A larger than life youth exchange experience

By Rotary International

Youth Exchange Students on European Tour

Youth Exchange Students take part in a year-end European Tour.

By Joel Dzuba, Rotary Exchange Student from Ontario, Canada, to Lower Saxony, Germany

It would be impossible to pick a favourite memory from my exchange in Germany due to the sheer number of opportunities I had and dreams I lived. From sailing in the Baltic Sea, to walking in the North Sea, to swimming in the Mediterranean, there are simply too many experiences to pick a favourite.

Joel Dzuba in Germany.

Birthday on a beach
One of the many stories that I do love to share, however, was when I was celebrating my 18th birthday during our year-end European Tour. All the exchange students had gathered on the beach at night to watch the stars in the little town of Portofino, Italy, and eventually I found myself sitting back to back on a rock with a Brazilian student, a Russian student, and a Taiwanese student. In all of my life, no other moment has ever made me feel so paradoxical as that night.

On the one hand, I felt so incredibly small when I realized where I was sitting and with whom I was sitting; as I was just a boy from Ontario who suddenly found …read more

Source:: Rotary International Blog

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