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.

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

October 17^th, 2014

Sponsor Rotary Club: District 3661 – Busan

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

Counselor Name: Lee Dorim (Sophie)

            I'm doing swell! I am incredibly comfortable with my first host family and in the city of Busan. I'm a little worried that it has been relatively easy to adjust to life here. My relationship with my host family is very good. Despite my limited Korean I believe we communicate well. They truly treat me like part of the family, which outside the immediate family is quite large. My host mother has 5 other siblings, all of whom I've met and enjoy the company of their families as well. I've met both grandparents on both sides of my host family as well. I feel incredibly lucky to have landed in such an excellent first host family.

            My greatest obstacle at the moment is the nagging voice in the back of my head urging me to keep everyone at home updated. On occasion I become quite distressed about all the pictures I haven't posted to Facebook, all the videos I've taken that fester in my hard drive, and the messages I haven't replied to because I'd rather not English at the moment. I feel quite guilty to be able to travel and experience so many great things while my friends in the US are beginning to forge their own paths in College and my Korean High School friends are vigorously studying at all times. But I figure I'll deal with those thoughts later.

            I attend Busan International High School, which is a prestigious boarding school here in Busan. I live in the dormitory with a Korean roommate Monday through Thursday and attend class regularly. Everyday I wake up around 6am to participate in morning exercise, for which I run around the dirt parking lot which doubles as a soccer field. Some of my classmates do this with me so we go to breakfast together at 7am. The time between finishing breakfast and 8:20am is self-study time. The foreigners are obligated to attend daily morning meeting at 8am with the school foreigner coordinator to discuss upcoming events. On normal days I proceed to follow my class schedule, listening to various teachers in one room for 50 minutes with 10 minute breaks in between. I usually study Korean on my own during this time.

            There are also some scheduled classes and activities specifically for the foreigners. On Wednesdays we do traditional Korean painting, and on Tuesday and Wednesday mornings we discuss Korean culture in an informal class called “World Issues”. Our foreigner crew consists of four Swedes- two boys and two girls who will stay here until December; and the rotary students- two other Americans (one boy and one girl) besides myself and one Swiss girl. Every Monday and Wednesday there is after school activity time during which I play the flute in the guest dormitory with some eight other students. Every Tuesday and Thursday the Rotary students are permitted to leave the school via public bus after classes end to attend Taekwondo class with the other Rotary students.

            My environment in this school is quite pleasant, but full of English. Every student, despite their refusal, is quite proficient in English and would rather practice their second language with you than listen to you struggle with yours. Furthermore the foreigners are frequently clumped together and segregated from the regular students because we are rather a distraction to their rigorous coursework. This is completely understandable and I have nothing to add to this topic. Everyday I must remind myself that I indeed have more time here in Korea to learn Korean and two months of immersion doesn't make one fluent.

            I have attended one Rotary meeting on the of September. I frequently see my Rotary counselor- about once a week because of Korean language class at Dong-A University, where she works. The Rotary crew also stays in contact using “KakaoTalk”- a popular messenger app in Korea. I have not been informed of a meeting schedule and have not been summoned since. The Rotary committee here is rather evasive and still quite mysterious to me. I will have to work on that. Even so, we exchange students have already taken a bus tour of Busan and taken a trip to Boseong. Thanks to my host family I have also gone to Seoul, Yeosu, and Jeju Island- all beautiful and exciting places I have yet to reflect on. At any rate, I still have much to do; much to think about; and much to learn. Thank you very much to my home Rotary club and all the folks supporting me in the US!

Marni Libby -- Czech Republic/Slovakia

October 9, 2014

Hosted by Rotary Club Bratislava Danube

Sponsored by the Delmar Rotary Club

Current host family: Eva Budzáková and Lubomir Budzák

I’ve been living in Nová Dedinka (a small village about 45 minutes away from Bratislava) for over a month now, and I could not be having a better time. My host parents, Eva and Lubo, are both extremely kind and caring, and I feel like I am a part of the family! My host parents have already taken me to Vienna, Hummene, Michalovce, and the Vysoké Tatry (the highest mountains in Slovakia), and I have visited more old castles than I ever thought I would see.

I’ve been attending school regularly since the second of September. Usually I get out of school around 1:45 PM or 2:45 PM, and then I either go into the city center with my friends, or I take the tram, then the trolley to the bus station, where I take a bus back to Nová Dedinka. My schoolmates are all very nice, they are mostly loud and outgoing and unafraid to speak their minds to the teachers. I’ve been told that my class is disliked by many teachers for being loud and disruptive, but I’ve found that this very fact has helped me, as they are less than shy about talking to me, and they are all very friendly. I have not been told about any activities in school outside of class, but my host mom and I are searching for an orchestra that I might be able to play violin with.

