange Student who has been here since January and is leaving within
a week. She still isn't fluent in
Spanish. So, if you're in a country
where they speak a different language than your own, speak that language as
often as you can, if not all the time.
Megan
and Kyla - sorry I haven't e-mailed either of you yet.
Hopefully by the time you guys read this I would have.
It's
cool being in such a small country. The
other day, I was at a country club for a party with my family.
While I was walking in, Claudia Poll was too.
If you don't know, she won gold at the '96 Olympics for freestyle, I
believe, in swimming. So I got to
see her train and later I talked to her and got her autograph.
Well, that's it. I'm really happy here and I hope the rest of you are too!
Ruth
Sponsor
Club: Rossland Host Country: Thailand
Hello Everyone!! I hope that you are all having a wonderful time. What
to say - three months in Thailand has changed me a lot.
I love Thailand now - I can see how difficult it is going to be to go
home. (I still love you Mom and
Dad!) Thailand is a land of
opposites - prostitutes and Buddhism, social respect and severe corruption.
Thailand is full of very loving people - people who accept you very
quickly. They accept what you do.
The way Thailand works is that you let others know what you want - then
they decide what to do about it. There
is no anticipation of your needs. However,
on the other hand, you can get higher people (socially) asking you to do things
and expecting it to be done without question.
I
guess my biggest project so far has been the language.
There are five tones and fifteen different ways to get a tone out of a
written word depending on the tone mark, and the sound of the word if there is
no tone mark. In the alphabet there
are 44 consonants and some 20 - odd vowels.
The grammar is also really different.
It is simpler, but so different from English, that it is quite difficult
at times. The
Thai people LOVE farangs (westerners). They
are always accomodating to farang and the girls are - well - very interested in
having farang boyfriends. It's not
so bad. The music is usually really teeny-boppy, but some of it is
really great - the way the lyrics work is each stanza itself is an idea where
each sentence adds to the idea. This
is to say that you can't have a complete idea with just one sentence.
This is partially because in Thai you expect people to know what your
pronouns mean without explanation (or they are dropped completely).
This
is a Thai Tongue Twister: Gin Mun Dit Ngewak (Eat Potatoes with your gums) Gin Pewak
dit fun (Eat Potatoes with your teeth) Gin tang mun Gin tang Pewak Dit tang
Ngewak dit tang fun (Eat all the potatoes and all the potatoes with all of your
gums and teeth). Jer Gan - see you.
Ryan
Sponsor
Club: Kimberley Host Country: France
Well,
where do I start?! I guess I'll
start by saying that I hope all of my fellow Exchange Students, and my best
friend M.M. in Ecuador, are doing fine and are in great health.
I can tell you right now that I am having a wonderful time and, other
than school being "school", things couldn't be better.
In fact, today I just finished watching a World Cup rugby quarter final
between France and Argentina. My
host family is extremely cool and I found out that I'll be with them until the
beginning of February. I was
completely rad for that.
I
don't really know what to say here....hmmm....it says I can write a
recipe....how about a recipe for love?!...ha ha.
Well, I did make it to Paris already.
The family that I went with works in the medicine field.
There were over 50,000 doctors protesting and we joined in and walked for
4 hours down the streets of Paris and to finish it off, we got a beautiful view
of the majestic Eiffel Tower.
Yes,
I am having the time of my life and this 2 months has really flown by quickly.
I'm going to cut this one short but I have three things to say. First of all I must take this opportunity to thank (for only
the thousandth time!) Rotary International Clubs from my District 5080 and all
over the world for giving students this wonderful opportunity.
Second, Mario Marti, when you get this I want you to pick up a pen and
write: Ian McKenzie, 5 quartier
bellevie, 57925 Distroff, France (commas mean next line), OK? and I promise I'll
write back. And
finalement, je voudrais dire: Vive la France!! a bientot! Ian
Spo Host Country: Belgium
Salut tout le monde! Now
let me see...what have I been up to in the last 3 months...?
Well
I started off with two weeks at the Belgian Coast with my first host family, and
then it was off to school. I am enrolled in a "Hotellerie" program at school
so I am learning how to be a "Fine French Chef" (or Belgian chef I
guess). It's nothing like your
average chem, physics, biology, math, English, history type schedule but it's
cool to do something completely different.
I
changed out of my first host family mid September and am really happy with the
change. I now have a 17 year old
host sister who has just been accepted for Rotary Exchange 2000/2001.
Her first country of choice is Canada.
