| ROTAyak 54 | ||||
 |
||||
| SALLY CLARKE. AUSTRIA. | ||||
Grüß Gott It,s amazing! Four months in already and I know being an Exchange Student is truly the best decision I have ever made! It has been the best time here in Austria, the weather is hot and my area is so beautiful (Millstatt). Xox |
||||
|
| RACHEL HAM. SWEDEN. | |||||
Hej everybody! |
|
| MADELEINE HUNT. SWITZERLAND. | ||
|
This will be a long one. I have been in South Switzerland for the past 5 months now and am having an amazing time. The first week was a little tough but then being in the German course with other Australians made me feel better. So that went for 4 weeks then I had 2 weeks of holidays before I started school. When I left Aus it was the middle of summer. Going into the middle of winter was a massive shock. It was freezing, with snow everywhere! I managed to fall over a fair few times! But the snow meant skiing. So with my first host family they took me skiing a few times. But just my luck, I fell and broke a band in my knee. So I am now going to physio and cannot play sports. But thats not stopping me to have fun. So my first day of school was in the middle of March and was very different to Australia. They have no school uniforms, they start earlier, and we stay in the same class for mainly every subject. It is also a boarding school. During school we have a long break, depending on which day it is, It can be for and hour and half to 3 hours. Everyday everyone has lunch break at different times and school at different times. They are always early to class and always working and do all their homework. They have so many tests during the year and then end of year exams. But lucky for me because I am the exchange student I have gotten away with not doing the tests. The school has like a restaurant, they call it the Mensa. So that is where they eat breakfast lunch and dinner. Some people who live too far away board at the school and go home on the weekends. So I am now finished school and on my summer holidays! So at around the 3-4 month mark of being here, I was starting to feel very homesick, not having my family around. But at school I have another Aussie exchange student, Olivia, so she has helped me get over my homesickness. They say to only see other exchange students once a month, but when you are at the same school and live close to each other, you always bump into each other. I think that you need at least 1 person with you to help you get through it. Olivia and I have been helping each other with our German and when we have nothing to do on holidays, we go exploring Switzerland. In 5 months of being here I have been to many many places and seen so many new things that we just don’t have in Australia. In around Feburary/March, they have Carnivals and Fasnacht all over Switzerland. The Carnival is where lots of people dress up in big costumes with masks etc, and had parades down streets of nearly every town all over Switzerland. Many people have confetti and throw it all over everyone. All day there are bands playing music in the parades and at night walking around to every bar to play music. This was a pretty fun thing. I went to the big one in Basel where at 4am all the lights of Basel go out and hundreds of thousands are there to watch thousands of people walking around the city playing the flute and drums. They wear lit up lamps on their heads with masks on. All morning this goes on. When it becomes daytime, there is a massive Carnival. Thousands of people walking around Basel dressed up again, and have massive carts pulled by tractors and throwing out lollies, oranges etc. And of course when you go to grab something they throw confetti in your face. If you are not wearing one of the Carnival badges, they come and get you and chuck you in their bath tubs full of confetti and cover you in it all down your clothes! So this was heaps of fun for me, and something I think would never happen in Australia. On the 18th of February I had my 16th birthday. Having my birthday in another country, and without my twin sister wasn't too exciting for me. But I made some fun of it by ice skating with some other Australians. One good thing about coming on exchange with Rotary, is all the activities you get to be involved in. Like one weekend we had a snow weekend. We all went ice skating one day and sledding the next. This was also so much fun. And being with everyone else that is on exchange, feels like family. Because you are going through the same thing together. So in March, I had my first trips to France and Italy. It was really exciting and strange to say, 'oh I’m just popping over to Italy for the day.' But they do it over here all the time so they think its normal. It's just like us going over the border into another state. March was also when I hurt my knee. When this happened, the worst thoughts came into my mind. For example, 'what if I can't play sport again,' 'what if I miss out on the best things.' I didn’t want it to happen at all. This made me homesick and wanted to go home. But I got through it all, with having physio and help from others. So in April during school, I was finding it hard to make Swiss friends. Not being able to speak German fluently and not understanding Swiss German made it hard because they speak it all the time! So I was allowed to go with my class to Rome on the school trip. So at 5 in the morning we all got on the buses and left for Rome. The bus ride took 12 hours, all the way down to Rome. We stayed in