Two students are learning the difference travel can make in their lives as they embark on adventures abroad.
Rotary International is well-known for its one-year exchange trips for high school students. The Okotoks Rotary Club has seen students live in Spain, France and Germany, while hosting teens from those respective countries at the same time.
Ilona Sferlazza, a 17-year-old Belgian student, graduated from her native high school in the spring and is now completing a year of studies at Holy Trinity Academy, punctuated with trips to explore what Canada has to offer.
“Canada was my first choice,” said Sferlazza. “I wanted to improve my English and I wanted to discover the landscapes.”
She caught the Rotary exchange bug from other students who had travelled from Argentina, Taiwan, Mexico, the US and Australia to live in her small village of Bernissart, Belgium. She made friends with the foreign teens and thought the exchange experience would be a great opportunity.
Sferlazza arrived in Canada on Aug. 21 and said she’s enjoying the experience so far, though it took time to adjust to cultural differences.
“Here people don’t kiss to say good-bye or good morning, and in Belgium we kiss on the cheek,” she said. “I think almost everywhere in Europe we do that, so that’s weird for me.”
School has been a big adjustment for the Belgian grad. The array of opportunities came as a surprise, she said.
“Here there are so many options and activities and clubs, you can get involved in everything,” said Sferlazza. “In Belgium we just have serious classes like geography, history, math.”
It also took some time to acclimatize herself to the language, she said. At first, it was difficult to listen to conversational English and keep up with her peers, but Sferlazza said it’s getting easier every day.
She said she doesn’t miss home too much yet, though she does miss her older brother. The two are very close, she said, so being away from him has been difficult. Her host brother, Matt Scharien, has helped eased that longing. His own sister is currently on exchange in Belgium.
“I think it can be hard for him, and for me, because I have a brother but it’s not him, and he has a sister but it’s not me,” said Sferlazza. “But he’s very nice and it’s nice to have a brother here.”
After less than two months, Sferlazza said the biggest thing the exchange program has done is open her eyes to career opportunities she may not have considered before.
Prior to coming to Canada, she had planned to improve her language skills enough to return home and become an English teacher in Belgium. After experiencing Canadian food, she’s developed a new passion.
“I love cooking, and here I cook a lot for my host family, and I’m like, yeah, I like doing that, so why not?” said Sferlazza. “I love the food here, it’s very good.”
The Rotary exchange program also changed the career aspirations of Foothills Composite High School student AJ Sheldrake, who spent last year in Spain, in a small town called Marbella.
A math whiz, Sheldrake had intended to pursue engineering after graduation, but his time in Spain made him rethink those goals.
“I’m looking at opportunities in international business, whether that be here in Calgary, in Alberta, or possibly internationally in Europe,” he said. “The exchange really did shape me in that way.”
He said the strict school system in Spain was difficult to navigate at times, so he relied heavily on the help of friends he’d made – friendships he said will last a lifetime.
Sheldrake said if he could do it again, he would have done more. Though he did some travelling around Europe with Rotary International and with his host families, he said there were some opportunities he felt he missed.
“I never got to go to Africa, which is just across the Straight,” said Sheldrake. “I didn’t get to go to Gibraltor or Portugal. Things like that, I never really jumped on it.”
Despite those regrets, he said the experience of studying abroad was unparalleled. He said there’s just one thing he would tell future exchange students.
“Dive into it headstrong,” said Sheldrake. “It’s the best opportunity you’ll have in your whole life, so make it the best year you can and get involved with everything.”
The Okotoks Rotary Club is currently accepting applications for students interested in the exchange program for the 2017-‘18 school year. The online applications must be completed by the end of October to begin the selection process.
Shortlisted applicants will be interviewed in November to determine suitability.
“We need to know they’re relatively outgoing, confident,” said Okotoks Rotary youth director Agi Zacharias.
Students must be between 15 and a half and 17 and a half years old at the time of departure, they must have above average academic performance, demonstrate leadership skills, adaptability, and the potential to be an excellent Rotary ambassador, she said.
Though the cost of the exchange is $6,500, the Okotoks Rotary Club pays the way for its students. The successful applicant would need sufficient spending money for personal items and outings during the year, she said.
The opportunity is well worth the cost, she said.
“There are so many benefits,” said Zacharias. “They grow and mature emotionally and they’re exposed to another country and another culture, the way other families live. It’s an amazing experience.”
