Lucy Holecek -- Belgium (Home Club: Albany)

Bonjour tout le monde, ça va?
Hello everyone, how's it going?

Belgium is pretty cold, but I can't complain because it's warmer than Albany right now. French is coming along, I still have difficulties, but I love the language so I'm trying my best. It's almost Christmas time and my presents are bought for my lovely host family. I love my family; me and my sister are finally starting to be great friends which is sad for me because I am moving out soon. This is okay though because we go to the same school and are in the same class. I hope everything is going well for everyone. It's all going so fast and can't believe another month has gone by. Happy holidays!

Lucy Holecek
Albany, NY --> Belgium

Shilo Christiansen -- Japan (Home Club: Cobleskill)

December 9, 2013

Host Rotary Club: 7190

Sponsor Rotary Club: 2560

Current Host Family: Sumimoto

Counselor Name: Nishiyama-san

It has been four months already? It's shocking to even think that! November was a very busy month. I went on the Rotary Excursion to Hiroshima. On the way we visited some beautiful shrines and temples, including one that required me to climb 1300 steps. It was hard, but the view was beautiful. We went to the Hiroshima Memorial, and it was difficult for everyone in the group. However, one thing I noticed, and was appreciative for was the message of the memorial. It wasn't placing blame on anyone, but it preached for peace and a message of:  "let's never let this happen again". I really found the memorial beautiful in many different aspects. 

School life is pretty much the same. I just began my one month of winter vacation! After that one month ends, I will be moved to a different class. The class I was with finished their college entrance exams and no longer need to attend school. I'm a little bit sad and excited for a new class and new friends. I took a Japanese Proficiency exam a week ago. I think it went pretty well. I did find that the listening section was the easiest among the sections, that's due to the immersion.

I changed host families. This host family is pretty different from my first one. They're an elderly couple and are very traditional and conservative. We do have a good relationship....It will be a good learning experience.

My relationship with my host club is good. Among the other exchange students, their expectations run higher for me. I'm not allowed to make the same mistakes as the others, because I'm held at a higher expectation. That is a little bit stressful, but I think it's because I often act as a translator for the other exchange students. My counselor is still amazing! Nishiyama-san is the kindest and thoughtful consoler I could wish for here. 

So all in all, it has been a great month! I'm really looking forward to Christmas and New Year's here. I am a little sad that it won't be the same warm Christmas I'm used to every year. I won't sing carols or watch Christmas movies with my family because Christmas isn't that big of a deal here. It's actually considered a romantic holiday, like Valentine's Day. I will be spending Christmas with my Japanese best friend and her lovely family. I'm really looking forward to it! 

Sincerely,

Shilo Christiansen

Anthony Vandyke -- Ecuador (Home Club: Salem)

December 4, 2013

So now I am a good way into my year long adventure in ecuador, I have made many more friends and have kept myself fairly busy here. School is rather boring but it has its fun moments. My friends invite me to go with them on the weekends which is a good break from the normal weekday routine. My Spanish is getting slightly better as the months pass but it is still quite difficult for me to speak more so then than the other exchange students, but I understand a lot more then before and can have simple conversations with my friends and host family. Recently I've been going out with the other exchange students and getting to know them and their cultures better.
I just recently came back from an amazing trip to the Amazon jungle in a resort called yasuni. It was a 2 hour boat ride from the airport into the jungle. It was very hot and humid but the scenery and wildlife was amazing, monkeys, lizards and many kinds of insects were everywhere. It was one of my favorite trips so far with rotary. It was kind of a short trip but very enjoyable and memorable.
So I think that's about it. I really am enjoying myself here and look forward to what more ecuador has to offer me in the the mother to come. I'm also hopeful that my Spanish will improve with practice. Adiós for now

Gabe Gerhardt -- Brazil (Home Club: Cobleskill)

November 30, 2013

                So third month down and eight more to go till I come home. This month was pretty slow as school goes but outside of school it was pretty good. The school year is winding down and the lots of my friends at school were stuck studying and preparing for final exams. So at school it was pretty boring, but I was able to hangout and get to know the exchange students in my city. I started going to the movies and with them after our Portuguese class. I found out also that I can finally start watching movies in Portuguese without subtitles and understand it pretty well.

                This month I was able to go to the beach which was awesome. My third host father invited me and the rest of my family to spend the weekend at their house on the beach it was amazing. The first day we went to the beach and my host brother showed me this awesome rock that if you hit with it a hammer it makes the sound of bell when you hit it. The second day we went on this awesome hike into the jungle where we swam in this awesome waterfall. It was an awesome experience.

