Rotary helps Sackville students experience another world

Every year the Rotary Youth Exchange programs provides local students an opportunity to experience life in another culture.

This year, Tina Gripton, Emma Hachey and Dante Manchester, all recent graduates of Tantramar Regional High School, are learning a lot about their adopted cultures, and themselves, while they live and go to high school in a foreign country.

Tina and Emma are sponsored by the Rotary Club of Sackville, and Dante is sponsored by the Rotary Club of Port Elgin.

Tina, who is living for a year in Valparaiso, a city of 20,000 in southern Brazil, says: "My experience so far here has been incredible".

"I love everything about the Brazilian culture, the delicious food, the language, the music, and above all, the people."

Tina recently returned from a cross-country trip which started in northern Brazil and went through all the largest cities as it made its way down the eastern coast of South America. Her favourite part, Rio de Janeiro, was the fulfillment of "a life-long dream".

"The best part of Rio," she says, "was when we went to the Cristo. There are no words to describe how amazing it felt to be there, seeing it in person."

Tina is spending the year living with two host families. While she misses the family she lived with between August and January, she says she still gets to see them a lot, because they are the "aunt and uncle" of her second host family.

"My family here is quite large," she says, "and I quite often spend time with my aunts, uncles and cousins. I have found that here in Brazil the importance of family is quite large."

Dante is living in Aquascalientes, Mexico and says his Spanish is "pretty solid right now."

He will have three host families in total, and is currently living in a family with three brothers, all around his age, and going to school a ten-minute walk from his home.

"A couple of weeks ago, I went to a soccer tournament with my school and we won!" he proudly reports.

The tournament took place in a large stadium in Tlaxcala.

Dante also traveled to Chihuahua, Mexico with 80 other exchange students in October, and will be taking part in a trip across the southeastern part of Mexico in April.

"So far my experience has been amazing," he says. "I think I have definitely matured."

"You have to learn to look after yourself more when you are on exchange," he says. "You have more freedom, but you have to learn how to use it and not to abuse it."

Emma has had, perhaps, the biggest adjustment of all three Sackville students. She is living in India. Her first city was Chandrapur, in the centre of India, and she is now living in Nasik, which is further west, closer to Mumbai.

One of the things that took some getting used to was the food, although she says it is no longer a problem for her.

"I actually love to eat everything now, even the spiciest dishes are delicious," she says.

In fact, one of her favourite activities is cooking with her host mother and father, who she describes as "lovely people who are great to laugh with and there for emotional support."

School is not as emphasized by the Indian exchange program, but Emma keeps busy trekking, taking dance and art lessons, and learning Hindi.

Earlier this year she and the other exchange students in her district learned two Indian dances and performed them at a Rotary conference.

"One dance was a traditional Rajasthani folk dance which involved balancing a metal pot with a fire lit on top, on my head!" she says. "The other was a Bollywood dance number."

Emma also performed a Hindi song solo, in front of 2,000 Rotarians at the conference. And this wasn't the first time Indian Rotarians heard her sing - Rotarian Jagdish Khatri who lives in Nagpur said: "She impressed everyone in our club by singing a Hindi song in her melodious voice."

Jagdish says Emma is "a very nice student who is eager to know and understand Indian culture."

Emma has had several opportunities to travel, including tours of the north and south of India. "One of my most memorable experiences was visiting the Gandhi Memorial site at the shores of the southernmost tip of India and reading some of his famous words on a plaque there."

Emma has also been trekking in the Himalayas, and was very excited to get a glimpse of the Dalai Lama as he left his home, on his way to meet with US President Barack Obama.

Being an exchange student is a challenging and fulfilling experience that changes people's lives - and not just the lives of the students involved.

The friends they make at school, the families that host them, the other exchange students they meet, and all of the extended networks they are exposed to through these connections, are all affected by the exchange.

Emma's mother, Sharon Hachey, explains that "we are also learning as Emma shares her experiences with family and friends via Facebook notes and photos."

"She has been so fortunate to be hosted by many Rotarians and other families who share their daily lives, traditions and celebrations," Sharon adds. "Emma has had many opportunities to experience the historical, geographic, economic, artistic, and spiritual diversity throughout India."

Sackville is lucky to be able to host students from other parts of the world, as the other half of these exchanges. The Sackville and Port Elgin communities have hosted students from Mexico, Ecuador, Germany, Sweden, France, Japan, Switzerland, Australia, and many other countries. For most students at Tantramar Regional High School, these exchanges provide their only exposure to other cultures and ways of life. Some of the funds from the upcoming Rotary Wine & Beer Tasting Evening on Friday, May 7 will be used to support the youth exchange program, as well as other youth and literacy programs that benefit local students and families.

For more information about Rotary Youth Exchange, or if you are interested in hosting an exchange student in your home, contact the Rotary Club of Sackville at 536-9182.