My host Rotary club is located in the Staré Mesto, or Old Town, of Bratislava, and they have meetings every Monday at 6:30 PM. Attendance is mandatory for exchange students. The last time I went was two weeks ago, as I was traveling back from the mountains last Monday, and that was also the last time that I saw my counselor, Martin Paulik, he is a very nice man. There was also a district orientation meeting two weekends ago, that was held in Otrokovice, Czech Rep, and all seventy-seven exchange students were there. It was great to meet people from all over the world, although the majority were from Mexico, Brazil, or the USA. I have not gone on any trips with Rotary yet, except for a small outing with my host club at which we went to a small village in Austria to drink burčiak (young wine) for an evening. My host Rotary club is also giving me an allowance of 65 Euros per month, which is very generous. I think I have a wonderful host club, and a great support system set up through my counselor Martin, and the head of the Youth Exchange in the club, Pavol. I know that I will always get help when I need it.

My host parents have taken me all across Slovakia now, and I really enjoy every trip we take together. I have seen modern things, such as the Andy Warhol museum in Medzilaborce (did you know his parents were born in the east of Slovakia?), and I have seen things that are hundreds of years old. Castles with old kitchens and tombs and torture chambers and medieval refrigerators that are eight meters deep. People may not know much about Slovakia, but the country is a place rich in history, potatoes, beautiful nature, and a culture all its own. I am mostly surprised at how most villages and cities in Slovakia all seem to be very small, aside from Bratislava and Košice. The demographics are very different here than what I’m used to.

I have no questions or concerns at the moment. Overall, I am having an amazing time here in Slovakia, and I am so grateful that my host club back in New York decided to give me this opportunity. 

[The picture is of Gustavo, a Brazilian exchange student, me, and my host parents, Eva and Lubo, on the top of Ostrva in the Vysoké Tatry.]

Jill Brooks -- Belgium (Home Club: Salem)

 October 14, 2014

Hello! I have been very busy here in Belgium and having a great time doing everything. I'm learning so much and I am so glad that I decided to be an exchange student here and for all rotary has done to help me!

I am very lucky to have the host family that I do; they are extremely generous and also very active- we are always doing something exciting. They have taken me to parades, pro soccer games, lots of different villages, and even the south of france for a weekend!! In two weeks during Toussaint holidays we are going to Croatia for a week. I have 7 host siblings as both of my host parents were previously married. One of them, Guillaume, who is the same age as me, is in Miami as an exchange student. The rest, except for my little 9 year old sister, are all older than me. This is also nice because they are very friendly and remind me of my own siblings back home, and also because they invite me along to do things sometimes. Having a little sister is also great because she has taught me a lot of french and never judges when I mess up!

School here is much different than what I am used to, much more so than what I expected. Everyday my host dad, who works in Charleroi, the city where I go to school, drives me to school and buys me a hot chocolate and a croissant (he has an orange juice) at the same cafe. I love this part of the day because now I know all the cafe regulars (one man has a collection of 2,000 antique watches!). After school I catch the bus home- figuring out public transportation here was intimidating at first, but now I love it! Belgium has a train or a bus to anywhere you could want to go, it is really quite miraculous after coming from a place with very little public transportation. There are much fewer resources, the teachers are quite strict and everyone must wear a uniform as it is a Catholic school: as long as you are wearing blue marine or white with no pattern, you can wear whatever you want, but they are very strict about it and I have gotten scolded several times for deviating slightly without realizing! After talking to the director of the school I have switched out of math classes and am now taking more french classes with younger grades (13 and 14 year olds mostly). This is quite helpful and also pretty fun as we are reading police mysteries! The other students at school are all very interested in me and very friendly. I have made several good friends and I am so thankful for them because I know that many other exchange students here are finding that difficult. I actually think that being one of the few people without other exchange students in my school is a blessing because it has forced me to really pursue relationships and not be hesitant to speak french. 

My french is coming along really nicely. I am very thankful for the four years I had previous to coming here. I can understand mostly everything that is said to me. Forming my own phrases is still difficult but I'm finding it easier and easier all the time and can now somewhat confidently carry on a conversation and participate. 

Monday and Wednesday evenings I usually play soccer- my host family found a local girls team for me to play on which also has three other exchange students on it. The weekends are always different- usually I am doing things with my host family or my Belgian friends, or an event with rotary. There are many here- I have already visited the Belgian parliament in Brussels and also the Wallonie parliament in Namur through rotary trips. Since Belgium is so tiny and there are over two hundred exchange students here it is fairly easy to get us all together. 

Now that I have good school friends and can understand and speak more, things are becoming easier and easier every day- I am really settling in and figuring everything out and it feels great! 

Thanks so much again for everything. I also have a blog where I have been posting things, if anyone is interested in checking it out it is http://theoutdorables.tumblr.com/- if you click on the "my things" link it is all posts about Belgium!