a hotel an hour from Rome on the beach. So the whole day was just driving. The next day we drove into Rome and at Vatican City we saw the St Peter's Cathedral. After we walked around Rome to the Colosseum. The next day we went back to Vatican City to see to Pope because it was Easter. So after a few weeks of being home form Rome, I took a trip to France, Remieremont, to visit my aunty, uncle and their new baby. This trip made me really happy. I had lots of fun with my baby cousin. Then my aunty took me to Paris with her! It was really an awesome trip. We went up the Eiffel tower, going around on the hop on hop off buses, the Louvre Museum and so much more. I love being in Switzerland because of where it is located. Right in the middle of many other countries that are just so easy to get to. So my next thing was changing host families for the first time. One thing I didn't really realise, was how much stuff I have compared to when I came!! I have over double my stuff, almost triple! So I didn't just move houses, but moved towns too. The towns are that small that all my families are in different towns. My next house is in the town next to my old one. Well, I wouldn’t really call them towns. More like little villages. So on the 22nd of May I changed my host families. It was a good day. I didn't hate my last family but I was happy to change to experience living with another family. I like my new house although I don’t have my own bathroom anymore which is fine, and my room is inside the house unlike my last one where I had my own little apartment thing outside the house. I now have much older siblings and they are all so nice. I have been to quite a few places with them already. I also went to Milan with school the next day from changing families. So two of my siblings are playing music in a band. All little towns around here have their own band. It is amazing how many people get involved with so many different things people wouldn’t do in Australia, not just the bands. My host parents took me to see the Aletsch Glacier which was just amazing and big. I have seen many other things and have been to the transport museum in Lucerne. Just the other day, while we were in Lucerne, Switzerland were playing soccer against Spain on the TV. And when Switzerland won, tho whole of Lucerne were going crazy. The whole town beeping their horns yelling out the windows with flags and there was one spot on the main street where so many people were blocking the roads they were so overwhelmed. In Australia I have never seen so many people be so excited for their country. It was really fun to see. So I have also been to many many Rotary meetings and the most recent meeting was the change of Presidents so it was interesting. We also got home at 1 in the morning so it was very tiring. Now I have said everything up till now. I am leaving for euro tour on the 22nd June. Can't wait!! Madeleine |
||
|
| ELLY CASTLES. FRANCE. | |||||
Ciao ! Xxx Elly |
|||||
|
| ERIN McLEARY. JAPAN. | ||
Rotary sent me to Japan for half a year and sadly, my time is almost up. I have many precious memories that I will remember for a life time and friends that I would never have had if it weren’t for Rotary. When you first think of Japan, I guess the image of hard working, serious, business like people comes to mind. True that some people here are like that, but there’s always going to be at least 1 person like that isn’t there? Most students here study hard (and they have the marks to prove it), but they always find time to go out and have fun. One of the most popular things to do here is take ‘purikura’ which is basically photo booth pictures. Whenever my friends here ask me to go hang out with them and I ask what we will be doing, they always say “Oh, I was thinking maybe purikura.” Obviously, Japan is very different to Australia, but it seems you don’t realize just how different it is until you go there. The traditions and customs were so strange to me at first and some of them a hassle. For example, whenever you go to school you have to take off your shoes. I didn’t really see the point in doing this and still don’t, but hey it’s just the way things are done. There are so many things that are unique to Japan that I would never have gotten the chance to try here. Kendou and Kyudou are just two things that are a part of the list of things I could mention. Kendou is the Japanese style sword fighting and Kyudou is Japanese archery. I have been lucky enough to join the school clubs of these activities and they’ve been one of my best experiences here. Well, I only have 2 weeks left here, so all I have to say is treasure each moment of your time, because it’s a once in a lifetime opportunity that you will defiantly remember for the rest of your life. Erin xox. |
||
|
| JACLYN ALLWOOD. FRANCE. | ||
