Ally Block -- Ecuador (Home Club: Ballston Spa)

 December 16, 2014

November second was ‘Dia de los Difuntos’, also known as ‘Day of the Dead’. I have always been very interested in this holiday and was incredibly excited to take part in all of the traditions. Yet, I learned that this day is not for those who are actively in mourning- it is more appropriate to memorialize loved ones who passed some time ago. Therefore, due to the recent losses in my family, we did not celebrate to the fullest extent- which would usually include a family dinner at the graves of family members.

            However, we ate and drank all of the traditional food for this day throughout the entire month. The typical drink is called ‘colada morada’. The base of it is a purple variation of flour that is only produced in Peru. We were all given a serving in school at the beginning of the month, but I didn’t realize how complicated this drink was until I several hours in the kitchen with my grandmother making our own batch.

            In addition to the flour- which has to be soaked for several hours and then finely sieved, the colada includes lots of fruits and spices. We spent a good deal of the time peeling, cutting and in some cases liquefying and sieving, raspberries, blueberries (which are very rare in Ecuador), naranjilla, pineapple and babaco. Every fruit had to be cooked separately before being added (in a very specific order) to the entire pot. Then we added to the spices: sweet pepper, cloves, cinnamon, spicy pepper, rosemary and sage- which were also all cooked separately. All of the work was worth the reward as it turned out delicious.

            Ecuadorians eat/drink the colada both warm and cold and usually accompanied with a guagua (a Quichua word pronounced wa-wa) de pan. This is a bread doll which is formed from sweet dough and decorated with colorful frosting. Usually there will be Dulce de leche or a type of fruit filling in the head. For Dia de los Disfuntos guaguas are sold in every bakery. Often, but not always, bread horses are also sold to give to the little boys instead of dolls.

            On the actual Day of the Dead we ended up going to Colombia which is only three hours to the North of my city, Otavalo. The drive was very beautiful but the trip was just a shopping venture. Since the exchange between Ecuadorian currency (the US dollar) and the Colombian peso is so favorable ($1= 1,920 pesos) it is very common for Ecuadorians to travel north for what I can only liken to Black Friday shopping. I bought some coffee and my family bought a TV and lots of toilet paper! It was so busy (on a holiday) that we waited in the checkout line for an hour and a half! It was a very amusing a genuine experience!

            On the way back home we stopped in Tulcan, a border city and home to one of the largest topiary cemeteries in the world and the largest topiary garden in the Americas.  The giant hedge sculptures and archways were breathtaking and we were able to watch everyone celebrating the holiday with their families. I really like South American graveyards. Although they might be considered gaudy by some I find them very light and personal. Instead of being buried in the ground the majority of people are placed into a cement wall of cubbies painted white and light blue. Each cubby has a glass and cast iron shadow box area in front of it were the name is inscribed. In this little box family photos, little trinkets and silk flowers are also placed.

            That day it was more decorated than usual! Mini flower sculptures were sold at the cemetery entrance to place in the boxes and people were walking around with guitars serenading their departed. I am so glad that I was able to experience this very important Latin American tradition and I hope to bring back some of the customs to NY- at the least my abuela’s colada recipe!

                                                                        

 Sunny salutations from Ecuador!   Ally :)

Hope Danison -- Korea (Home Club: Ballston Spa)

December 6, 2014

Host Rotary Club: District 3661 – Ballston Spa

Sponsor Rotary Club: District 7190 – Busan

Current Host Family: Kim Ji Eun, Kim Keon Ung, Kim Hye In

Counselor Name: Lee Dorim (Sophie)

            Upon entering Busan International High School I was given a schedule of events and activities in which I would participate. Among them was our school's Global Forum: a semi-prestigious international gathering of schools from Indonesia to Russia; Japan to Sweden; and for the first time ever- from America as well. Myself and another American (Daniel Barron from Pennsylvania) were asked (required) to do a presentation about Ecological Integrity for the forum. We too were slightly confused as to why a couple of exchange students suddenly had a sort of authority to lecture an international audience about natural science. But we did it anyway. If you'd like to see our Prezi, here is a link: http://prezi.com/za9ax7e6s1qf/?utm_campaign=share&utm_medium=copy&rc=ex0share

            The whole week the school was abuzz with preparation and welcoming newcomers. At that time more than ever I felt like a true Rotarian representing Ballston Spa High School, our Rotary club, the state of New York, and the United States. It was strange to think that the only impression some students would have of a true New Yorker would be me. I felt uneasy responsibility for a city I've only visited twice. At any rate I felt I successfully represented whatever I stood for that day.

            Delivering the presentation went well considering our trite information about the environment and our predictable call to action at the end. We answered questions and then were told to present a summary of the other speeches from the same venue. Initially a shock, it became an opportunity to improve my impromptu public speaking to say the least. But the truly rewarding part of the whole event was the cultural exchange at the end. Groups from the different schools danced or sang and everyone gave extremely enthusiastic support. Despite realizing the benefits of international cooperation through various lectures, it was still more fun to yell and cheer for talented youth from around the world.

