By Aaron Cordy
THREE amazing young women met at Elsewhere Cafe at SAM last Friday, January 17, to share their stories and experiences about their recent, current and future travels with the Rotary youth exchange program sponsored by the Rotary Club of Mooroopna. Local Zoe van Maanenberg has finished her life-changing year in the Czech Republic, having landed back in Australia on Saturday, January 11. While another local, Mimi Ford set off on her journey on Saturday, January 18 to Spain for a year. Slovakian Karlina Kolenciak has spent six months with the van Maanenberg family and will embark on her remaining six months with the Ford family.
Zoe is well-travelled with many overseas trips, mostly to Cambodia, but the opportunity to spend a year in Europe away from her family will be an experience she’ll not soon forget.
“I haven’t talked about it because I’m kind of scared to talk about it because it’s so sad to be back. It was the experience of a lifetime that I wish everybody could experience. It was nothing short of life-changing,” said Zoe.
Zoe’s first host family had no English, which made the first part of her journey extra challenging but by the end of her trip she had become conversationally fluent in the language. Building new friendships and new experiences was highlighted by how accessible the rest of Europe is.
“I went to Italy four times. France, twice, Poland five times. Germany, six times. It was insane. I visited just on the weekend, you know, a casual day trip to Poland.”
Mimi Ford flew to Spain on Saturday, January 18 for her second trip overseas, after visiting New Zealand with her parents when she was 10. She will be staying in the Region of Murcia, in a small coastal town.
“My sister went on a short-term exchange two years ago to Argentina, and then I thought I would never go. I thought it was so scary. But then we had an exchange student come back to live with us, and I just saw how interesting it was and how much he was learning. And I really wanted to do that, too,” said Mimi.
Slovakian Karlina Kolenciak’s first six months have been eye-opening, though she did have an easier transition than her Australian counterparts with English taut at her Slovakian school.
“It’s just many small things that are very different. Like wearing shoes in the house, then saying goodbye and hi to everyone who even I don’t know. It’s very weird,” said Karlina.
As well as learning to eat Vegemite, which Karlina says she no longer hates, Australians’ way of ribbing each other was something she had to adjust to.
“Talking to people, Australians are very talkative, and they like to exaggerate a lot. Yeah, that’s what my Italian friend, who is like my best friend from the exchange students, was asking me, ‘Do Slovakians do that? Because if I would say somebody in Italy, like the things that they say here, they would think that I’m making fun of them.’ Because you exaggerate.”
