How I Got Here
I’ll be the first to admit that when I decided I wanted to be an exchange student, the reason behind it all was that I just wanted to live in France for a year. That was the main reason behind it all. I was obsessed with the French, I wanted to BE French. I told my mom that that’s what I wanted to do. Luckily, my parents are incredibly supportive of all my wild ideas. In addition to the luckiness of supportive parents, my mother is very well connected. You wouldn’t think that being a dental hygienist would put you in high standings with people, but once you put your fingers in someone’s mouth and are able to make some pretty good conversation, you can make some good friends. So, one day as my mom was doing her thing, telling people to spit and stuff, she learned of Rotary Youth Exchange through one Mr. Dan Kudrna. She came home in a whirlwind that day and started telling me all about it. Telling me how this is my chance to get away, to live in France and meet new people. So, I began emailing him.
Now, one thing to know about me is I am not too good with emails. Ask anyone who is in correspondence with me through email. My skills in responding to emails are insulting, just so poor it’s despicable. Email me to ask me to talk on the phone, my anxiety will peak so high, I’ll ignore the request all together.
So, I began emailing him. I was given some information on what was to be expected. Not much exchange information was given, just lots of friendly correspondence. But, the thing was in, I was in because of this. Without getting in contact with Mr. Kudrna, I would not be writing this right now. Mr. Kudrna was my biggest fan for getting me into the program. He urged me to become friends with the exchange student in my school and get involved with my school’s Interact club, which both were no problem. The exchange student, Vito from Italy, had already been sitting at my lunch table since the beginning of the year and I was the secretary of my Interact club without even knowing I would be apart of their exchange. So, I was kind of all set.
Then a month before my junior year ended, I got word that Vito needed a place to stay. So, for a month, we had our own exchange student living with us. It gave me an inside look at what it’s like to be an exchange student, and solidified my interest in the program. Having an exchange student in the house showcased the relationships you can build in such a short amount of time. My brother and Vito became so close in that short month, that when Vito left, John was left in tears. Don’t tell him that I told you all that. It made me realize that I am bound to make deep relationships, something I am constantly craving.
Throughout the summer I didn’t get much word about the exchange. It was just kind of assumed that I was doing this. As senior year approached, questions about what I was doing afterwards came in increasing speed. I told everyone I knew that I was going to be an exchange student. There was no question about it. Living abroad is something that I have dreamed of for as long as I can remember. The mystery of the world seemed to be calling me, begging me to solve it. I’m so excited for this opportunity. Although it’s just starting, I can tell that this is where I’m supposed to be, no doubt about it.