Camp Wanakita

Me and Gus (from Belgium)

The four of us outbound girls Laura (New Zealand), Me (Japan), Kait (Austria), and Kaitland (Thailand)

The outbounds

Anna (Germany) and me in our Canada hats

Me finding out I'm going to Japan

Junia's first time on Snowshoes!

Me with Gus from Belgium

Group Shot!

All the inbounds

Junia and Gui (Brazilians)

This is where I found out where I was going. We had lots of fun chilling out with our new exchange student friends! I love Camp Wanakita and my Rotary Family!!!

Junia's Arrival

Waiting for her to arrive...

Junia's neighbour, Junia, on exchange in Toronto, me, Andre (Brazilian exchange student in Kitchener), and dad

Junia and Luggage

Junia's first walk outside in our FREEZING COLD WEATHER!!!

This isn't a requirement of the program, but it's what I wanted to do. My family is currently hosting Junia an exchange student from Brazil... These are photos from her arrival on Wednesday, January 24, 2007 she will be living with us until Friday, April 13, 2007.

Festival of Trees 2006

On Friday, November 24, 2006, I volunteered @ the kid's games room for the Rotary Club's Festival of Trees. I announced winners of draws for prices, lead the reindeer races and the mini-putt. It was fun meeting the children and cheeing on their amaing golfing skills.

The night started off with fireworks and then there was time to look @ the beautifully decorated trees and wreaths. For the rest of the evening I was volunteering. The theme this year was the Nutcracker.

Applying the Second Time

October 16, 2006 ~ The Information Night

This evening I attended the Rotary Youth Exchange Information Night. There was four other students there plus their parents; everyone seemed like good canadits. Rudy (head of the exchange program for the Rotary Club of Barrie) held the meeting - same as last year - and he talked about the basics of going on a Rotary International Youth Exchange. There were two Rebound students also @ the meeting. They talked about their experiences abraoad and gave hints and encouragement for applying. After the meeting, I stayed and chatted with them further. They told me what they did extra to be accepted. they encourgaed me to put together a portfolio of myself, my interests, my achievements, and explain why i would be an excellent choice for an imbassador for Canada and Barrie. This was a very informative meeting and I was excited to get started on my portfolio for the interview. Today, I handed in my application and Letters of Reference.

October 23, 2006 ~ Interveiw Night

So my interview was this evening. Ally my hard work of preparing my portfolio paid off because I wowed them with the final product! The actual interview went really well. I knew most of the questions from last year so I was prepared with amazing answers. i'm so glad, though, that I made that portfolio because the interveiw was so short that I didn't have time to say everything that I covered in the portfolio. then the phone rang... Rudy called me about have an hour after my interview and said, "Guess what! You're going!" I completely freaked out! I went on msn and told everyone that was on that I ws accepted. I talked with my brother steven for over an hour and he ran around his dorm telling everyone that his little sis was going to live in another country for a year!!! I posted on our Borgdorff Blog that I was accepted, then called Grandma and Grandpa Barrie to tell them the good news. This was the most exciting night of my life!!!

October 24, 2006 ~ Application Package

Rudy stopped by tonight to drop off the 20 page application package that I need to fill out for the district.

November 16, 2006 ~ Finished Application

Today we are finally done filliong out the application package for district 7010. it's complete with dentle records, a doctor's physical and approval, a school reference, my essay questions, photo, etc... I went to the Rotary Club meeting today to drop off the package to Rudy and get the final signatures.

Barrie's DragonBoat Festival

Me sporting our team shirt.

The Barrie Dragon Boat Races Logo

Our First Practice: I attended all 3 dragonboat practises. they were all at night when the sun was setting. It was pretty with the sun reflecting off of the water. This was my first practive and we were short rowers so my dad came along for the ride. Grandma and Grandpa Sudbury were home for the week and Grandpa took this picture. I'm on the left side of the boat second from the back with the bob. Dad's beside me. I raised $360, one of the top 4 fundraisers!

The Team mighty, strong and undefeated.

Our tent... waiting for the rases to start... talking... sleeping... eating... etc.

Like our team life jakets?

Our president: George Cameron

http://www.barriedragonboatfestival.ca/

So the race day was Saturday, August 26, 2006, but it wasn't much of a race. The races were cancelled due to high winds, but the show still went on. An awards ceremony was still held, but Mother Nature took top prize.