Today marks 5 months in France and it's gone by in a flash. So since my last article I have had my 16th birthday, been to a French wedding, went to Garorock (a huge music festival that is held in my town each year that runs for 3 days and this year happened to be over Easter), recieved Tim Tams from home, been to school, visited castles in the French countryside, been to Bordeaux for some more shopping, and last but obviously not least... EURO TOUR. The language has progressed heaps recently since I have finally gotten over the fact, that although I like to be a perfectionist, I've got to make mistakes to learn from them. Therefore I have started to talk more and more and babble on about random topics to anyone just for the sake of it. So, the French wedding was a different experience. I've only been to one wedding in Australia that I was old enough to really remember and it was quite different to the one I experienced in France. For starters, we missed the part when the bride and groom get married at the town hall in front of the Mayor because we were late. We left home at the time that started and it took 2 hours to get there. We arrived just in time for the church ceremony and one thing I noticed was the bride and groom sat during the ceremony rather than stood. Afterwards we went and had drinks at an old house in the country before heading to the 'salle de fetes' for dinner and 4 hours of dancing that followed. We spent between 3 and 4 hours eating and then around midnight the dancing and real party started. That lasted until 4am. We left and slept for 6 hours then came back for the big family lunch the same day but around 1pm. Everyone ended up singing 'Happy Birthday' to me in French as funnily enough it was my birthday. The TimTams didn't last terribly long, but I didn't expect they would. I had missed them and my host family seemed to like them as well. The castle at Beynac in the Dordogne region was extremely beautiful and from what I understood from the guided tour it was built over 4 or so centuries. In the surrounding area there are a few more castles that we could see from the one at Beynac but as we spent a bit longer than expected at the one in Beynac, we didn't get to visit them all. Finally, to the Euro Tour. Well that was 12 days of my life that I'm never going to forget and nor do I want to. The whole trip was amazing, we met amazing people and the places we visited were beautiful. There were just over 50 of us all together and we visited 18 cities in 6 countries in 12 days. I now have friends all over France so these summer holidays I'm really hoping that I'll be able to visit some of them. Whether that will be possible around the rotary events, changing families for the first time and then going on holidays to Spain I don't know but I'm hoping so. This time I seem to have managed to write a bit less. Hopefully all is going well in Australia and unfortunately we won't be continuing any further in the World Cup. Jaclyn |
||
|
| SARAH McPHERSON. DENMARK. | |||||
Denmark is so beautiful at the moment, it is just starting to get hot and all the flowers are coming out and the grass is greener then Australia has seen in years, but I have not been spending a lot of time in my country. I have just come back from a FANTASTIC trip around Europe. I went with 56 other exchange students and we travelled to 7 countries in 18 days. We went to Berlin, Prague, Vienna, Lido De Jesolo, Venice, Verona, Pisa, Monaco, Avignon, Paris, Bruxelles and Amsterdam before coming back to Denmark with a very tired bus of exchange students. I have stood at the top of the Eiffel Tower, I have touched the Berlin Wall, I have swam on the beaches of Italy, I have held up the Leaning Tower of Pisa… …and I have made friends who I will never forget no matter what country I am in. It was probably one of the most amazing things I have done in my life. I can’t believe I have seen all of these countries and the amazing things that I have yearned to see since I was young! They are all so beautiful and I am SO grateful that I came to Europe on exchange. It was fantastic to see all of my exchange student friends and travel and have fun sharing moments we will all remember forever. It was especially good because we were able to spend time with the older exchange students (Oldies) before they all go home. I have already said goodbye to some and I have many more to enjoy their last days with. It is very hard to think that one day it will be me leaving this great country and coming home. I am enjoying myself way too much to leave just yet and I am grateful I have another seven months to enjoy! I have just started summer holidays and have no more school until August so I can not wait to see all my friends and enjoy the heat that has FINALLY arrived! I am missing Australia and pictures of it are looking more and more amazing by the day but I am having the time of my life over here and thank Rotary for every minute of it. These are the moments we will remember forever. Sarah |
|||||
|
| ALICIA TITCHMARSH. BRAZIL. | |||||
I was complaining about how hot it is, it is now starting to get very cold! Your’e probably thinking the same thing as me, isn't Brazil always warm! Well generally it is, but lucky me I am in the south of Brazil, the only place in Brazil were it gets cold. At the moment the temperature average is like 12 degrees, and I'm told it will only get colder because the hotter the summer, the colder the winter and this summer was like the hottest one in 30 years. So it feels like I wrote my last report not that long ago, and yet so much has happened. I changed host family's, spent Easter with two Australians, two Americans and a German. Went to a close friends 15th (15th is the equivalent to 18th for them) Said goodbye to close friends, had a Rotary Conference, went to a theme park with school friends, spent the weekend with Luci for her birthday. Had a few days off school because of public holidays and much more. This weekend is a German girls going away party which will be a lot of fun, but also very sad. Tomorrow will also be the last time I see Luis, the Mexican in my city. So this year is a lot of hellos and