The Adventure Begins

As this is my first entry to this blog I feel it’s only fitting that I begin with a small introduction into who I am and what I’m doing that is so significant it calls for a blog. My Name is Emily and I am 16 years old from Kirkland Lake, a small town in Northern Ontario, Canada. During the beginning of my second year of high school I made a pretty big choice; I was going to study abroad for an entire year. After tons upon tons of paperwork and help from my home rotary club, school staff , and community members I had finally ticked every box and became an Outbound Rotary Youth Exchange student. My excitement only grew once I learned I’d be spending this year in The Czech Republic, known for castles, beer, the word “robot” and its incredibly rich history. However, despite having a year to prepare for my upcoming adventure, it wouldn’t fully occur to me until the day I stepped foot on my 8 hour flight from Toronto Ontario to Prague (Czechia’s Capital).

My exchange officially began on August 24th when I arrived in Prague after 1.5 days of traveling, a week of packing and a whole year of anticipation. First order of business; adjust to my new surroundings. My first opinion on Czechia and my new home in the village of Senorady came quickly, it was beautiful. From the rolling hills of the countryside, to the colourful, old style houses that made up every village, I was stunned in the face of it all. My host family welcomed me warmly, making sure I felt comfortable, had everything I needed, and saw all there was to see of Senorady and its amazing community. During my first week in Czechia school had yet to begin so I spent my time hiking with my host family, hanging out with kids from my village and trying new foods. My favorites included smažák (deep fried cheese), knedlik (a type of potato dumpling) and Kofola (a Czech Cola drink). I wasn’t expecting the food here to differ much from what I was used to in Canada, but this surprise definitely ended up being a pleasant one.

The day I learned I’d be spending my exchange in Czechia!

Me Meeting my Host brother and Host Club President!

My school

My second week in Czechia marked the beginning of my school year. I learned about all the different types of secondary school offered in Czechia and that I would be attending what is called a “Gymnazium” (A secondary school focused on general learning with the intention of attending a more specific post-secondary program) in Třebíč. I found adjusting to school to be a quick and easy process. My teachers and classmates were extremely helpful in navigating language barriers and seemed really excited to have me in class. I have 7 classes a day lasting 45 minutes each. This was quite a big change from the 4 classes a day I was accustomed to in Canada. Lastly on the topic of school, I find it compulsory to give credit to the students of Czechia as I’ve yet to see a single person wearing pajamas at school, something quite usual in Canadian schools. In fact, I’d say business casual wear to school is about as common here as pajamas to school are in Canada. Never in my life have I been one to feel under dressed, in fact it’s usually been the opposite, until now.

Třebíč

My school building is old but beautiful!

“Hody”

The final two weeks of September were absolutely amazing, giving me constant opportunities to try new things and learn about the cultural and geographic features of Czechia. September 14th marked an important day for the village of Senorady. It was time for the festival of “Hody” To begin after tireless preparations spanning months prior. “Hody” directly translating to “The Feast” is a traditional festival celebrated mainly in the Moravian area of Czechia and Slovakia. Every village’s Hody celebration is unique in its timing, dress and traditions. It includes friends, food , dancing, drinking, traditional wear known as “kroj” and the maypole known as mája. I was extremely lucky to get the chance to not only attend Hody but help in the preparations as well as wear the traditional dress. It’s hard to say I had a favourite part as the whole experience was amazing but if I did it would be the dancing. To watch everyone dance was nothing short of mesmerizing and I even got the chance to try it out myself (It’ll definitely need some work).

Class sports trip

After spending the day celebrating Hody there was no time to rest, I had a class sports trip in Austria and Croatia that would begin that same night. The first 3 days we spent in Austria rafting, exploring on scooters and climbing the alpine “ferratas” (Protected climbing routes including a harness secured to steel wires to lessen a climber’s fall.) These activities were all physically intense and loads of fun but the activity that stood out the most to me was climbing in the Alps. It began with the hardest hike of my life, slippery, muddy and uphill, I couldn’t seem to ever find my footing and my whole body ached , but I found relief in the fact this struggle was shared with about 4 other kids from my group who made the choice to take the harder route with me. We complained, laughed and painted on our faces with mud. We were all still super excited to reach the beginning of our climb. Hundreds of meters in altitude later it was finally time to put on our harnesses and helmets and begin our climb. I was ecstatic! Until I turned around to see that my helmet had begun toppling down the side of the cliff. Me and about 20 other kids watched in shock as it bounced and rolled down the rocky formation. I was positively mortified, I thought I was going to explode into dust right then and there. When the helmet had finally completed its journey down the ledge everyone cheered, except me , still stuck still in embarrassment and shock. Luckily, a teacher without another word ran down and grabbed it , “not all heroes wear capes” and again everyone clapped (a Czech staple). The ferratas were more challenging than I expected but this fact only amplified the sense of achievement when we finally reached the top. I’ve never felt such a euphoric feeling in my life. After a full day of sweat, mud and aching limbs…. I WAS ON TOP OF A MOUNTAIN.