            In addition to this experience as an ambassador for my school I also placed first for women in the 5k at Busan's annual marathon on behalf of my Cross Country team. This is the blog post I wrote about that day: http://bspatobusan.tumblr.com/post/102010787276/november-2nd-2014

            In celebration of a rather successful week, I went with the rest of the first years to 의령on a farm service field trip. We picked persimmons for 4 hours on two separate days. I was thrilled about this because it felt like the obligatory autumnal apple picking of New York, and it was an opportunity to become very close with the rest of my class. I had already spent more than class time with them in school thanks to them including me in their dance performance for this trip. On the first night of the trip all 8 classes showed their true selves on stage. This lasted a solid 2 hours and the energy never stopped once. Here is a link to what I had the privilege to do with my class: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t1s1B8CNHHo&list=UUUIzj9SmK_TeuyJOYbSAM2w

            Being with my friends outside of school like this was an unforgettable experience because the next week I would realize the stark contrast between Korean High School student's true and school personalities. On the 13^th of November the Korean SAT (수능) took place and there was no school. This national test determines a Korean High School student's future. Parents went to temples to pray for their children, people avoided driving or taking public transportation during test hours to reduce noise around schools, and the whole country held its breath. This test is so important to Koreans that it even causes some students to commit suicide. But on that day I ate ice cream with friends who didn't have to take the test (students from the Busan Maritime High School). Since I already graduated High School it was strange to be on the other side of taking an important test, but I still felt guilty for not feeling the anxiety of it. In this way, every day I go to school I am constantly reminded of how I'm not really experiencing Korean High School life. But I'm ok with it. Over my four months here in Korea I've come to accept the reality that I can never completely assimilate into Korean life, so I'm glad for the chance to participate in my own way.

            From admiring autumn leaves at 경주to video taping a family photo day I have a unique window on people halfway around the world from where I was born, which is pretty neat. The people I have to thank most for this (besides Rotary and my parents) is my host family. With them I have been able to appreciate this country in the comfort of a friendly and caring environment. Next weekend I will be changing host families. I am so lucky to have had such an exquisite first host family in Korea, and I know we'll stay in contact. Even though I'm saddened that things never stay the same I am excited for the adventures of living with a new host family.

Jill Brooks -- Belgium (Home Club: Salem)

November 24, 2014

It is hard to keep track of everything that has happened since the last time I wrote. In that time, I took a trip to Croatia, changed host families, and visited Normandy as well as a bunch of places amazing in Belgium.

My host family situation is a bit unique- My second host mom is my first host dad's ex wife. As their son is in the USA right now, they both took it upon each of their separate families to host me. Although at first I was a bit apprehensive to change host families, especially as I had really begun to feel at home with my first one, the transition has gone very smoothly. I definitely feel like a part of my new family, who I have been with now for almost three weeks. And because of the interesting relationship between my two host families, my first host dad still picks me up for school every morning, and I see he and his family fairly often.

My new host mom is a dentist, and her office is separated from the rest of the house by a door in the kitchen. I have only accidentally set off the alarm system, which was very intimidating at first, once! One thing that has struck me about Belgium is how many small businesses still exist. Rather than go to a giant supermarket for grocery shopping, my host mom visits the boulangerie for bread, the local farmer's market for vegetables and fish, the butcher for meat, etc. And while in the USA I have never heard of a private dentist's office run out of someone's home, here that is normal. I think that it is great and means that consumer money gets spread around to more places, rather than going all to one giant industry. Also, I love going to the boulangerie and seeing amazing pastry creations that would never exist in the US, like le merveilleux, my host mom's preferred dessert.

 

My host mom's boyfriend is from Morocco, and both he and my host mom are practicing muslims. It has been interesting for me to learn about the muslim religion, which is very centered on peace and respect for others. Also I have gotten to eat amazing moroccan cuisine and learn the complicated technique for making traditional Moroccan tea! One thing I love about Belgium is that  although prior to coming here I would not have imagined it to be a diverse country, a large part of the population have immigrated here from other parts of the world, bringing with them new cultural influences which I think draw Belgium apart from it's neighboring countries like France and Germany. 

While school can be frustrating at times (sometimes I feel that my fellow classmates are trying their very hardest to live up to high school stereotypes), I am now definitely fitting comfortably into Belgian life and I feel fully settled down here. Belgium is my home now.

