Rotary Blazer

So one of the Rotary traditions is to give the exchange students blazers, which they decorate with pins that they collect from their travels. A great way to spot a Rotary exchange student is to look for any color of blazer(the color depends on the country). The blazer will most likely be decorated with random things, the craziest I have seen is a rubber chicken. The blazers also help other Rotary exchange students to find each other in airports. Not many people wear blazers decorated in colorful pins on an airplane! It is a great system to find each other so you are not traveling internationally completely alone. Rotary always tries to match your flight with another exchange student who is going to somewhat the same area. For example, I could meet a kid in the Seattle airport and we would fly together until Amsterdam, where we would go our separate ways. It is a great way to meet new people and stay safe, because after all, safety in numbers.

My blazer

1st Host Family

This afternoon, as soon as I left from orientation, I received an email from my first host family. I was at the mall with my mom and when I saw the email I freaked out and so many people stared at me! My family lives in a small little town with a population of about 10,000. That is around the number of people that live in my town. My family seems like such a good match for me! I will have a younger brother who is 13 and an 18 year old sister. Their other child will be leaving to be a Rotary exchange student in Alaska shortly before I arrive. She is also 16. The mom is a ballet teacher and the father is an engineer. They also enjoy flying. That is great considering my dad is a pilot and I have grown up around planes! The mom also enjoys baking and gardening. I love to bake and I've never really had the chance to garden because I move during the summers (military family). I also dabbled in ballet and I hope she will let me sit in on a few classes and learn! I would be awful but it would be a great way to meet people. The cool thing about the daughter who is coming to Alaska is that we can exchange information about where we live and what we're going through as exchange students! Well, at least I hope that's what happens. I would love to ask her questions about Germany and answer any she has about Alaska. I also have every intention of begging my host brother to teach me to play soccer! I've never had a sister before and I hope we become close, despite the age difference. I could really use some tips on how to dress so I don't end up looking like a slobby American. After all, Alaska is the worst dressed state in America! I am so excited to meet them and I can't thank Rotary enough for this opportunity.

Spring Orientation: Outbounds

This weekend I have been fortunate enough to attend the Rotary Spring Orientation! It is strictly for outbounds and gives us a chance to bond with each other before we leave for exchange. I am so thankful that I am able to see everyone again. It's been so long and I truly missed them. For many of us this will be the last time we see each other until after our year abroad. This orientation is a lot more relaxed than the Rotary Winter Orientation. They don't take our phones away! It's a miracle! When we arrived we were thrilled to find out that the hotel we are staying at has a pool. For people in Alaska, a pool is a big deal. It is a rare occasion that we actually have the chance to swim. Tonight, after countless hours of sitting in a conference room, most of us went to the pool and enjoyed the luxury of a magical thing known as "hot tub." It was amazing. I can not thank the volunteers enough for how much they've given to us. It means so much to me. From the few short months I have been in the Rotary family, I can say I truly believe that this is the best exchange program in the world. If anyone is looking for a program I highly recommend Rotary. Thank you everyone for this amazing opportunity.

Outbound love! (I'm the girl being held)

Rotary District Conference

This past saturday I had the pleasure of volunteering at the Rotary District Conference selling balloons with raffle tickets to support the Rotary Youth Exchange Program. I can not thank the generous Rotary family enough for their donation of around 3,700 dollars. All of the Rotary members are so sweet and I aspire to be as caring and generous as them. They take the Rotary motto, "Service Above Self" extremely seriously. I also was able to see and try on my Rotary blazer for the first time. To be completely honest, my blazer is so unattractive. It is not the blazer itself that is horrendous, it is the way the blazer fits me. Well, the way it doesn't fit me. Nothing a little altering can't fix! Well actually, it was built for a man so the shoulder pads stick out further than my shoulders, the buttons that should be at my waist are at my hips, and it resembles a big navy blue box. The boxiness can be fixed but I doubt the other problems can. Oh well! It is mine. To me it is more than just a silly blazer that has some Rotary patches on it. It signifies that I am actually going to do this. I am leaving my childhood behind through this trip and am looking to the future with open arms. Actually, I'm leaping. I am diving headfirst into the real world. I am half scared to death and half speechless with excitement. As excited as I am for exchange, I shall try to enjoy these last few months in Alaska with my family. Thank you Rotary International for this amazing opportunity.

As my name was announced for Germany

About Me

             So I thought I would give you a more in depth introduction to my life. I am the middle child out of four kids (my little brothers are twins.) I have three brothers, Drew, Brayden, and Riley. I also have a beagle named Lucy. I have lived in Alaska, Washington D.C., Texas, Alabama, and England. I have spent half my life in Alaska so I consider it home. I am currently a sophomore in high school, but school gets out next week. My goal in life is to either join the Peace Corp or travel to third-world countries as a missionary. I love volunteering, traveling, and my Savior so why not combine them all! When I was 15 I traveled to Nicaragua on a week long mission trip and it was the most amazing experience of my life. I believe that is what sparked my interest in seeing the world. When I was younger all I wanted was to be famous, but as I've grown older I have realized that my life shouldn't be about just helping myself, it should be about helping others. What I have learned is that true joy can only be obtained by putting others before yourself. One thing I have been asked a lot is if Germany was my top choice in country. No, it was not. My top countries were Italy and Austria, however, I am thrilled to be going to a country filled with so much history and culture.

When I first received my country.

                The reason why I have started this blog so early is because I think it will be interesting to see how my depiction of Germany has changed. I also think it would be a good idea to get a basic understanding of how blogging works before I leave and have actually interesting things to blog about.
                For those of you who don't know me, I am a 16 year old girl from Eagle River, Alaska (just north of Anchorage,) I am a Rotary Exchange outbound from district 5010, I am headed to district 1830 in Germany, and I do not speak the German language. Yes, I know what you're thinking. "What person in their right mind would go to a foreign country all alone and not even speak the language?!" Well, I would. I believe that this will be a great way for me to mature, become more independent, and learn another language. "But you'll miss your Junior Prom!" "You're crazy!" "How will you talk to other people!" "You do realize that you're missing an entire year of school." "Aren't you scared?" "I could never do that." These are only some of the reactions I have received when people have learned that I am doing a study abroad. In all honesty, I'm terrified of the trials I will face, but I also know that this is a once in a lifetime experience. I may be terrified, but I am also thrilled to have this opportunity. How many kids from small town Alaska get the chance to spend a year abroad in Europe? I intend on keeping this blog updated and I thank you for taking the time to read it. I assure you that you can expect more interesting posts when I am actually in Deutschland, in approximately 3 months.

Unfortunately, I have not become "Madde in Deutschland" yet. I still live in Alaska. My arrival date in Germany has not yet been determined but I will most likely get there around the middle of August.