meeting new people but it also has a lot of goodbyes. School holidays are now only two weeks away, which I cant wait for. I'm a bit over the whole waking up at 6.30 thing. Unfortunately Brazil holidays only go for two weeks!! So I better make the most of it (a lot of sleeping in) My host sister is getting ready to leave for Germany, she flys out mid August...so strange to think that was me not so long ago in the same situation. Don't really have anything much planned the next few months, just change into my last host family in August and welcoming all the newbies, which is very exciting. But from October on is going to be very busy! I really think the last months will fly, so better make the most of it. Oh and almost forgot to mention the most important thing at the moment...the World Cup. Brazilians are honestly INSANE about the world cup. For my first game I went to the mall with all my friends and literally for the whole game they are making as much noise as possible, blowing horns, whistles singing, anything and everything...then when they score a goal...its crazy, they get up hug each other scream. They all have their flags and soccer jumpers. It’s insane, but an amazing thing to see. Then after the game out on the streets are fireworks, people driving around yelling out there windows, horns honking. I just really hope Brazil gets into the final, because then I really truly wouldn't have seen nothing yet. Until next time. Beijos Alicia. |
|||||
|
| SHANNON O’REILLY. BELGIUM. | ||
I can't believe that it's already been 5 months since I left Australia. The time goes so fast because I am always so busy! Life has been continuing on the same hectic schedule the whole time. I've done so much travelling! In March, I went to Luxembourg (a little country to the south of Belgium), the Netherlands, and to Italy for 11 days with Rotary. Also I've been travelling around Belgium, because since it is such a small country it's really easy to travel to other countries and throughout the country. Thankfully, my French is a thousand times better and I barely ever speak English in my family now except for when I have a few queries or anything, in fact, my English is getting worse because I speak it so rarely, so hopefully, you'll forgive any spelling errors! School is becoming easier as I can do work in class and hang out with my friends. I also changed families and I go to school now with my host sister who is in the same class as me so that has also made it easier to socialise. Right now I'm on school vacation for the nexrt TWO AND A HALF MONTHS!! We get so long it's going to be so good to be able to go to Paris during these holidays. Also all of the Northern Hemisphere exchange students are going home, which is really sad and hard but in August all of the new ones come and I'm looking forward to making new friends and showing them how we operate in Belgium! With my family now, I'm going on vacation for 2 weeks in the South of France near the border of Spain so hopefully I get to go into Spain for a day or two and After I get back, several other Australians and I are going on a tour of Belgium, visiting all the big tourist cities and seeing our beautiful country of exchange. So right now, you can see that my life is pretty hectic, and the life of an exchange student is always hectic! If you're an outbound reading this be excited because exchange is the biggest adventure in the world and it's so much fun. Going on exchange was without a doubt one of the best decisions I ever made and I hope that I get to meet you all one day!! Anyway, I'm leaving to go off and have some European adventures :D à bientôt :) Love Shannon (Belgium) |
||
|
| CALLUM O’NEILL. SWEDEN. | |||
These last few months have been incredible! It is finally summer here, so many days have been spent at the beach or roaming around town with some friends, but it is just a matter of days until my Europe Tour begins. I just moved to my second and last host family, so, while packing my bags to leave, I realised just how much stuff I actually have, and how hard it is going to be to pack for the way home to Australia. In the new host family, there is a bit more work that needs to be done, as I am sleeping in what was my host sisters room, we have to prepare an old storage room to make it possible for her to sleep in there, and also build flooring in the attic for all the stuff that was being stored in there. Our first attempt at cutting the boards for the attic floor, was, in my host dad’s words ‘beautifully ****ed up’. After living through the extreme temperatures that we had in the winter, the summer here feels really hot! I never thought I’d say it but I got sunburnt in Sweden! But the water at the beach is still too cold… The new host family I’m staying at is a lot more musical and outgoing than the last I was staying at, and also have 6 guitars, a bass guitar, and a drum kit! Assar, my host dad, noticed that my iPod was broken, so as a welcome gift he bought me a new one! I think this is going to be a very good family for me to be staying in for the next 6 months, and so far the music that they play both through the stereo and on the guitar or piano brings back so many memories of back home. This has been a great experience so far, and I can’t wait for the coming Europe tour, and the memories it will bring. I want to thank everyone back home for giving me the opportunity to do this. Callum. |
|||
|
| DANIELLE BIRD. SWITZERLAND. | |||||||
Hello Australia! |
|||||||
|