Kampenfest 2006

I volunteered @ Kampenfest with Corrina (my friend from school)on Sunday, August 7, 2006. We worked in the Rotary Beer Garden doing park matanence and selling pop and water. it was really fun and kind of discusting b/c we collected beer cans and cups that eventually dripped all over our sandels. then we got to sort out the garbage and recycling. Thankfully we had gloves! I must say we very much so enjoyed selling pop and water. And the bands were pretty good too! It was fun hanging with the Rotarians and it was so sweet how much the appreciated our help. The proceeds of Kempenfest 2006 is $82 317.42 the largest single amount raised in one event in the history of the club. The money will go towards helping to meet the club's $700 000 commitment to Royal Victoria Hospital.

Fun Run

On, Wednesday, May 31, 2006, I volunteered @ the Rotary Fun Run / Walk with Audrey - the 2005/2006 exchange student from France. (Audrey and I are badminton buddies from Central!!!) At the Fun Run, we had a lot of fun trying to hand out water to runners without us getting wet, and holding an umbrella @ the same time. It was raining. I found it interesting talking with some Fotary members. They are VERY nice people! So, the Fun Run was a lot of fun, and the event ran well. :)

The Festival of Trees

Me and the I Believe tree sponsered by the RVH

Me (wow I look scary) with the fireworks!

One of the suggestions I recieved to help me with my application for next year (Oct. 2006) was to attend/be involved in Rotary avents. So... On Friday, November 25, 2005, I went with my family to the Festival of Trees put on by the Fotary Club of Barrie. We got there just in time to see the fire works go off and the lights @ the waterfront turn on. It was really pretty! Then we went to the Maclaren Art Centre to look @ all the amazing trees that they had there. Basically what happens is they decorate trees and auction them off to the highest bidder... raising money for the Royal Victoria Hospital's Cancer care centre. My favourite tree was the "I Believe" tree sponsored by the RVH. I liked it because it looked really nice, but the stuff on it was funny. :)



"The Barrie Festival of Trees is on @ the Maclaren Art Centre. The annual event is a fund-raiser for the Rotary Club of Barrie. Christmas trees are decorated by local sponsors and available for purchase by the public. The festival wraps up on Saturday Night with a black tie gala and the aucioning of the trees. All proceeds from the Festival of Trees goes to RVH's I Believe campaign."


~Barrie Advanced Friday, November 25, 2005

About the Rotary Youth Exchange

This is right off of the website:
http://www.rotary.org/programs/youth_ex/index.html
http://www.rotary.org/programs/youth_ex/students/about.html

"THE MOST POWERFUL FORCE IN THE PROMOTION OF INTERNATIONAL UNDERSTANDING AND PEACE IS EXPOSURE TO DIFFERENT CULTURES. The world becomes a smaller, friendlier place when we learn that all people - regardless of nationality - desire the same basic things: a safe, comfortable environment that allows for a rich and satisfying life for our children and ourselves. Youth Exchange provides thousands of young people with the opportunity to meet people from other lands and to experience their fultures. This plants the seeds for a lifetime of international understanding."

"A Brazilian student makes her first snowman in Finland. A south African masters eating with chopsticks at his Japanese hosts' home. An Australian becomes part of an extended family in Russia, and a Mexican student in France raises funds to benefit homeless children in Haiti. New experiences, new "families" and friends, and new adventures can await you, too.

"This year, more than 8 000 teens will see the world the way it is best seen - from the inside out - throught the Youth Exchange program. This could be your year.

"As a Rotary Youth Exchange student, you will spend a year, or perhaps just an extened period of time, living with a host family in a country other than your own. you may learn a new language; you will learn a new way of living and a great deal about yourself. Bout there's more. While you are busy learning, the people you meet will be learning as well about your country, culture, and ideas. You will be an ambassador. You will be helping to bing the world closer together and you'll be making good friends in the process.

"If you are ready for the challenge and the rewards of living in another land as an exchange student, then you are ready to discouver new worlds through the Rotary Youth Exchange."

This is what I read back on October 24, 2005. It was the information meeting @ the YMCA. I absolutly LOVED the idea of the exchange program. Living in another country. Experiencing a different culture. Learning a new language. Making friends from all over the world. To me, this is the best thing EVER!!!

So I had 4 days to fill out my application, write an essay, and get letters of reference. It was stressful with school projects due that same week, but I had to prove to my parents that I was capable of this exchange... including the work load.

Wednesday, Novemeber 2, 2005 was my interveiw. It went really well. I answered questions on the Rotary Club, Canada and it's gov't, my personality... etc. It was intence, but I was prepared. I got a phone call the next day saying that I tied with another girl and we would be having a SECOND interveiw. Now I was really nervous. I didn't know how to prepare for this interveiw. Well, as it turned out... they let the other girl go, mainly because it was her last year of applying, and I still had another chance. Stephanie is currently enjoying her year abroad in Germany.

I had to wait a year to apply again. Believe me a year is a LONG time. :)