A Look Into the Process

     While applying for this Rotary Exchange I looked at numerous blogs from Rotary Exchange students, but I never found anything about the process. I thought my trial and tribulations might be useful to students thinking about applying (and if you haven't thought about it... you should! :D )

     Step 1: GET INTERESTED! After reading and reading about the idea, the more appealing it was to me. I am not the usual type to go on an exchange. I've been college bound since before I could walk. Every class I have taken in high school has been towards that goal. But school can't prepare you for life, and it sure can't tell you about the culture of another country (in-depth that is). It is something you need to experience for yourself. So the first step is to contact your local Rotary Club. Tell them you are interested in an exchange and fill out a simple application only for your local club (you'll fill out a longer one later).

     Step 2: Local club interview. If your club accepts you, you will need to be interviewed. For me, this interview was quite simple. Mostly questions about why you want to go and how you will act when you get there. Casual.

     Step 3: When you are accepted by your local Rotary Club, you will need to fill out the loooong application. This application is a bit more lengthy. Get a start on it quickly! I am applying through my district, North Star Rotary. They have been amazing, and if you are from the Wisconsin or Minnesota area here is their website! (http://northstaryouthexchange.com/) They are wonderful! As a tip you should get in contact with your local rotary club early to make sure you have all of the numbers and such for the application. You will need pictures of yourself, your house and of a hobby and such. If you have any questions about the application I am sure your rotary club will be able to help you, or if you have more simple question you can email me no problem. 

     Step 4: Get an acceptance letter from your district! I recently got mine. It explains that the next step is a District interview- more formal. At my interview my parents need to be present. Before or after the interview you get to go around and meet all of the inbound students and they persuade you to go to their home country on your exchange. Then you make a list of your top five countries to go to for exchange. Obviously I haven't been through this process yet, but my list is France, Switzerland, Belgium, Spain, Sweden, in that order. Because my choices include french speaking countries, on my interview day I need to go through a French Proficiency test to determine if I can go to France Switzerland or Belgium. Needless to say I am very nervous for this. I will give you more details when I am through with my interview this Saturday!

Until then, bien à vous,
Beth 

The Beginning

Hello everyone! 

My name is Beth. I am a high school senior at a medium sized school in a Twin Cities suburb. Okay, maybe a pretty small suburb. Through this small suburb's local Rotary Club, I have just applied for a Foreign Exchange. This interest in traveling grew exponentially when I went on a school trip to Europe this summer. I visited London, Paris, Versailles, Florence, and Rome. It was the time of my life. And this wasn't just because I got to see the Eiffel Tower, Big Ben, or the Vatican, it was because I got to experience each culture's... well... culture! It wasn't the museum guides that I liked, it was the shop owners and the restaurant owners in the towns off the beaten path that I connected with. This learning experience drove me to find the Rotary Exchange. I hope to return to France, the most. I have taken 2 years of French in high school, and I hope to expand that French basis to a usable level.

Bien à vous,
Beth