Day 67 ❦ Support a Courageous Person

Day 67 ❦ Support a Courageous Person

The Gift: A Senior T-Shirt

The Austin Rotary Club has become very active in hosting International Exchange Students through Rotary International. This exchange program differs from so many of the other ones because it is run completely on volunteer efforts and with the support of the local Rotary Clubs, so the students get a great value and both the students and their host families get a lot of support. I love youth exchange and my family has supported the exchange program by hosting nine students in our home, sending our daughter outbound to live in France for a year and, by supporting our nephew as a Rotary Exchange Student in Argentina for a year. Rotary Youth Exchange has changed our lives, and I know the lives of so many people around us.

Each August (typically, although sometimes the Southern Hemisphere students arrive in December...brrrrr), a new student arrives; tired, nervous, yet filled with that eager anticipation that is characteristic of children willing to leave their home, family and friends for a year and venture out into the world alone. Such brave individuals. I am filled with admiration every time I meet a new student, and that admiration grows daily as I watch them spread their own wings and fly.

Today I am taking the new student to Austin High School to enroll. Sisselin is from Norway and while her English skills are pretty good, the process of school enrollment is pretty mind-boggling for a local, so I am clearing the path for her to have a successful year. It is also a good reminder for me of all that our community has to offer because after we are done with the school enrollment, we will go get her a library card, a YMCA membership, etc.... This is one of my favorite days with youth exchange students.

As we are enrolling her in the gym, going from one of the many stations to the next; and ten tables later we arrive at the senior t-shirt signing booth. The seniors at Austin High School traditionally produce a t-shirt with everyone’s signature on it along with a class slogan - which is usually determined during the year. The shirt is worn at Home-coming and various other senior celebrated events throughout the year and it is definitely something that we want Sisselin to be part of. Unfortunately, the cost is $10 and her monthly allowance is only $80, so that will eat up a substantial percentage of her allowance and today is only her second day in Austin. So I realize that my giving opportunity for today has revealed itself. Done, Sisselin is now an official member of the senior class. It’s the least I can do to support her bravery and courage.

 ❦ Support a Courageous Person

Day 46 ❦ Bring others closer by sharing gifts and memories

Day 46 ❦ Bring others closer by sharing gifts and memories

The Gift: Leather coasters from Argentina

I have had the opportunity to travel to some pretty fantastic places because of people that I have met through Rotary. I have already shared a little about the huge impact that youth exchange students have had on my family...their courage, optimism and openness to share themselves with the world...is humbling and awesome at the same time.

If you can imagine, a 15 - 18 year old child travels to another country, leaving behind their friends, family and everything that is familiar to themselves. They live with host families on whom they have to rely for their basic needs...but most importantly, they have to learn to rely and trust themselves in a way that most teenagers do not. The changes in youth exchange students are incredible to watch. We have had the chance to both host students and send our family members out-bound on exchange. Our oldest daughter went to France as a youth exchange student and was there during the attacks on the United States on September 11th . Our nephew went to Argentina as a 15 year old and that decision changed not only his life, but ours as well.

Toward the end of his year in Argentina our nephew Les and his host family invited me to come visit and I jumped on the invitation. There is nothing like visiting a country where you know the locals, where people are willing to show you their country from their own eyes and invite you into their lives...and the Vera Family did just that. I spent 3 weeks in Argentina and the Vera Family treated my like royalty, and probably more importantly, like family. We laughed, shared stories, cried, ate, celebrated and grew close despite the language challenges. My family grew as a result of my stay there and to my delight, they chose to send one of their sons, Facundo to the United States, to Minnesota as an exchange student.

Facundo fit right into our family and we loved hosting him, however, the Rotary exchange program requires students to move to several host families during their year. Although it is always hard to say goodbye to a student with whom you have bonded, the concept of rotating host families gives students an opportunity to interact with a variety of families which is really important to develop international understanding. But say goodbye we did and many tears were shed when we had to move Facundo to his next host family the Dalagers. Even though he was still in our town, actually, only one mile away, he was now going to be hanging out with a different family and immediately our house grew quiet.

Those first few days after a move are really hard on everyone, but we know from experience that we will all survive - that does not make things easier, it just prepares us for the time in the near future when our student leaves permanently to return to their native country...and oh, the tears that are shed then are awful.

Tonight we have been invited to a welcome party at the home of one of Facundo’s host families for the new Rotary exchange student who is from Norway. Facundo is gone...back to his home, his family in Argentina and we still miss him very much, he was very special and now he is back with his other family. I decide to bring a set of leather coasters I picked up while in Argentina and give them to the Dalagers so that we can commiserate, share our sadness, share our stories and in that remembrance become a little closer and warm our hearts with memories. And, as we warm our hearts we create space to begin to make new memories, share new experiences and open our hearts for our newest student who we welcome tonight.

❦ Bring others closer by sharing gifts and memories