New Rotary Rule- It's ridiculous.

I am stealing the words from Amy, because she simply says it best. I 100% agree with every word of this, so I'm just copying and pasting. Please take the time to read what she has to say.

Everyone who has ever talked to me knows that I love Rotary a ridiculous amount. It’s pretty much all I talk about. I’m obsessed.

What I am less obsessed with is the new rule that our district is putting into place starting next year. For a few years, our district has wanted younger kids to go on Rotary, with good reason. The younger we are, the easier we pick up a new language and adapt. Or so the science has proven. I received the news today that starting next year, only juniors and under will be allowed to apply for Rotary. This is to ensure that younger blood goes through the program. The thing I protest is that this means that next year’s seniors will be ineligible to apply for Rotary, and they had no warning about this new development. One of my good friends emailed me, completely shaken by the news. She had been so excited to apply to Rotary next year, and told me that if she had known about the new rule, she would have applied last year. Now she has no chance whatsoever to do Rotary, unless somehow, our district makes an exception for the Rotary applicants of 2012-2013.

Here are my points:

1) I personally feel that Rotary is one of those things in life that you have to be ready for. And you decide when you’re ready. Not your parents, not your teachers, not anyone but you. I know I wasn’t ready to go to a foreign country at age 14, or even age 16. Some kids are. I know two remarkable young ladies that are either on an exchange year currently, or are planning to embark on one next year, who are only in their freshman year. The fact of the matter is that most aren’t. Which is a huge reason why 95% of our outbounds from D7170 choose to go around ages 17-18. Leading me to point number 2…

2) I know several people who have also applied for Rotary between their junior and senior year. They’ve had great exchange years, don’t get me wrong! However, I feel that the time between junior and senior year is hyped up with college applications, college testing, and you’re thinking in a totally different track. Taking a Rotary journey may be a good way to step back from all that, but in another way, I feel taking an exchange year between high school and college is perfect. You can really focus on Rotary itself. Your personal journey. I’ve heard that going back to high school after Rotary is hard. You’ve matured and grown so much; you’ve experienced a new and totally different culture. You may be bilingual. You’ve gone through challenges your peers haven’t perhaps dreamed of yet. Many things in high school now seem petty and trivial. You are not with your graduating class–okay, well that may not be such a huge issue, but it does factor in sometimes.

Over 95% of the 36 kids that went off to foreign countries this year were either 18 when they left, or will turn/turned 18 while they were there. Most had already graduated from high school. Most of the applicants that go next year will also be 18. A bit of a trend, I would say. I guess I want to say: this is such an incredible experience for me. I know if I had been told that I didn’t have this opportunity because I was a “senior” or I was “too old”, I would have been a mixture between outraged and heartbroken. To me, it doesn’t matter how old you are when you go on Rotary. You could be fourteen or you could be eighteen and a half. It’s what you make of it. How mature you act. I know some incredibly mature fourteen year olds and I know some incredibly immature nineteen year olds. I find it rather incredible that we would hold back an entire year of kids who want to experience what Rotary has to offer. The best exchange students are the ones who are truly passionate and excited about their experience.

I think I understand the intentions behind the new rules, but I do wish that there could be an exception made for the senior class of 2012. It’s not fair at all, to have this wonderful opportunity be taken away from them.

If you agree, please post a comment. I know a few of us want to write a petition to see this changed for next year’s applicants. Thoughts? Comments? Concerns?

Blogs

1/6/11- So, today I spent the day in Köln with my friend Morgan. We basically just wandered around, talked, and took pictures in the rain. It was a lot of fun! When I first arrived, Morgan told me about how she just watched a girl get arrested by the German Police for using the wifi in Starbucks without buying anything.. yeah. It’s insane! Later that day, we were standing outside of starbucks, using the internet without buying anything, and I was able to call the Admissions office at Unity- my top choice college, anddddd I GOT IN!! Not just to the college, but to the Captive Wildlife Care and Education Program- which only a limited number of students are accepted into! I was literally freaking out! Morgan and I were jumping up and down, and then celebrated by going to McDonalds. Haha goo Americans! :P After that, I came home by train/bus!

Oh goodness, it’s been a while since I’ve blogged. I’m really sorry- I still have no working computer!! I promise to be better about blogging when it gets fixed. Soo on January 3^rd, I switched to my second host family. They are AMAZING! Yesterday I went with my host parents and host dog on a long hike near the city of Bonn. First, we hiked up to Petersberg, the place where German politicians gather. It was a steep and exhausting hike, but it was so fun! Bill Clinton hiked it as well (obviously not at the same time, but that would have been awesome!!) We took loads of pictures- my host dad kept asking me to stand infront of stuff so he could get a picture of me! We also were able to take some pictures of the three of us! J We then were going to hike another 6ish Kilometers to a castle, but took a wrong turn and ended up back where we started at the bottom of the mountain, so we took a special train up another mountain!! While we were waiting for the train to arrive, my host dad bought me some pins for my Rotary Blazer!! It was SO nice of him!!!! :D:D

December Article

My December Article: Holiday Adventures!

