About Me
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About Me
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About Me
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About Me
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My French Exchange
Central States Rotary Youth Exchange 2018-2019
About Me
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My name is Wasa, and I was a Youth Ambassador for the Rotary Youth Exchange program in 2018. I studied abroad for my sophomore year of high school in a small village called Lauris, along the coast of southern France. This blog is meant to share my experiences with future exchange students, family and friends, Rotarians, as well as anyone else interested in a glimpse of rural French life!
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I'm a half-Japanese, half-American high school student currently residing in Indiana. I've always been passionate about forming intercultural connections and broadening my global perspective–so my year abroad was an undoubtedly enriching and transformative experience! I've lived on three continents and visited over twenty countries around the world, which has contributed to my hopes of pursuing diplomacy in college. As a polyglot, I'm also deeply interested in language and have always loved learning about others' communities and perspectives.
I hope this blog is able to contribute something positive, whether through advice for other exchange students, updates for those close to me, or just as an account of how impactful foreign exchange can be. I truly believe that building these cross-cultural bridges is invaluable to fostering peaceful relations globally. J'espère que vous apprécierez tous ce que j'ai écrit (et les photos que j'ai partagées) car c'était vraiment une belle année!
About Rotary
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About My Exchange
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Rotary International is an international service organization whose stated purpose is to bring together business and professional leaders in order to provide humanitarian services, encourage high ethical standards in all vocations, and to advance goodwill and peace around the world.
The Rotary Youth Exchange program, in particular, allows students to embark on a year-long exchange within a new culture and language. There are Rotary Clubs in cities around the world that participate in this immersive experience that promotes peace-building one student at a time.
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I went abroad through the South Bend Rotary Club in District 6540, and was hosted by the Aix-en-Provence Rotary Club in District 1760.
I lived with three host-families during my year abroad, to experience a variety of lifestyles. My first home was on a small goat farm, where my host-parents were goat cheese-makers. My second home was at the village center, where my host-parents were teachers. Finally, my third home was in the mountains, where my host-parents were running a small B&B.
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I had two younger host-sisters and 3 older host-brothers (two of whom were studied abroad while I was in France). I attended a public high school in Pertuis and was involved with Rotary in the nearby city of Aix-en-Provence.