Introduction - Part I

An introduction by definition is an explanatory section at the beginning. So naturally this particular blog will explain all the main events leading up to my final departure (a.k.a the beginning of my story).

It began like any other great escapade. Completely unexpected on a random Tuesday or Wednesday afternoon – I don’t even remember which. I was in my room talking with my mom when all of a sudden she blurted something similar to the following “Do you remember my friend Pat from work? A girl came from France to live in her home for a few months and she is going to your school! I’m wondering if you have met her already.” At this point in time I had never heard of Rotary Exchange; so after I understood why a random girl from France was living at Pat’s house and going to my school for a seemingly impulsive whim of a just few months, my initial reaction was clear. “No, I have not met her yet; but I know without a doubt, that she is completely insane.”
I wish I go back to that moment and could tell myself how wrong I was and how Rotary Youth Exchange would become the next three years of my life.
Then my Mom (with her profuse logic and insight), said “I think it would be an incredible experience.” This conversation with my mom crept up in my thoughts frequently in the following weeks and I became increasingly interested. I began asking more and more questions about Rotary Exchange and even caught myself researching it online. Mostly though, I thought about the French girl at my school and hoped I would run into her in the halls one day, (my school has about 2000 students) to meet her and ask her the questions that the internet can’t answer.
“From France? Do you speak English? Do you like it here? Do you find it cold? Do you miss your family? A year is such a long time. Why do you want to do this? Are you glad you did?”
I saw Sophie, the French girl, at school one afternoon; just as she was getting into a car to leave. She was standing tall, speaking English and giggling with friends.

I still can’t place the exact moment, but soon after that day, I knew that I wanted to do this; I wanted to become a Rotary Exchange Student.

I wanted to travel to a foreign country; I wanted to make foreign friends, wear foreign school uniforms, taste foreign cuisine, hear foreign music, speak a foreign language, see foreign architecture, and take foreign pictures (I love photography). I wanted to experience a culture completely different from my own; and I wanted to learn to appreciate it at the very least. I wanted to proudly share Canada’s own unique and become its Ambassador. And of course, I hoped to make friendships and memories that would last a lifetime. But above all, I hoped to learn. I’m not sure what exactly I hoped to learn, but I knew that an experience as incredible as this was bound to teach me a thing or two about myself and the world. How could it not? Then, I hope to use what I learn on my year abroad to become more accepting, tolerant and understanding of people. Through this blog I hope to inspire others to do the same by proving what I have always believed – That we as humans are more similar than different and at the end of the day we really are all the same.

With that I took the first step into the next three years of my life.