February 8, 2013 at 5:28 p.m.
Rhinelander students share foreign exchange experiences
Rhinelander students share foreign exchange experiences
Nick Freund, a 17-year-old senior at RHS, spent last year in Khon Kaen, Thailand, a city in Isan, the northeast region of the country.
Taylor Preul, also 17 and a senior at RHS, spent last year abroad in Kouvola, a city in southeast Finland.
Later this summer Sophie Schmidt, a 16-year-old RHSâjunior, will leave to spend a year in Thailand.
"We try to have a rotary exchange student annually, both outbound and inbound," said Rotary Youth Exchange Committe Chair Angie Dreifuerst.
Each student involved went through an extensive course of action to be selected by Rotary for foreign exchange.
"Outbound is a three-year process," said Dreifuerst. "Students have to apply to the program, go through the interview process, be accepted into the program, then spend a year's worth of conferences and meetings. Then they spend a year abroad. When they return they are still involved in Rotary conferences."
Both Freund and Preul began this extensive process over a year ago, after they decided that a foreign exchange program was something they would like to experience.
"One day I got a letter in the mail that said, 'Hey, you have the opportunity to study abroad,' and it listed some countries," said Freund. "I talked about it with my mom and dad for awhile and I decided to go to an informational meeting. It really just interested me so I decided to follow along with the program."
Preul's interest in the program stemmed from a lifelong goal to travel and a family member who had lived abroad.
"I guess I wanted to experience something besides just Rhinelander," said Preul. "My whole life I had wanted to travel, and one of my aunts lived in Spain for about six years. She always sent me things as she traveled everywhere so it really made me want to travel. I've always kind of been eclectic so I thought this was something I should do."
Schmidt has also always been interested in traveling, but she made up her mind to study abroad this past year after talking with former exchange students.
"I've always wanted to go around the world and travel. I've been big on traveling since I was young," said Schmidt. "I played hockey with a girl this summer, and she had actually went to Thailand, she started talking to me about it, and I decided to do it. I kind of lucked out because the meeting was two weeks later."
Once the three decided that a study abroad program was right for them, the next step was applying to the Rotary program.
"It was a long process," said Freund. "We had to do a lot of paperwork and go to numerous different conferences. We got to meet a lot of people along the way from other countries as well as other people going out of the country. It took almost a year to finalize the process before we could actually go."
Once they were approved by Rotary, the students put together a "top-10" list of the countries in which they would like to study abroad.
Freund relied on others' experiences to guide his selection. "Students who had previously went to Thailand told me many, many good things about it," he said. "They showed me all these cool pictures and told me the food was great and the people were great, so [Thailand] was my number one choice."
Preul also had a good idea of where she wanted to study. "Finland is one of the most unpopular countries you can go to, and I really like Nordic skiing, and I like coffee, and I like winter," she said. "I wanted to be above the arctic circle permanently, and live there."
Schmidt just knew she wanted to go to Asia. "I chose Asian countries," she said. "Everyone else wants to go to Europe, forget Europe, I'm going to Asia."
Schmidt will find out later this year what part of Thailand she will be traveling to and who her host family is before she leaves at the end of the summer.
"I'm looking forward to everything, I don't think I can really pick out one thing," she said. "Good food, great culture, and I'm kind of excited to learn the language."
Considering the feedback from Preul and Freund about their own experiences, Schmidt should have a lot to look forward to.
"Overall it was just amazing. I believe an exchange is probably one of the best opportunities someone our age could take," said Freund. "It changed the way I've acted towards people. I guess I matured a lot, too. I feel more grown up."
Likewise, Preul found her exchange to be a difficult, yet rewarding experience.
"It was a really good experience," said Preul. "I think my exchange was more difficult than other people's because Finnish people aren't the most welcoming, and I wasn't around other exchange students, I was by myself. So it was difficult, but I had a really good exchange, and I wouldn't take it back for anything. I learned more about myself and about the people there, I got along really well with them. It was a really good experience."
When Rotary students return from foreign countries, their experience is not quite finished. The students are required to make presentations before the Rotary club to share the experiences they had.
Preul met with the Rotary club last fall to relay information about her trip, as well as teach Rotary members about Finland. Freund will be sharing his experiences with the Rotary club in March.
Jim Oxley may be reached at [email protected].
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