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Click here to download the Youth Exchange Fact Sheet as an Adobe Acrobat PDF document |
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An Outbound Rotary Exchange Student’s year away can be one of the most exciting and memorable times of their life. This page contains excerpts from outbound student’s impressions and feelings about their Exchange, as reported in their e-mails and monthly counsellor feedback reports. |
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What an exciting 4 months it has been for me.. I have done things I had never thought I would do! The main reason I think I have done so much is due to encouragement from my host family, my friends and most of all my loving family back home, and the independence that has grown within me due to the last four months in Belgium. Belgium is an exciting place - very cold, rains a lot, but most of all it’s my new home for the year. I must say Belgium is very different to Australia, as it has different values and attitudes. I have to admit when I first arrived in Belgium I really wasn't sure if I was going to like it. The way of living is totally different and the things they value are different too. I never knew that Exchange could be so HARD!! I knew I would be homesick but I never knew how much it would hurt... Being away from my family and friends have been the hardest things for me to adapt to on Exchange. I now know how much I rely on my family and friends and I will NEVER EVER take my family or friends for granted. I wouldn't have survived the hardest part of my Exchange - the first 4 months - if I didn't have the support and blessings of my family and friends. Exchange, I think, has made me a better person in myself and in the way I look at the world! I know that I have become a lot more independent and I have more courage than I have ever had. When I was applying for Exchange we had to write down things we wanted to get out of it and I have to tell you that is probably the best thing anyone has ever asked me to do. I wrote down my goals for this year and I am heading in the right direction!! I am happy with the progress I have made but I am still scared that I won’t ever get the language right! Exchange for me has been an “eye opener” to the world. As my uncle said to me “The world is your oyster, so use it baby” ... Well over the last four months I have used it! I have traveled to France, Germany, Holland , England and soon I will be going on Eurotour and to Spain. I have to say, not only has Exchange been an eye opener but it has been an experience that I will never forget. I have made some amazing friends and I have met some extraordinary people. I do not regret coming on Exchange. Doing this exchange has helped me to realize who I am! This Exchange is not only helping me find out who I am but it is also helping me figure out what I want in life. I know now you can’t buy your way through life - you have to be prepared to put in the hard work. I used to always think I would be doing other things than what I am doing now. Not only has this Exchange changed me for the better, but I feel that it has changed my family as well. I am happy with how things have turned out and I think that there is only better to come. I still cannot believe how fast this year has gone and to think about what I still want to achieve while I am here is scary, as time is flying past. I am having an awesome time on Exchange and I am glad I’m here! I have been writing a diary since the day I arrived in Belgium and since the day I landed I have written every day except for two! Having a diary is a living memory and I wouldn't have done it any other way as I am having so much fun I don't want to forget it... As I always say “Listen to your heart and follow your dreams” ... its the key to success! |
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“Georgia” on Exchange in Germany ... About First Six Months: What a crazy 6 months! Can’t believe I’m half way. This last 6 months has been fantastic, it's taught me so much, introduced me to so many different people and built my character to twice what it used to be. I’ve discovered strength within me that I didnt know existed, having to deal with being away from everything that's familiar did that to me. I’ve learnt how hard leaving your parents for a year can be, but also how capable I am of taking care of myself in many aspects of life (including financial struggles!!). I’ve discovered how daunting not knowing a language can be when faced with the challenge of making new friends (it took a good 3 months before friends at school actually invited me out after school) and also that my mother has a clone in Germany who is in fact my host mum (the similarities are disturbing!). All in all the experience so far has been priceless and it excites me no end knowing that the second six months just holds so much more for me! Let the good times roll! ... Cultural Differences: Wow, Germany and Australia are very different. Well the culture is, especially this year with the World Cup. I tell everyone how amazing it is to be here at a time when Germany is beginning to gain back a sense of national pride. The people are mostly fantastic with the odd rude old man (find me a country that doesnt have those!). Being in a ‘lil country town means that traditions play a big part in the lives of people here. For example, I am in a region famous for its tea parties and the way they decorate their front gardens when an important birthday rolls by. We drink tea at least 3 times a day, which was a shock at first. I’m also in a part of Germany where the older people speak dialect much more than in other parts of Germany (not fun at Rotary when the men tease me by speaking the dialect which I can't, for the life of me, understand!). It’s a very interesting experience, especially being in the country, for that reason I’m glad I wasnt placed in a big city where traditions have been overridden by i-pods and maccas! ... Relationship With Host Family: Great as always. We even fight like real families now and I get told off for having a messy room. Feels so much like home now! ... Contact With Exchange Students: Copenhagen tour meant 6 days on a boat with 18 other exchange students. Since then a few of us have regular contact, which I love. ... Social Activities: sporting: oh if only there were any (damn german sausages!) social: well it is World Cup time which means lots of soccer watching parties and also lots of people from the northern hemisphere finishing up their exchanges, which leads to going away parties etc. Social calender at the moment is fairly full.... |