Hallo! Last week was the first snowfall of the year here in Grevenbroich, and it was SO pretty!! I was actually late for school that day because I got so caught up taking pictures! Although we don’t have as much snow here as you all are used to in Cooperstown, we did receive more than what is normal for the area. Because I am living in the Energy Capital of Germany, we have less snow than the rest of the country. However, we do have A LOT of strong winds! I’d like to share with you a passage from my journal! “I came home from school today around 5:00 cold, tired, and hungry. My host dad met me at the door and ushered me to the table full of warm roast beef, carrots, and potatoes! YUM! Now I am sitting by the fire with a blanket and a book, drinking some delicious hot cider. Across from the fire, is a big window, looking out at the beautiful first snowfall in our cozy little town. I have this wonderful warm sensation inside of me- and it’s not from the cider either! In this moment, I have come to realize that this is how it feels to be truly, blissfully happy.”

I love my life so much! I’m so grateful for the opportunity to live and become a part of this beautiful country. I can’t even imagine being anywhere else at this point in my life. Haha I just have to include that downstairs, my host dad is playing old music that goes perfectly with the cheesiness of what I’m writing. It’s moments like this that make my life here even more awesome. Speaking of being grateful- I should probably mention my attempt at Thanksgiving! For those of you who know me, I’m not the best cook on my own. I’ve always had help from my mom, sister, or friends. Some of you may remember the time Molly Pearlman and I went door to door around town giving out delicious Blueberry Muffins, (all while speaking with British accents, of course) but that is no example of my cooking skills. For Thanksgiving, I decided to make a Pumpkin Pie for my host family from scratch. Rather than using an American recipe that called for cups and tablespoons in English, I decided I would try to translate a German recipe. I would like to advise all future exchange students that this is not a good idea. I’m pretty sure I messed up the measurements…a lot. The brown sugar here isn’t sticky like it is in the USA, so I decided I would mix it with maple syrup. Also, I would like to make it clear to anyone who doesn’t already know, that baking soda is not the same as baking powder. There is a huge difference. Anyway, the Pumpkin Pie (or Kürbis Kuchen as we say here in Germany) was so horrible that it ended up in the Compost Bin. Bright Side: the cookies I made with the left over pumpkin turned out alright! I also made brownies (from a box) and banana bread (which I burned) that were both edible! :D At least this fiasco makes a good story to tell!

I’ve spent the past two weekends up in Münster. First, I went with my Host Family and stayed with my Host Cousins. We went shopping, sight seeing, and played with their adorable Burnese Mountain Dog puppy! The following weekend was the Rotex Weinnachts- Wochenende! A weekend where all of the Rotex (past District 1870 exchange students) and the current exchange students all got together to celebrate Christmas and St. Nikolaus day. On the first night, we went to the Christmas Market, and then returned to the Gymnasium where we set up our sleeping bags and turned on some music! The following morning, we went to a zoo! As many people know, I want to work in a zoo or wildlife rehabilitation center someday- so this was a lot of fun for me. My friends and I took loads of pictures with the animals and around the zoo. My favorite part was the Penguin Exhibit. It is mating season for the Penguins, so we saw most of them in couples. However, there was this one lone penguin that was calling out, looking for a mate. It was so sad to watch him all alone- we were talking to him and saying how we would be his friends. A little while later, another penguin came over to him and they started nuzzling each other. Then when they were walking away, it looked as if they were holding hands! It was SO adorable!! We ended our Zoo experience with waffles and some hot kinder punch and then took a bus to an ice skating rink! I only fell a couple of times, but my friend from Thailand must have fallen at least 20 times!! Despite the cold and bruises, we had a lot of fun. That night we had a St. Nikolaus party, and the Rotex told stories about the Exchange Students and whether or not we have been good this year- somehow, the Rotex seem to find out everything!

Today is St. Nikolaus Day in Germany, and I went downstairs to find apples, oranges, a present, and a big white chocolate St. Nickolaus in my shoes! The best part is- my Host Mom was sure to buy a kind of white chocolate that doesn’t have any cocoa in it since I am allergic! Also, they bought me a book in English! :)

To wrap up this article, I’d like to say that I loving Germany more and more every day, and to wish everyone Happy Holidays! Tschüs!

