Kirsten Beth Lomnitzer -- Brazil (Home club: North Creek)

Sponsoring Club: North Creek Rotary Club District 7190
Host Club: Sao Luis, Sao Fransisco Rotary Club District 4490

Hello again! I'm now about halfway thru my exchange year and while I might not be fluent, I can say that I can communicate very efficiently in Portuguese. I am currently staying  in the district governor's house while I wait to go to my next host family. From what I understand they are currently on vacation. I will miss my old host family but I am told that my new family has a pool! Eu adoro nadar! I love to swim.

Yesterday, I went to a Rotary meeting and I meet with the other kids in the area. There were seven of us, two exchange students (including me), two hopefuls, one Rebound and two kids that got dragged there by their parents. We all talked in Portuguese about where we are from and what we like to do, things like that. I ended up with the unofficial biggest laugh award because of a story that I told about a spider that was bigger than my hand that I found in my bathroom and proceeded to freak out. All in all, I am having a wonderful time and I can't wait to meet my new host parents.

Sincerely,
Kirsten Beth Lomnitzer

Keith Roscoe -- France (Home club: Cobleskill)

January 1, 2013

   

    Happy New Year! I would have wished you all a Merry Christmas, but I am a little late.  Anyway, as usual I have been pretty busy. The version in a nutshell is as follows: class trip to Strasbourg, week in the alps, switch families in 2 days.  Okay, now for details.

   The trip to Strasbourg was great.  I would have liked a little less time in the bus, 10 hours one way, but other than that it was great. We rolled by night so the first thing we did in the region was eat a tradition breakfast of the region, which is known for including cheese and sausage products (really called charcuterie in french, but I have a hard time translating. Literally, like prepared sausage products). Then we went to a modern art museum. Where I saw an original study of one of my favorite works! I saw "Le Penseur" aka "The Thinker", but like a real one! How crazy is that?! Not to mention the Monet that was there too!  After the art museum we did this like educational scavenger hunts in the city, boring but we got to explore the city.  That night we tasted a local food called Flammekeuch, their take on pizza. Very very good, returned there when with friends when we were on our own for lunch.  Also visited a concentration camp, the very old cathedral (celebrated a million years in a couple of years), a traditional town, and the Council of Europe.

   Week in the Alps:

       Well, the same day I got back from Strasbourg I spent 12 hours in a car to get to the alps. Needless to say,  I slept most of the way.  But the alps are beautiful!! The roads are literally like the car commercials though, nothing but hairpin and 90 degree turns.  Putting all of that aside, I learned how to Alpine ski!! I plan on continuing that when I get home.  I tried cross country but it wasn't for me.  We also did Christmas in the Alps, which was cool. Oh, and you will never guess what I tasted while I was there! Frog Legs! It isn't actually that bad, after you get over the fact that you have to eat them off the bones, it isn't bad at all.

       I will be switching families very soon, but I am not sad. Yes I will miss this family, but I am definitely ready for change! Change keeps things exciting!

Bisous,

Keith

Kirsten Beth Lomnitzer -- Brazil (Home Club: North Creek)

December 22, 2012
Sponsoring Club: North Creek Rotary Club District 7190
Host Club: Sao Luis, Sao Fransisco Rotary Club District 4490

I am sorry that this report I late but for the past twenty days I have been on a tour of Northeast Brasil and have not had access to the internet. The trip was comprised of ninety one exchange students and six guides. We had a wonderful time and I met many people from different countries, both oldies and newies. We went to many different cities including Salvador and Rio de Janerio. I made many friends including Solange, from District 9550, Megan, from District 9455 and Svenja, from District 1840. We were all from different countries and live oceans apart but Rotary Club has allowed us to come together in an entirely different culture from our own. This opportunity is one that I will never forget and one that I will always be thankful for.

Within the trip, the exchange students spoke a rather strange combination of Portuguese, English, German (German speaking exchange students had a majority, followed closely by Taiwan) and any other language that might have been represented by the students. Some of the students weren't even holding their exchange in Brasil and that fact made communicating rather interesting, to say the least. Some people didn't speak English, some people didn't speak Portuguese but I must say, with a bit of cooperation of both the newies and the oldies, we communicated just fine.

I am really looking forward to spending Christmas or Natal here in Brasil. Merry Christmas, everyone. Feliz Natal!

Sincerely,
Kirsten Beth Lomnitzer

Ashley Costello -- Belgium (Home club: N. Lake George)

December 14, 2012

I 'm always so busy so I forget to write my reports, sorry! Everything here is great. I'm in the middle of taking my exams, which are really difficult (but definitely help with my french). My Rotary Club took some exchange students (like 100!) to Germany last Wednesday. We went to a Christmas Market in Aachen. It was really interesting to be surrounded by people speaking German because I'd never actually heard German before.  Next week I'm going to spend the weekend in Ghent with my host family for a Christmas party with family members that I haven't been introduced to yet. I move to my second family's house the day after Christmas and I'm going to spend a week skiing in France with my third family during vacation in February. Other than that, life is just normal now. I've made friends and I'm comfortable in my environment here.

