It's A Small World After All

I spent the weekend on a project I have worked on for several years now called Rotary Youth Exchange.  It is an opportunity for high school students to study abroad for one year while immersing themselves in the language, culture and family life of another country.  At the end of thier orientation process, we like to call them Rotary Youth Ambassadors... ready to take on the culture of another country while positively representing America during their exchange.

My district in Central New York exchanges with 23 countries around the world each year.  While this weekend was about selecting qualified OUTBOUND candidates and matching them with a country where we think they will be successful, the other part of the program are the counterpart students we receive in District 7150 who teach us about their culture, and also learn to live as Americans for an entire year.

So, where do we send these brave young students?  In Europe they may find themselves in Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Sweden or Switzerland.  If it is South/Central  America countries include Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Ecuador, Mexico and Venezuela.  In the Pacific Region, the kids could find themselves in Japan, India, Taiwan, Thailand or Australia.  It is a rvariety pack and we try to carefully place the students in cultures where we think they will excel and grow. 

My countries that I have been immediately responsible for include France and Belgium.  Between my very small French language background and my counterparts ability to communicate in English, we have been able to assist these students in their exchange and have watched them return to their home countries better able to understand the multi-cultural world around them.  I have been blessed with the opportunity to visit these countries on more than one occasion, to make friends in many cities, to create new family connections with a special few. 

The program always encourages the kids to be explorers in their new world, not reporters.  As a traveler, it is what I hope for you as well.  Try thier food, practice small phrases of the language, listen to their music.  EXPLORE!  I never did understand the traveler who went to a foreign country and then complained because steak and potatoes weren't available.  And remember, while the trip I am currently planning is to Alaska, there are still wonderful regional differences, cultural traditions that differ from ours and delicious recipes to taste.  EXPLORE!