10/13 München: After a long walk from our Hostel to the main plaza, we were given free time in town! It wasn’t overly eventful- I went to the Mac store with Santiago, bought some post cards, and ate some fries. J That night we ate at a typical German Restaurant—it was delicious! J After that, one group went to a soccer stadium, and the rest of us stayed in the Hostel. The downstairs of the Hostel was SO cool! It had a bar on one side, and a completely relaxed lounge (with FREE wi-fi) on the other! That was the night that we got “Milk Drunk”!! Instead of being normal teenagers in Germany, we decided to drink bottles of milk rather than beer in the bar and take some crazy photos! It was SO much fun! We consumed a total of like.. 12 bottles of milk! (Us being Taylor from Kansas, Kaleigh Arizona, Morgan from Michigan, and myself.) The next day we were all hanging out together and ate Sushi, took some crazy pictures in the Deutschland Museum, and went to the “English Tea Garden”.

Rothenburg: I’m just posting the newspaper article here because I talk about Rothenburg.

It’s a Small World After All

Grusse aus Deutschland! October went by in a flash for me! From the 9^th to the 24^th, I was on the Deutschland tour with other Rotary Exchange Students, Rotex (Former Exchange Students) and Rotarians. We traveled by bus all around the county to cities such as Heidelberg, Freiburg, Mainau, Schloss, Munich, Dachau, Rothenburg, Dresden, Meissen, Berlin, and Hamburg. Our first stop was to Heidelberg, and it was GORGEOUS! Picture this: a small city with rustic brown roof tops alongside an enormous river at the base of a mountain, giving it a safe and cozy feeling. Opposite the stone bridge over the river connecting the city and the mountain is a giant stone castle on a hill. It was amazing. The typical German village! After the tour of the city, I spent my free time eating Dönners (a Turkish Pita wrap) and fries with two of my closest Exchange Student friends, Morgan from Michigan and Santiago from Pachuca, Mexico. Pachuca happens to be the same town that my Host Sister is currently living in on Rotary Exchange. Not only is it the same city, but also she goes to his school. On top of all of this, Santiago’s family will most likely be one of Franzi’s host families! Rotary really does connect people!!

My favorite city on the tour was Rothenburg. It is a small town located in the heart of Germany, and was founded in 1170. A protective wall that was built back in the Middle Ages surrounds the city. One of the first things we did here was go on a guided night tour of Rothenburg by the Night Watchman- a man playing the role of an ancient city protector. It was quite comical to hear his old-age language and humor! At one point, he told us all we should “Go to Hell!” In Rothenburg, Hell is actually the name of a nice restaurant! As the tour continued, he proudly stated to us all that Rothenburg lasted on its own without being seized longer than any city of its time. The story of its conquest in 1631, during the Thirty Years’ War is quite funny as well! The neighboring town of about 40,000 Catholics was experiencing a mudslide on the streets, and needed to relocate. An informant was sent to Rothenburg, a city of about 5,000 Protestants to warn them of the nearing conquest. Rothenburg decided to fight, though severely outnumbered, and ended up loosing due to a simple mistake. The man in charge of guarding the gun powder room was sent to retrieve more powder, but made the mistake of walking into the room with a lit torch, causing a massive explosion. Rothenburg suffered just two casualties during this war- the guard holding the torch, and someone who was standing too close! The opposing city suffered a loss of 300 men! The next day, we were given the opportunity to walk along this wall, and to see where reparations had been made. Right after WWII, Rothenburg was nearly destroyed because a Nazi Official was hiding out in the town, and would have been if not for an American Officer who refused to bomb such a historic town, and because as a child, his mother had a painting of Rothenburg hanging above their mantle and told stories of it’s beauty. I just love how much history there is in Rothenburg!! It is the stereotypical Old German Town! There were so many beautiful cities that we were able to visit on the Deutschland tour- I loved all of them! Berlin was so modern and really had a big city feel, Freiburg, Heidelberg, and Rothenburg all had a calm atmosphere. Mainau was unique because it is an Island on the Bodensee Lake at the foot of the Alps, which is bordered by Switzerland, Germany, and Austria. Munich or München as we say in Germany, is rich with the Bavarian way of life. Hamburg is a port city with boats and the cool breeze from the river. The difference from Berlin to München is as great as that from New York to Texas! It’s amazing!

To conclude this month’s article, I’d just like to again say that I LOVE GERMANY!! I love Rotary, I love Exchange Students-- I just love everything! It’s been almost three months and each day gets better and better! I’ve been warned that Homesickness is typically at its worst around November and December- I guess we’ll see! :) Tschüs and Happy Thanksgiving!!

Dresden: Soo Cool!! It was almost completely destroyed during WWII, I will post some pictures when I get a chance of the before/after shots.

Hamburg: Was gorgeous, but SO rainy and cold!! I think I will go again to visit Amy, and hopefully NOT when it’s raining! Haha J When we got there, we were all amazed to see a GIANT chess board in the middle of the floor! I’ll post some pictures! We played an epic game of Wizard’s Chess there! That night about half of us went on a “Night Tour”, it was cold and rainy, but we had a blast!