 

I love taking the train somewhere for a day trip on the weekend with other exchange students- this past friday we went to Brussels to see the hunger games in english! It was very exciting to see a movie without dubbed over french that doesn't match up with the mouths of the actors and actresses. I also love traveling with my host family. This saturday I visited Bruges for the first time with my host mom. The city was already decorated for Christmas, with lights everywhere and an ice skating rink set up in the middle of the city center. We ate warm waffles with nutella and tartiflette, which is an amazing french dish made of potatoes and cheese. Food has become a very important part of my life since being here! If there is good food available, I am happy no matter what. 

Recently in Belgium there have been country wide strikes due to the newly elected government taking office. The new government is cutting down on the pension fund, salaries for professors, and unemployment aid. This has caused a lot of outcry. When there is a strike, the buses and trains shut down for the day and almost no body goes to school or leaves their homes, as the streets are filled with protestors who make it difficult to get around. Belgian politics are very complicated because it is almost like the country is split up into two different ones- the french speaking side and the Flemish speaking side, and they are always warring with each other. Even traveling to a flemish speaking city, like Bruges, is a bit like entering a new country. The differences between the Flemish and the French are pronounced. As a result of all this, I don't understand a lot about the specifics of the government here in Belgium. 

Anyway, to conclude, I am continuing to learn a lot! I am having an amazingly great time, my french is progressing every day, and I cannot thank the rotary enough for giving me this opportunity!!

Allyson Block -- Ecuador (Home Club: Ballston Spa)

November 19, 2014

            For both better and worse, October was a very eventful month.

            When I arrived in August my oldest host sister, Cristina, was pregnant with her second child. In the beginning of September she started having contractions- since the baby, Tomás, was not due for another six weeks she was put on bed rest. The date for her actual delivery was the 10^th of October. Although we live twenty minutes from Ibarra, the capitol of the well-populated province Imbaburra, the hospitals here are not the best quality. So, to deliver the baby Cris and her husband drove to a women’s clinic in Quito, two and a half hours away. My mom and I drove down the following day with the intention of being there for the birth. However, there were complications and the baby died. The funeral was held the next day back in Ibarra. Obviously, this has been very hard on my entire family. I personally have never experienced anything so heartbreaking.

            The birth ended up being a caesarian section, so my sister was prescribed bed rest for an additional two weeks. During that time I spent a lot of time with her, chatting, reading, and watching a lot of bad Mexican soap operas.

            Lately Cris has been doing much better. We are very close, and I often run errands with her after school. She owns a cake making business and is also the head of quality control for a small fair trade company from the US called “One Little World”. I have always been very interested in fair trade business, so I love being able to travel around the city with her and meet the artisans in their home workshops. It is really incredible to see how much they are benefitting from the fair wages they earn. Those who have been contracted by this company, and similar ones, have a much higher quality of life than the other artisans working in Otavalo. Nearly all of them have cars, and have been able to purchase not only necessary appliance, such as clothes-dryers and washers, but televisions and computers too. This is a really great initiative, and I hope to find a way to stay involved when I return home.

            In regards to school, these past few weeks have been very interesting, for the student government elections were held. In BSHS student council/ school office elections were very relaxed. If someone were to make posters this would be considered putting in a large effort. So, when I saw how elaborate the campaigns are here I was floored. First of all, instead of running as individual candidates, two ballots are made of ten students each, ranging in age from Kindergarten to senior year. The opposing ballots are referred to as “List 1” and “List 2”. After the teams are made a week of debates and various campaign stunts is held.

            During lunch break turntables, speakers and megaphones were brought in to create a club-like atmosphere. Given that my school is K-12, it was a popular strategy to try and win over the elementary school kids (the youth demographic, if you will). To that end, freeze pops and candies were distributed while faces were painted with campaign colors.

            This all reached a climax the day before the elections. A large stage was set up in the courtyard for the candidates to run their respective rallies from. It felt more like a music festival than school! List #1 contracted four different musical groups, a hip hop dancer/contortionist and stilt walkers! This was topped by List #2 who brought in the DJ & rapper duo from the most popular discotech in the city! In addition to a hip hop dance troupe!

            Considering that girls are not allowed to have painted finger nails in school, my mind was blown by such ostentatious displays. The day was very fun, but in general I think that permitting extravagant campaigns is unjust. Whoever’s family can afford to put on the most outrageous event wins! The candidates are elected more on their performance than merit. Yet, I suppose that this is a more accurate reflection of politics than our school elections.

            Overall, everything is going very well! Although there are certainly things that I miss about home I haven’t been overwhelmingly homesick. I think that this has something to do with the weather. I cannot believe that it is November, almost Thanksgiving! It’s perpetually late August here. Time has stopped still! Maybe if I had changing seasons to reference how long I’ve been away I would be lonelier.

            But, of course, my family is wonderful!, and they tell me that my Spanish is coming along very well. I had my first (part of a) dream in Spanish! It was really only a sentence, after which I immediately woke up startled. Even so, I am certainly making progress, and hopefully learning a little bit more every day!

