District 7430 Youth Exchange - Current News

On February 11, the Inbounds and Outbounds from District 7430 ventured to Spring Mountain for a day of skiing and snowboarding. After some slight confusion as to whether the trip would be canceled due to the impending storm, we got started. After all, a little snow would only make a day on the slopes more enjoyable. Although some members of our group were experienced skiers, I had never so much as tried on a ski boot before. I had never snowboarded either, but I had been told that learning to ski was considerably less painful than snowboarding for the first time. Therefore, I signed up for a skiing lesson. Everything was new to me-- I had to be told a few times that my ski poles should be carried facing down so I wouldn't poke someone's eye out.

The next scheduled lesson did not begin until 12:00, so a few other inexperienced skiers and I decided to see how we would fare prior to instruction. In retrospect, this was not the brightest of decisions. As soon as the three of us stepped off of the ski lift, we fell directly on top of one another. Thankfully, a few of our more experienced friends were around to teach us some of the basics of skiing. Most importantly, how to get up after falling. Trust me, this was a skill we used frequently.

By the time we had survived our first descent of the mountain, it was time for out lesson to begin. Several exchange students from Washington College who were also learning to ski for the first time joined us.

With the help of an instructor, our skiing skills improved rapidly, and eventually we could all make it down the mountain without falling at all!

After our lesson, the outbounds had to be fitted for our blazers. This was another exciting sign that our exchanges are drawling nearer! We ate a quick lunch in the lodge and had an opportunity to get to know the students from Washington College before heading back outside. At this point it had begun to snow and everything looked beautiful.

Several of us grabbed out cameras and took pictures in the rapidly accumulating snow.

When we were tired out and frozen to the core, we returned to the lodge to warm up by the fire. We were pleased to find that the lodge had turned into a concert of sorts, since several of the students from Washington College had brought instruments. The music, hot chocolate, fire, and snow falling outside provided a very cozy environment. After a dinner that consisted of numerous types of pizza-- which included pineapple, another first for me. We settled down to have our meeting.

At the YMCA event, our meeting had only included the Outbounds and several Rotex, but this time we had the added insight of the Inbounds, in addition to the students from Washington College, who were forced to stay the night due to less-than-desirable driving conditions.

During the meeting, the Outbounds who had received their district assignments-myself included-talked about our destinations for a few moments. I spoke about the north of Italy, and we heard about areas in Brazil, Spain, Argentina, and even Siberia. We were also given a copy of The Exchange Student Survival Kit, which seems to be very helpful, if at times intimidating. Later in the meeting we were asked what we expected out host families to be like. We heard some interesting arrival stories from the Inbounds, and then we moved on to a role-play that was arguably the most entertaining portion of the meeting. Raissa and Celso, two Inbounds from Brazil, pretended to be the host parents of an unsuspecting Aishah, who is going to Brazil next year. Raissa and Celso only spoke in Portuguese, and they had to use exaggerated sign language for Aishah to understand what they were trying to communicate.

Even so, Aishah did not know that Celso was trying to ask her if she was hungry until he practically forced a banana down her throat.

Although this scenario was comical, it did make me wonder about what my future host family will be like.

After the meeting, we covered the floor of the lodge with our sleeping

bags-- there was hardly any area left unexposed. As it got darker, it was difficult to walk across the room without stepping on various sleeping bodies. Although a few people fell asleep early on, the majority of us stayed up well into the wee hours of the morning, trying to not be too loud while talking and getting to know one another better. I'm not sure what time it was when I finally sleep, but judging by the lengthy nap I took when I got home, it was rather late.

We awoke the next morning to a landscape covered in snow, which while being lovely, hinted at the road conditions. Needless to say, most of us spent a few extra hours at Spring Mountain. Of course, we did not mind being forced to enjoy one another's company for a while longer. I can't wait for the next Rotary event, and I'm sure all the other Inbounds and Outbounds agree with me.