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“Patrick” on Exchange in France Bonjour! My stay in France so far has been very fun and quite challenging. School is going well and it's great to have school finish after lunch on Wednesdays even if it means some other days I’m there from eight until five. The other students are very nice and patient with my French; they also love trying out English phrases they've heard on TV on me which is always a bit of fun. I think one of my best day here so far has been going to visit Paris with my host parents. We had to get up at five thirty to catch the train at seven with all the other people from my small town, Montargis, who catch that train every day for their work in Paris. After arriving we descended into the subway where we took a train to la Tour Eiffel, l'Arc de Triomphe, Notre Dam and la Basilique du Sacre Coeur. We only got lost once in the subway but not for long as the system is very efficient. It was great to finally see the sights in Paris that before then i had only heard of and I was amazed at such huge and intricate buildings built so long ago. It was over too quickly and we were back on the train but hopefully I’ll be returning next school holidays to see the Louvre. There have been plenty of other great days but also some average ones struggling with the complicated French language and the school timetable system. But that is to be expected on an exchange, every day is a surprise and I’m looking forward to everyone. |
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It has been over 10 weeks since I arrived in Denmark, and yet every single day I still think to myself; WOW. My family, my counsellor, my Danish friends, and the other exchange students are some of the most fantastic and helpful people I have ever met. I am still living with my first host family, and I am so sad to be leaving them next week. They have been outstanding at helping me through periods of homesickness, tiredness, and illness. I know they are people I will keep in touch with for a long time to come. In Denmark, there are over 150 exchange students at any one time. The group that is currently here are fantastic. I’m not lying when I say that they are like real brothers and sisters to me! The bond that we have formed is already so strong, because we are all in the same boat and are going through the same things. My oldies have helped me so much to feel welcomed. Whenever there is a problem with anything, I know all I have to do is call them and they will be there for me. That is one of the things I love most about Rotary, especially in Denmark; the support network. Without it, I would feel so lost sometimes. Denmark is great also in a geographical sense; it is so small that there is always someone literally around the corner! There are over 10 exchange students within a 5km radius of me, which is so nice. The public transport in Denmark is fantastic also, and makes it very easy to visit people on the other side of the country (only 3 hours away!). I am so thankful for being given this opportunity, because it has been amazing so far and I know it will only get better. Thankyou to everyone in Australia and also in Denmark who have made this year possible. |
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So after being in Finland for only quite a short time I am already starting to see what Finnish people really value. I am of course talking about the one thing that Finnish people consider to be truly theirs: (actually there's two things but Santa Claus is the other one) the sauna. It's one thing in Finland that i have definitely fallen in love with. After being outside in the freezing cold there is nothing better than getting into the sauna, which i have had get to about 110C and warming up a little. It is the perfect place for just relaxing and forgetting about everything else. An important part of the Finnish sauna culture is being naked and not being ashamed of the human body, which is very different from in Australia. However it hasn't been a problem, after all i really don't mind getting my clothes off. While i know that you can go to saunas at some swimming pools and the like in Australia, it isn't anything like the real thing. In saunas here stones are heated up on the kiuas (a miniature fireplace) and water is then thrown onto the stones to make steam. This wet kind of heat feels completely different, and much better than the dry heat of the saunas you can use in Australia. Perhaps the only thing that can improve the sauna is coming out for a nice refreshing swim in a frozen lake before returning for more sauna. This isn't always possible though so it means going out for a roll around in the snow or just a cold shower instead and since the snow has melted it's only been the latter for me. Another thing i have noticed while I’ve been here is the way language is so important and yet not at the same time. While it is not so necessary for basic communication, where English and sign language will do (I will be an awesome charades player by the time i return) i think it will be very important in being close with Finnish people. I can now understand enough to know what people are talking about but not necessarily what they are actually saying and can say very limited things, usually in the manner of a cave man. So I am on my way now to really being part of Finland |
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The Western Australian Rotary Youth Exchange site emcompasses Rotary Youth Exchange for all three WA Rotary Districts 9450. 9460 and 9470. |
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