Alyxe Perry -- Belgium (Home club: So. Rensselaer)

Hi Everyone!
 So I have been super busy and having the time of my life here in Belgium. I have been traveling around a lot. A few weeks ago I went to London and Paris with Rotary and then to Bruxelles and other cities with my friends. I love having the public transportation because I don't have to rely on my host parents for rides. It's awesome. School is okay, Still really different than home. I don't think i'll ever get completely used to it. The days are so long and the classes are so boring! We are actually taking exams now before the christmas break starts. I only have to take 4, but a lot of my rotary friends in other schools don't have to take any. My school is really strict with exchange students and want's us to do all the same stuff as the other kids, which is hard sometimes with the language barrier. Speaking of language things are going really well. I'm learning a lot, not fluent yet but I understand 90% of what I hear and I can manage to say all I need to say.

 My host family is really nice! For thanksgiving we didn't do anything special and they knew it was a big holiday for me at home so my host mom made me a chocolate cake in the shape of a heart. It was so sweet. Right now there are a lot of "Marche de noel" things being set up in towns all over for christmas. The Marche de Noel is just basically a christmas market with a lot of artesian products. The one in the town I go to school in is going on now so my friends and I spent last weekend there. I am going to Denmark in a couple weeks to visit Jasmin, the exchange student that my club hosted last year. I am so excited for that! Everything is going great, but I"m realizing the year is going way to fast. I never want exchange to end!!

 Hope all is well with everyone else!

-Alyxe Perry

Aubrey Racz -- Ecuador (Home club -- So.Rensselaer)

December 8, 2012                                             

Host club 4400

Sponser 7190

Family Medina

Counselor Pepe Lara

 

Everything is still great with my health, family, school, and Rotary. Im still going to school everyday. The principal gave all the exchange students a project that consisted of a minimum of 10 page paper and a power point presentation. I spoke about 9/11. Two of my ecuadorian friends asked a teacher who heard us all present who was the best, and she said me and one of my friends from switzerland, so that made me feel really good!! Some of the exchange students have to present again because it wasn't good enough. I definitely still feel accepted by the students (we are doing Secret Santa). I go to Rotary meetings every wednesday. One Saturday we had a party because it was the 75th aniversary of my club. We got dressed up and it was pretty fun, dancing and eating. Also, the chairman of my club told me that I might get reimbursed for some of the things that got stolen from me. My family took me to Quito, the capital of Ecuador. It was amazing and I loved it. It was nice to feel some cold weather to get me more in the mood for Christmas, as I spend a majority of my time here sweating. The 13th of december I will be going to the Amazon!!! I'm super excited! We are going to swim in the lakes and go hiking and bird watching and other stuff too. Im so excited!! When I come back, it will almost be Christmas, and then new years and then the school year ends here soon after that (sometime in Feb) so I have a lot of fun stuff to look forward to! Hope all is well in NY! Chao!

Keith Roscoe -- France (Home Club: Cobleskill)

 November 28, 2012

Hello Everyone!!

     I can't believe that it has been 3 months already! I must start every monthly report by saying something like that, but I am just so shocked everytime.  In these three months I have done so much. Quite literally, I have started a new life here.  I feel very comfortable with my family, school, and just life in general.  

     Since I last wrote I have done so many things.  I hang out with other students fairly frequently, that is always fun.  But, concrete things I have done. Let's see:

-Day of Crepes with my Host Grandma (who knitted me a scarf, an awesome hat, and now mittens are in the works!) and on the way home we hit a wild pig with the car! Who would have guessed that wild pigs were native in France!! The thing survived too!! Long story in detail, you will have to ask my some time.

-I went and saw Saint Malo, a very beautiful landmark up north.  An old fortified village and well known port.

-Jour de la Toussaint: super big deal of like remembering all the dead. Very pretty in the cemetary. Sort of awkward going to grandad's tomb with family, but they didn't get super emotional so it went well.

-I think a got a speaking role in my theater club!  But, it's not 100 percent sure yet so I'll let you all know.

-I cooked Thanksgiving for my family and didn't screw it up! I had plenty of advice from my host mom in terms of the turkey, but besides that it was me!

    I am starting to note that I have problems with my english. It is horrible. Within the process of writing this email, I have attempted to write about 3 french words.  The other day skypeing with my mother,  I threw in french words.  It is taking over!  

   All in all, everything is going super well! There is so much to share that I just can't do it in an email. Check back later for the novel version, haha.