RYE, District 3520, Inbound Orientation!

WOW! Today was a very long and exhausting day but overall a great day! Rotary Youth Exchange, District 3520, Inbound Orientation is when all of the students whose district exchanges with D3520, come together-meet for the first time, and experience a day full of many growing and learning times!

At 8:30 a.m, my host mom and I walked to National Taipei University of Education which is located about 15 minutes from my house. This is where the orientation was held and also where I will be attending my Mandarin Chinese language classes starting in October. As we arrived to the university, I saw many many Rotary International Flags that were guiding a path to a room where I would spend the next two hours completing important business. Important business equals passport things, insurance things, money things, and receiving my RYE, D3520 Taipei, Taiwan shirt. It was definitely high stress at times however it all went smoothly for me. Oh wait, I didn't mention that there was no air conditioning, it is REALLY hot and humid here, and I had to wear my RYE blazer! No big deal...I wasn't sweating at all! Ha!

After I finished, I was directed up to a room where there was a stage and all of the flags of my fellow in bounders were located. Right when I walked into the room I saw a face that I recognized. This face was Ruby Chu! Ruby Chu is from Taiwan and she was on exchange last year in Minnesota. My friend Tayla Boucher from South Africa, who is also on exchange in Minnesota introduced me to her through Facebook and SKYPE! Ha! Rotary is a small world! Next, I was told to try on a traditional Taiwanese outfit to get a correct size - do not exactly know why yet though. Then, another rebound student from Taiwan showed me to my seat. We had assigned seating, meaning all the students from the same country sit together. There are 44 inbound students from all over the world here in District 3520 in 2012-13. USA, Brazil, Mexico, Ecuador, Japan, Australia, South Africa, France, Germany, Denmark, and Hungary!

The ceremony officially began! Presidents and chair men and women gave their opening remarks and kind words as always! The ceremony consisted of each country going up one by one and then each student, one by one would introduce themselves, exchange their banner, and take a picture (they LOVE pictures!). It was very nice! One of the best things - out of the many great things that Rotary has to offer, is the opportunity and opportunities that they give to we RYE students to come together and share our worlds with each other. The other students here right now with me, are truly the only ones who know what emotions and adventures I have been experiencing here. We are going through many similar things and to be able to know that it is really OK to feel the way I feel hour to hour or day to day is nice. We might all be from different countries, different walks of life, we might speak different languages but we really do have a unique connection! Some of the students are kids that I would probably never approach or think they would be my friend. But when we come together and JUST TALK it feels right! There is nothing like Rotary!

Later in the day I had to take more pictures for cards, eat lunch, learn more about Rotary and Taiwan, and take examinations for the Chinese language - which were super hard but hopefully will be much easier by the end of the year. At 5:00 p.m. we were released! I had to be home by 5:30 because my host family and I were heading up to the mountains where my third host mom and dad live. I walked home really fast and made it home with a little time to spare! I have actually found getting around in Taipei is very easy. I remember my ways around and my Chinese just in case I get lost! Ha! When I got home I had a little time, so I put my pins on my blazer and the other students business cards in my folder. Then we left for dinner! I will write about dinner in an upcoming blog so please look forward to it!

Thank you Rotary for making today a great day! Your time and hard work today surely did pay off. Thank you! I am showered up and now ready for my pillow and bed!

More soon!

Anna