                Another awesome trip I got to go on was a visit to the Intuition of Batana which is a campus where they make anti venom for snakes and siders. If someone gets bit by a venomous snake or spider they can be airlifted to the intuition and injected with the anti-venom. They also have an awesome reptile house with every possible snake, frog, lizard, and spider that Brazil has to offer. I got to see a rattlesnake from the northwest of Brazil, a poison dart frog from the Amazon, and a 10 foot long boa constrictor. It was really cool to see.

                The biggest news that I have so far though is I will be changing families within the next two weeks. I am still a little nervous because I know who they are but I really don’t know what they are like and what their routine is. I want to still be able to do things like go out with my friends and continue doing Ju Jitsu but I unsure if they will let me or if they can take me. I explain this to my host mother and she was really awesome she is taking me to a couple of activates with my next family so I can talk and get to know them a little better.  I really am going to miss this family they have been so nice and have treated me just like their own. 

                So I guess that it, for now. A chapter closes and another opens, filled with experiences and adventure. Hope you all have a nice Thanksgiving and an awesome Christmas. 

Brendan Kelley -- Brazil (home club: Albany)

November 20, 2013

Everything is good here in Brazil.  It's VERY hot, usually above 40 degrees every day.  Right now I'm working on finding my next family.  My Portuguese is improving, I've been doing a lot of cool stuff.  I get to ride horses almost every week, and I swim almost every day.  

Hope everything is good in the states!

Lucy Holecek -- Belgium (home club: Albany)

November 19, 2013


Belgium is great I love it so much. It's very different, but I think it's good for me. I have been pretty homesick, but the past few weeks have been much better. I have made a lot of exchange friends and a few Belgian friends, but making more and more as the time goes by. My French is also getting better, but it's still difficult for me. I'm trying my best because I want my exchange to be the best it can be.

I've been in Belgium for about three months and I have already had the chance to go to Italy and France and in two weeks will be going to London.

My families are great they all live on the same street and they all try to do stuff with me. The time I went to Italy I actually went with all three of my host families it was great.

I'm looking forward to improve more and more as the time goes by. And I can't believe it's almost already been 100 days into my exchange.

It's a hard time, but it's worth the good times.

Lucy Holecek

Gabriel Gerhardt -- Brazil

26/10/13

October update

                Hey everyone. It has been a really big month. This month I got to go the city of Sao Paulo itself which was awesome. I got to see a lot of the sites like the Mercado principal which is like their version of the Boston market, where you can buy almost any food you want from Brazil. I also got to see Liberdad which is like their China Town. You can buy a lot of awesome things there that are really cheap which is rare here. The government puts a lot of taxes on everything so all the prices are really high. My father was telling me that 30 % of every Brazilian´s salary goes to paying taxes.

                 I also got the visit a different state, the state of Minas Gerias which was awesome. It one of the bread basket states so it is a really big industrial center and agricultural center. I really reminded me of Cobleskill with the rolling hills and all the farms. It was really nice to get out of the city and out into the country.

                Ju Jitsu has been great. I have made a lot of friends and my Ju Jitsu has improved a lot. My professor says  that I am really strong on the ground but I still need to work on my posture which I will learn in time. One of my teammates has invited to his wedding in December which I am really looking forward to. I really want to see if a Brazilian wedding is any different from an American wedding. Also in December I will be able to compete in my first competition in Sao Paulo, which I  think will be awesome.   

                My school is also celebrating Halloween so they have asked me to help organize the event and make a presentation on Halloween all in Portuguese which maybe hard but I think I will do just fine.

                 So, one more month down, one more chapter in my exchange, and a ton of memories to remember when I am done. Hope everything is going well with you guys at home I look forward to hearing what you guys are dong at home.

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13/9/13

September update

My trip so far has been really good. I really haven’t been having any problems with the language I can understand what they are saying pretty well, but I have trouble sometimes pronouncing the words. To improve this I have asked for help from my English teacher and in return I have been helping out in my school with the English classes.

I also started going to the gym and I am starting Ju Jitsu. It is really fun and I love to do it. It is a great way to keep fit and meeting friends. I also can practice my Portuguese there which is great. I think I have learned more Portuguese there than I have in school because I am forced to really pay attention to what they are saying and forced to ask question.

My school is great everyone is really receptive to me and helps me out a lot. The students like to practice their English with me and in turn I practice my Portuguese with them. The teachers like to ask me a lot about the US foreign policy though which is like a balancing act because I don’t want to say the wrong thing. I like to ask them a lot though about their politics specifically about Vargas there leader during the 1930s because  I find it interesting how if  you ask one Brazilian what they think of  Vargas they say he was the best thing that happened, if you ask another he was the worst thing that happened. 

Rotary here is really big, every town I go to I see a rotary sign or symbol. They are also are big into an organization called ROTEX which is a club for ex foreign exchange student. They organize trips and community service projects which is awesome because I can participate in them and get to see more of the sites.

I love it here and so far I haven’t been having any problems. Hope everything is going well there.