Good choice. I will have a
22 year old host brother as soon as he comes home from Arizona where he has been
for the past 6 months in pilot training. This
family is super nice and soooo good to me.
The plan is that I'll be here until February and then change to my last
family. Yes I know that my months
aren't very balanced but that is the way it goes I guess!
I am not complaining though. I
know my next family and they seem great too.
On
October 30 I left with the 250 Exchange Students that there are in Belgium for 4
days in London. It was really fun
but exhausting. We saw nearly
everything but we did it in about 60 hours!
The same day that I got home from London I left for Ireland with a friend
of mine who is also on Rotary Exchange in my area.
We stayed for 8 days with tons of her relatives, and I had a FABULOUS
time. I really want to go back
before my year here is over but time is a flyin'.
I
guess that this is all for now. Christmas is soon approaching so things are really busy.
I sincerely hope that all of you are well and that you are all having a
great time. Bien a vous.
Laura
Sponsor
Club: Nelson Host Country: Ecuador
Hi Everyone! I
am having a wonderful time here, though it's a lot different than I thought it
would be. Things I didn't even
think of are different. Like not always having hot showers and sometimes not having
water. But I've gotten used to it.
Ecuador
is a very beautiful country with so many different climates for a country so
small and they all take my breath away. You
can go from tropical to snow in a little over one day.
I've seen some amazing countryside.
I'm
living in Quito which is up in the Andes so though I'm on the equator it can
still get cold. Nothing like winter
in Canada though and most of the time it's hot.
Like today I walked home from school and it was very hot.
20 minutes later it was raining cats and dogs.
Now it's cool.
Well I hope all of you are doing good and I can't wait to read what you've written.
Laura
Sponsor
Club: Golden Host Country: France
Hey everybody! I'm
here in France, near Lyon (the 2nd biggest city in France).
It's great! School
is really different here. I leave at 7 am and get back at 6 pm. There's a lot of homework, too.
So I'm always really busy. But,
I always have fun at school with my new friends. Right now, I'm on holidays for a week.
My
French has gotten a lot better. I can almost understand everything. I'll
be going on the Rotary Central Europe trip in May.
It sounds like fun. Maybe
I'll see some of you there!
I hope you're all having the time of your lives! Remember: "Aime la vie et la vie t'aimera". (If you love life, life will love you)! P.S. Hi! to Kyla, Ian and Sierra!
Stefania
Sponsor
Club: Beaver Valley Host Country: Brazil
I
hope everybody is having fun on their Exchange because I am!
Brazil is awesome, incredibly hot but awesome.
It's not even summer yet and the temperature is on average 35 C (for all
you Americans that's about 100 F). The
only problem with Brazil is the food. Not
that is doesn't taste good, just that it is very fatty.
Brasilians add oil to everything but at least I'm staying active enough
not to have to worry. Baseball
is very disappointing in Brasil. The
season lasts for only one month! But
we all know this is because Brazil is futebol. Everybody
plays futebol except me. I try to
keep up with them, but Brasilians are just too good.
That
about wraps it up for now. In closing I'd like to say Hi to my friends and family and
thank the Rotary Club of Beaver Valley for the once in a lifetime opportunity at
being an Exchange Student. Finally
for all you Brasilians in District 5080, or just Flavio, Palmeiros is #1!!! Abracos.
Sponsor
Club: Grand Forks Host
Country: Australia
A big friendly Australian G'day to all Rotarians, Inbounds, Outbounds and parents back home. I can't believe four months have passed since I got off the plane and was welcomed by the fresh smell of eucalyptus and gum trees. My host counsellor and his wife of course were there too so into the ute (truck) went my luggage and imagine my shock when I found I'd got in on the driver's side. It was a scary ride out here to Tumbarumba for my host counsellor Bruce was set on driving the wrong side of the road. In all seriousness I've loved each day that's flown by. I've been to Sydney five times and Melbourne a few. I was away to an Aussie Rules Football league game the second weekend I was here. My current host family took me to the Australian Northern Territories, a highlight for sure. I saw crocodiles galore and battleships headed for East Timor. I don't know where the time has gone so I'd best wrap this up. The country is stunning, the parties are great and the people are friendly.
Pamela
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I love to go to the high school football games with my new friends (and it's
also nice because my team is undefeated!).
Also
the first time for me was to "Trick or Treat" at Halloween.
Three
months in Creston now.
Well,
what have I been doing?
The
wats (temples) are just BEAUTIFUL!!!