"Travel is about the gorgeous feeling of teetering in the unknown"

Bonjour mes amis! Welcome to my little slice of the internet where I will be sharing all of my adventures as I embark on my journey.  I started this blog back at the beginning of March and wrote a couple of posts, but I didn't really like the style or format and as I can be a little obsessive over these things I decided to go for a fresh start.  I felt like my true writing voice wasn't coming through, so here it is!

I first heard about the Rotary Youth Exchange program when I was around ten or eleven I believe.  My sister had been looking into it, and the information that she told me was…

1. you went to a country in Europe for a year 
2. it was super expensive 
3. you had to wear a Rotary Blazer everywhere (for some reason I thought a Rotary Blazer was similar to a fleece vest, and I couldn't imagine wearing that wherever you went).  

My initial reaction was – a whole year? I couldn't imagine leaving home for a whole year.  At that time, I got homesick even going to sleepovers for one night.  I didn't think I would ever be able to leave home for that long.  When I was in Grade 9 I joined the Rotary Interact Club at school and learned more about what exchange was actually about.

As a Rotary Youth Exchange student, you’ll spend up to a year living with host families and attending school in a different country.

Whether you participate in Rotary’s long-term or short-term Youth Exchange programs, you’ll learn a new way of living, a great deal about yourself, and maybe even a new language. You’ll also be an ambassador, teaching people you meet about your country, culture, and ideas. You can help bring the world closer – and make some good friends in the process.

For over 75 years, students and host families have broadened their horizons through Rotary Youth Exchange. More than 80 countries and over 8,000 students each year participate in the program, which is administered at the regional level by Rotary districts and at the local level by Rotary clubs.

source

The thing that was holding me back the back was having to repeat a year of school, and therefore not being able to graduate with my friends.  Then I found out that it was possible to do an exchange after graduation.  Even then, I didn't think about it that seriously.

In the summer of 2010 I went to a Rotary leadership camp called RYLA where I met lots of people who had already been on exchange and a few that were going.  At that time a year still seemed like a long time to be away from home.  In grade 10, I spent my spare time in Planning class looking at exchange information, and at the end of that school year I printed off some exchange handbooks and spent the summer poring over them.  At that point, I was sure that I wanted to go on exchange.

The only thing standing in my way was telling my parents.  I tried bringing it up many times, but they said things like:

“Why don't you just go to university?”

“Well if you’re not going to university right away why don’t you work instead?”

It took a lot of convincing to get them to understand the benefits of exchange.  I went to another RYLA in the spring of 2012, where I met lots of people about to head off for exchange.  While at RYLA, we did a goal setting workshop…which I have to say was one of the most beneficial things that I came out of it with.  I learned an mnemonic way to set attainable goals… SMART, which stands for specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, timely.  At the camp my goal I set was to get a job with the Village of Burns Lake by July 1^st, 2012 (which I did).  In my journal I wrote my exchange goal:

I have a grand declaration to make.  I have been pretty sure of it for a while now but this weekend I have decided that the decision HAS been made.  Here it is…

I will be going on a Rotary Youth Exchange to Europe (France or Belgium) in the year of 2013!!!

How I will make this happen:

• make my resume irresistible so I get hired by the Village
•  mow our lawn + Gramma’s
• APPLY for RYE! Deadline is in November
• Work my butt off so I get accepted

*Practice mon  français as much as possible!

I WILL DO THIS!

Janelle O’Meara

I started the application process in September 2012.  The initial application form started off with basic information such as name, age, grades, hobbies, community activities, etc.  Then I was contacted for an interview with four Rotarians.  They asked me questions such as: what I did in the community, what I was involved with in school, how many books I read per month, how I felt about different religions, being away from home, how I would deal with homesickness, how I would deal with culture shock, etc.  My parents then had to go in for an interview.  At the beginning of December I found out that I had been accepted, which was awesome news.  The paperwork however, was not so awesome.  There was a 19 page application and I needed to have four copies of it, each copy signed in blue ink. I had to go to the dentist and make sure my teeth were in working order and as I had gotten my wisdom teeth ripped about already I was good to go.  At the doctor’s I was asked if I had any health conditions that would prevent me from going, and got tested for tuberculosis….clear! I then had to rank my top three countries that I wanted to be sent to:

1. France
2. Belgium
3.  Switzerland

When I submitted all the applications, all I had to do was…wait….which was really difficult, because I just wanted to find out! 

In January I found at that I was too old to go to France, because I would have already graduated high school at the time of my exchange.  I was crushed; my dreams of eating baguettes all day long and strolling around Paris wearing a fashionable scarf were not going to happen.  At the time I found this out, it was really awful and cold outside and I was in a very boring Pre-Calculus class and was feeling quite sad and sorry for myself.  I thought: I should go somewhere warm and southern! So I looked at my choices and decided to put Argentina down.  I had a new vision of myself all tanned and Spanish speaking in some mountains wearing colourful clothing whilst kicking a soccer ball around barefoot.  I didn't want to spend the next year in a rainy climate.  I even considered putting Argentina as my first choice, but decided to leave it at Belgium #1, Argentina #2.

I was checking my emails a touch obsessively waiting to receive my country assignment, then one day in February when I wasn't even expecting it….I got the email.

My reaction was something along the lines of this:

Honestly, I thought that I wasn't going to get Belgium because I knew that it was a popular country choice.  I am so overjoyed that I did, because after some research I found out it is the BEST COUNTRY EVER.

My Host District in Belgium

My host town is Ciney, which is known for its beer!  I've spoken with my host families, and I can't wait to meet all of them.

In May I went to an outbound orientation at Ness Lake and it was a blast! I met so many great people, both inbounds and outbounds.  We learned lots in two days, and it made me really excited about going on exchange.

Outbounds 2013/2014

Inbound & Outbounds 

I know that people who miss their graduation due to exchange say that it was completely worth it, but I have to say that I am 100% happy with my decision to go after graduation.  I don’t have to worry about courses or credits or graduation requirements, and I was able to graduate with my own lovely grad class – WOOO GRAD 2013!!!  For me, grade twelve was the highlight of my Canadian high school experience, especially the last few months leading up to June.  Everything about it was a laugh, both in school and out (well not really the school part, but the social part of school a.k.a. spare blocks to hang out).  Everyone is different, but staying for graduation was definitely the right choice for me.

                I had a little bit of a job crisis in June….precisely the fact that I didn't have one.  I had some issues with the fact that I was leaving sometime in the middle of August.  At the end of it all, I ended up getting the same job that I had last summer renting canoes and kayaks down at the beach.  Sure, it is a little bit boring but it pays well and this year I have fantastic hours.

So now I only have one month before my departure.  I can’t believe it, only yesterday it seems like I was waiting to find out if I had been accepted.  July has flown by, in less a few days I will turn 18….legal in Canada to vote and buy fireworks (and completely legal in Belgium *wink wink*).  Every time I open my closet I start visually trying to fit everything inside of my suitcase, and let me tell you it is going to be quite the task.  I just received my long-term student Visa in the mail the other day, which was quite the relief.  I have my beautiful red Rotary blazer, and my nifty business cards to hand out to people.  I bought a very patriotic Canadian swimsuit/bodysuit, which I plan to whip out on every occasion possible.  I've bought multiple Canadian flags, pins, key chains, bottle openers, cards, beer holders, flip flops and anything else Canadian that I could get my hands on. 

So I guess it’s around time  to wrap this post up.  I will try to keep this updated as much as possible to let everyone back home know what shenanigans I am getting up to.  If you have any questions or lovely messages, leave them in the comments section below…I would love to read them...bisous xx

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