Let me take you back a few months to the first day of my exchange…It Was September 7th and I didn’t speak a word of Italian. I was sitting in my Rotary counselor Mauro’s office with his good friend (and fellow Rotarian) Lorenza.  While we were waiting for my host parents to come home from work, we were talking (or should I say attempting to talk through ridiculous hand motions seeing as neither one of them spoke English.) I began to show pictures of my home town and where I cam from and they of the travels that they had been on, including what looked to be an incredible trip to Africa just last year.  As I inquired more about this trip I found how incredible it really was; they went on Safari, built a children’s hospital and even hiked Mt. Kilimanjaro! As I became more jealous with each passing second I admitted to them that it has always been one of my life goals to go to Africa and to hike Mt. Kilimanjaro.

Upon saying that Mauro immediately responded with “Vero! Volete venire con noi?” or “Really! Would you like to come with us then?”. I laughed thinking that it was a joke simply taunting me, but when they didn’t laugh back, I realized that they were serious. As I inquired more about this I found that it was actually a Rotary sponsored service trip to Tanzania. I immediately asked Mauro what I had to do to be apart of this incredible experience, but he was already one step ahead of me.

The next week we attended a meeting discussing the details of the trip and I found that Rotary does something truly amazing.  The entire service trip is around three weeks long. We will leave Thursday, December 22 from Milan Malpensa Airport with a flight of Turkish Airlines, we will stop in Istanbul and will arrive in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. We will be in Dar es Salaam for three days then we will have the opportunity to visit the city. We will then rent a car and we will be accompanied throughout the journey by a driver. The purpose of this trip is to visit the hospital in which, thanks to the Association Ikelu Pamoja non-profit organization, the Sycamore Rotary Club and many other non-profit organizations, was opened October 7, 2011 and to visit to the “Village Tumaini” which currently houses about 100 orphans. The route from Dar es Salaam to Ikelu will last about 12 hours, where we will see for miles across Africa.

From Ikelu we move to Ruaha National Park, the second largest national park in Tanzania, to do a safari. We will stay 2 daysand will spend New Year’s there. Then return to Ikelu to lend a hand both in the hospital in an orphanage. After our work there is done, we will return on January 9th, 2012. I immediately received permission from both my family in America and Italy and of course my sponsor Rotary club who were all more than excited for me. In just a few days I will begin my regimen of vaccinations (one of the aspects of the trip that I’m not ecstatic about).

I can not tell you all how happy I am for the opportunity that Rotary International has presents me with; I am forever grateful. Thank you to everyone who has helped me thus far in my exchange and I look forward to the other unexpected and life changing experiences that Rotary allows me to have. Thank you all! Grazie mille!

-Alex

P.S. Seeing as all of the details of the trip are not yet pinned down, you can find useful information for this trip at the following website: www.pamoya-onlus.it, Pamoja Association.

P.S.S. If you would like a postcard from Tanzania be sure to email me your address! I would love to send you one!

-Alex K

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District Hosts Youth Exchange Conference

ROTARY DISTRICT 7670 YOUTH EXCHANGE PROGRAM

YOUTH EXCHANGE SCHOLARSHIPS AVAILABLE

Did you know you could provide a $20,000 scholarship to study abroad for a worthy high school student in your area at absolutely no cost to your club? Sound impossible? This is the opportunity provided by Rotary Youth Exchange — the oldest, largest, best organized, best managed and least expensive secondary school level exchange program in existence. Every year, Rotary provides this opportunity to over 8000 students in roughly 40 countries — each one sponsored by a local Rotary club. Your club can sponsor one or more outbound students with zero impact on the club budget and minimum manpower requirements. Too good to be true? Here is all that is required —

• Set up a club Youth Exchange Committee of one or more dedicated club members (if this does not already exist);
• Make contact with local high school(s) — school Principals, guidance counselors, language teachers and Interact clubs –  inform them about the Youth Exchange Program and solicit names of prospective students (students must be between the ages of 15 and 18.5 at the time of their departure and generally do their exchanges following their junior or senior years);
• Make use of District Youth Exchange Committee members (names given below) and former exchange students when available to speak to your club and to school representatives about the program;
• Send information to local news media regarding the program soliciting names of prospective students;
• Conduct a club interview of prospective students and their parents and, if approved, pass their names and contact information on to Frank Rutland, District Outbound Chair.

These are simple steps easily accomplished by a club of any size.

So what do you have to offer? The opportunity to live and study abroad for a year is a life changing experience for exchange students, giving them the opportunity to become fluent in another language, have exposure to  different cultures and experience tremendous personal growth. Because the program is administered entirely by Rotary volunteers around the world, students enjoy a significant cost advantage compared to other similar programs. They receive free board, lodging, tuition and travel experiences – a “scholarship” value in the order of $20,000 – at a total cost to their family of no more than $3,000 – $5,000. Quite a bargain! Finally, they enjoy the safety and security provided by a network of over 1.2 million Rotarians around the world. You have a great deal to offer!!

We would like to request that each club in the District establish a goal to send names of at least two prospective students they would be willing to sponsor for the 2010 – 2011 school year. These should be sent to the District Committee no later than Thanksgiving. For additional information and assistance, contact any member of the District Youth Exchange Committee – Bill Bauman (Black Mountain – wbauman@warren-wilson.edu), Bill Biggers, Chair (Weaverville – wbiggers@mac.com), Mary Colvin (Madison County – mscolvin4@aol.com), Don Fuller (Lake Hickory – dfuller@phd-law.com), Bill Parker (Blowing Rock – billparker105@att.net), Fred Reidinger (Brevard – fred_ala@citcom.net), Frank Rutland (Asheville – fhrutland@aol.com). Our District currently has five outbound students abroad this year and we have set a goal to double this number for the 2010 — 2011 school year. With your help and cooperation, this should be easily accomplished.

Frank Rutland, Outbound Chair

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See attached email and photos received from Basti Havers’s mother Christiane.

As you’ll see, Basti gave his report to his sponsoring club, the RC of Ahlen, yesterday.  In one of the photos you’ll see Basti getting ready to present the banner of his host club, the RC of Lake Hickory.

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