Alps

Fun Fact: This is nearly the exact moment I overcame my fear of heights!

Stunning photo of me during our mountain hike captured by a friend made during the trip!

That day taught me so many things and formed so many new friendships. It is an experience I’ll recount for as long as I can speak. Next came Croatia which proved to be much more relaxed. Me and my friends spent our three days practicing water sports including kayaking , paddle boards, and , swimming as well as playing beach volleyball, and exploring the nearby Poreč. Some highlights of this portion of my trip included lavender ice cream (the best ice cream I’ve ever had) and my many, many naps by the sea while the hot Croatian sun cooked my skin to a crisp. I paid greatly for these naps in the sun later on, but I’d do it again in a heartbeat. I am beyond grateful to my host club in Třebíč. who sponsored me going on this trip. It was an experience nothing short of life changing and began so many friendships that will most definitely follow me throughout the remainder of my time in the Czech republic as well as my eventual return to Canada.

The Sunset on the Mediterranean

Inbound Orientation

The final excitement of the month came directly after my trip which I had returned from early Friday morning ( Sept. 20th). I carefully packed a change of clothes, my Canadian flag and most importantly my Rotary Youth Exchange blazer as the next stop was RYE Czechia/Slovakia Inbound Orientation. Although I had arrived slightly late, the lost time wasn’t felt when talking with fellow inbounds, Rotex and Rotary Youth Exchange coordinators. In all honesty, it was challenging throughout the month, always being a foreigner; the odd one out, not understanding the language, and always being confused. Although all of these feelings were welcome and understood , they were tiring.

It was really nice to meet so many other kids in the exact same position as me. Confused, a little uncomfortable, but open to new friends, experiences and perspectives. I had felt nervous that maybe the root of my out of place feeling was my own personal failure as an exchange student, but talking to the other inbounds reminded me this wasn’t the case and that I was not alone in this feeling. It reminded me that this feeling is an integral part of an exchange, that it needs to be a little hard at first or else you’d never have the chance to grow and evolve. Together we got the chance to explore Kroměříž; an absolutely stunning town with multiple gardens and UNESCO sights, receive plenty of guidance from Rotex (past RYE students), test our language skills (My test mark was lack-luster to say the least) and try our hand at multiple fun, team building games.

This weekend meant so much to me, as a point of connection in an experience that (In the initial adjustment period) can sometimes feel isolating even in a room full of people. I look forward to our next meeting in December where I will hopefully make a positively epic comeback in my language skills and get to once again spend time with my fellow inbounds! It was an amazing weekend , clearly planned with us inbounds in mind!

Tour With fellow inbounds aswell as Rotex!

Architecture nothing short of stunning captured during a tour with fellow inbounds!

Now back to regular life on exchange and after so much excitement I’m plenty okay with “regular”. This is my first official blog post and it’s one that has come a little late so I apologize for how long this entry is. Such a length will not be consistent as I plan to post more frequently than once a month. Keep in mind I’m still learning the platform, hopefully the entries will become more and more organized throughout the year. If you’re reading this from home (I’m about to get really corny) I miss you lots and can’t wait to be able to tell you about it all in person.

If you’re reading this from my new home in the Czech Republic, thank you so much for welcoming me as you have and I hope to make a long lasting and positive impact in my year here. Finally, if you’re reading this from my host (2240) or home (7010) club in Rotary… THANK YOU!!! Thank you for all the work put into keeping Rotary and its youth exchange program going. I hope this entry has persuaded you to continue following my journey as a Rotary Youth Exchange student and I look forward to sharing my thoughts, observations and upcoming adventures with you!