Marni Libby --Slovakia

November 10th, 2014
Hosted by: Rotary Club Bratislava Danube
Sponsored by: Delmar Rotary Club

Current Host Family: Eva Budzakova and Lubo Budzak
Counselor Name: Martin Paulik

My life at my host family has not changed since my last report. I am still happy and healthy here, and absolutely content with my current host family. We are going to be changing host families in about two weeks' time, and I'm a bit nervous for that, but I've met my next host mom and she is really nice, so I think everything will be fine. School is much the same, I participate completely in math and PE and informatika (some sort of computer/tech class), and in other classes I listen but don't really participate because I can't understand. My literature teacher wants me to write a paper next Friday though, so that should be interesting. I haven't been to any major Rotary functions since I wrote my last report. I've been going to meetings every Monday, and on December 15th I am scheduled to give a presentation about the USA. My counselor, Martin, also goes to these meetings, so he always asks me if there's anything I need to talk about, I am never doubtful that he is here to help. 

Last weekend I went to a concert in Bratislava for one of my favorite singers. I was struck by how excited all the other attendees were. They are people on a completely different continent from the one I grew up on, and yet we were all gathered to hear amazing music that we ALL loved. It's cool how people from such different backgrounds can all be similar in the end. We're all just people. Next weekend my future host family will take me and a fellow exchange student (Gustavo from Brazil) to Prague. I am looking forward to it a lot, I've heard that Prague is a beautiful city. 

I don't have any concerns at the moment, this year has been amazing so far, and I am hoping that it will continue to be that way.

Hope Danison -- Korea (Home club: Ballston Spa)

November 7th, 2014

Sponsor Rotary Club: District 3661 – Ballston Spa

Host Rotary Club: District 7190 – Busan

Current Host Family: Kim Ji Eun, Kim Keon Ung, Kim Hye In

Counselor Name: Lee Dorim (Sophie)

            Since the last report, I have been to virtually all four corners of Korea in one month. Thanks to the willingness of my host family to do activities with me, I have had a busy but thrilling schedule every weekend. Even though I see my family less often than most exchange students because of boarding school, I still feel very close with them. Currently we have a perfect balance of relaxing and traveling together within the limited days. I've been wondering what exactly I bring to the table for my host family, and I've concluded that I'm an excuse to go places. This month's adventure begins in Busan on the 3^rd of October.

            Before coming to Korea and upon learning my placement, I researched extensively about the city of Busan. I even subscribed to the city's YouTube channel, DynamicBusan. It feels quite rewarding to see their logo on the buses and taxis I take here now. In the same way I was thrilled to attend the opening ceremony of the Busan International Film Festival that I had only previously hypothesized about going to back in my bedroom in the US. It was surreal even after the ceremony when watched footage I saw with my own eyes on TV the next day.

            After the glamor, it was back to nature with a one night camping experience with my host family. We went to Yangsan, which was close but far enough from the city bustle. However it didn't feel like traditional camping to me; our campsites were aligned in a row along a creek that reminded me of the Kayderossarass of Ballston Spa. We mostly relaxed, and in my case I played by the water with the kids. Camping food was fun and so was pseudo-marshmallow roasting over a grill with soup crackers and no chocolate.

            To be honest, I felt closer to nature the following weekend when I went to Jeju Island. The whole island was beautifully inspiring and is now the target of retirement. I walked along a course to view the scenic seaside, ate fresh fish, took pictures of my host sister for two hours in a teddy bear museum, saw a giant crater, wild horses, and visited U-do (island) as well as a fashionable cafe by the sea. The atmosphere and environment of Jeju was exotic yet homey enough to be hands-down the best vacation I've ever been on.

            The following week I did a complete 360 and went to the opposite end of Korea- Seoul. While relaxing beaches are more my style, we had art themed activities in the capital that were just as interesting. Complete details of the trip can be found here: http://bspatobusan.tumblr.com/post/102009990246/october-14-16-2014-bihs-seoul-field-trip-report

            On the third weekend of the month it was back to Busan only to go West to Yeosu to visit my host grandparents. Yeosu, I have speculated, has the seafront of Busan but the atmosphere of the countryside. For the Chuseok holiday in September. I truly enjoyed catching crabs and clams on an empty beach. This time, we all went to a wildlife park featuring tall grains and mud guppies. That was when I fully embraced the way of the sunbrella.

            I proceeded to travel deeper into the countryside the last weekend of October for our second Rotary excursion to Boseong. Because it is famous for nothing but its extensive green tea fields, we saw all we needed to see on our first visit the previous month. However this time our trip felt a little more authentic without pictures constantly being taken of the students as if we were animals. This time we got to meet students from various  High Schools in Boseong and befriended them. Despite the trite traditional craft activities, I enjoyed my time playing games with our new friends.

            Still no Rotary meetings, but my family and school are sure keeping me busy.