Small World

I just got back from my March Break trip with my dad, step-mom, and step-brother in Las Vegas, Zion National Park and Bryce Canyon National Park. We're kinda outdoor nerds so we spent our break looking at rocks, literally! I enjoyed it, I'm so amazed by how little you can feel compared to these huge rock formations in front of you. But my dad kept on telling me "This will be nothing compared to the Andes in Chile!" Ahhh, it just makes me so excited still!

Also my mom was just in Kenya, Africa for 2 week with Sleeping Children Around The World (SCAW) distributing bed kits to children in need. While there SCAW was hosted by the Rotary Club of Nairobi... seriously Rotary and Rotarians keep on popping up in my life everywhere now! There was also a Rotarian travelling with my mom's group from India, and his daughter was on a RYE from India to Brazil in 2004-2005. So my mom and him bonded over sending their daughters away and he ended up giving my mom his daughter's Rotary name tag to give to me! I was surprised, but it's going on my jacket as soon as I get it!

Seriously what a small World!

Rotary Terminology

Outbound - Students (like me) who are still in their country and will be going on exchange in July/August

Inbound - Students that are in their host country on their exchange

Rebound - Students that have gone on exchange and are now back in their home country, also very helpful and a wealth of information and experience!

Rotarians - The people that give the exchange students an amazing opportunity!!

District 7080 - My Rotary district, including Brampton, Guelph & Wellington, Mississauga, Kitchener Waterloo, North Halton, Woodstock & Oxford, Burlington, Dufferin Erin Caledon, Cambridge, Oakville

Ex-Vegetarian

Before I even found out which country I was being sent to I made a commitment to myself and to Rotary that I would change back to a non-vegetarian diet for my exchange. I've been a vegetarian since grade 7 (6 years), or more precisely a Pescatarian (still eating fish, eggs, dairy), although since August I have also stopped drinking cows milk. Finding out that some countries would not accept me if I was a vegetarian scared me because I didn't want to limit my opportunities. Also my exchange is a cultural exchange so I don't want to insult my host country and families by not eating their food, and instead really trying to immerse myself in the culture, including the food

Last night was the first time that I ate chicken in 6 years! It seems so surreal that I haven't ate pork, chicken, beef, etc. in so long! Luckily I didn't think much of it, I just thought it tasted like imitation chicken since it was mixed with other things so I wouldn't be disgusted. Slowly but surely I'll be back to full-on eating meat, and ready for whatever Chile has to offer!

Earthquake

It's only been a week since I've found out that I am going to be living in Chile for a year and one of the worst things has happened to my host country. A earthquake higher in magnitude than the Haitian one has struck the central part of Chile, the epicenter where I will most likely be placed for my exchange. I'm pretty much glued to the news coverage because I already feel so connected to my host country. Luckily my friend/inbound from Chile has told me that his family is fine, but I still can't imagine that yet again another huge earthquake has shook-up the world in more than one way.

About a week ago or so I was talking with my best friends about the worst type of natural disaster that we could imagine, and we all came to the consensus of an earthquake. Putting so much faith into the ground that we are so fond and comfortable of, and then boom... its shaking beneath you. All I can do is hope for the best of every Chilean, and the rebuilding of such a great country.

I will be going to...

February 21st was a life-changing day for sure.

I drove to Brampton with my family to meet with all of the inbounds, outbounds, rebounds, and everyone's family to find out where everyone was going on exchange this coming July/August. As I entered the Rotary Club I was the second outbound to arrive, and I was almost immediately fitted for my red Rotary blazer which I'll receive in May. It was so good to see all of the exchange students again since most of us haven't seen each other since Wanakita! After some catching-up the Rotarian's got us all settled down and Announcement Day had finally begun!

First the Rotarians were all introduced and they were very skillful at keeping up the anxiety and suspense. After finding out that no one was going to Ecuador this year I was a little worried because I was hoping for a South American country, but I was ready for anything! Finally the Rotarians called up the first girl for her envelope but before she could open it they read the full letter out for everyone to hear. With my last name starting with a "W" I was expecting to be the last person to open their envelope, but NOPE... I was the second one! I was so nervous but also strangely calm as I walked up to the podium to open up my envelope in front of everyone. As I opened up my envelope I had the great please to announce...

"I'm going to... CHILE!"

Just after opening my envelope

That's right! This blond hair, blue-eyed Canadian girl will be living in Chile for the next year of her life! I'm so happy that I'm going to Chile, it was my first choice to go to and I cannot wait! As every outbound opened up their envelope the inbound/rebound from that country would run up and hug the inbound, it was so awesome! After everyone's country was announced we spilt up into three groups, South America (Chile and Brazil), Europe (Denmark, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, France), and Asia/Oceania (Thailand, Japan, New Zealand, Australia). We were able to talk to the inbounds and rebounds along with our Rotarian coordinator to learn more about our countries and re-assure our parents. After that we were able to just hang out again, take pictures, and just enjoy the fact that we are all going to amazing countries! Finally to my parents relief, we finally left and I was surprised with a little present at home from my mom and step-dad. My mom being confident in me going to Chile bought me a map of the country a week ago and I also received a lovely little "rough guide" to Chile along with some Canadian flag badges.

Book (from Thailand), Sampo (from Finland), Me (Canada/Chile), and Cristobal (from Chile)

I am so thrilled, ecstatic, joyous, grateful, blessed, appreciative, excited to go to Chile and to have this amazing cultural experience!