Chile, here I come!

        Hola, my name is Allie and I am a student participating in the Rotary Youth Exchange program!! I am from West Chester, Pennsylvania (USA) and will be spending my senior year of high school in Yungay, Chile. As would be expected, my departure tastes bittersweet. A couple hours ago, I said goodbye to all of my friends and family that have supported me my entire life. I am leaving my little bubble of comfort and entering a whole new world containing different people, places, and customs. I don't even know if there will be any other exchange students from America in southern Chile! But the way I see it, these feelings associated with entering the unknown make the experience all the more exciting. It thrills me to sit on the plane right now and think about the fact that I don't even know what I will be doing this weekend, let alone who will greet me at the airport. This will truly be an experience of a lifetime, and I want to thank everyone who made it possible for me to participate:)

       Some background on how and why I'm here: In my freshman year, the West Chester Sunrise Rotary Club sponsored a girls leadership expedition to the Delaware Water Gap. Eight other girls and I were granted the opportunity to participate. For seven days, we backpacked and camped on the Appalachian trail. This experience was really my first taste of adventure outside a family/friend setting. It really moved me how we began the expedition as strangers but left as best friends. This experience flipped a switch in me, and led me to desire to meet new people and learn more about the world. I stayed connected with the Rotary Club and helped with a fundraiser called Building Adventure, which raised money to send another group of girls from West Chester on the same backpacking trip. About two years later, or last year, I met an exchange student at my school from Chile. He said he was a Rotary Exchange student and was spending the year in West Chester to learn English. I still had contacts from my local Rotary club, so I reached out requesting more information. A month after submitting my application, I got a call from the district exchange coordinator informing me that I will spend the next year in southern Chile! In order to make this possible, I had to unenroll from my school and complete two summer courses in five weeks . Really the only thing holding me back from graduating right now is one gym credit, which is ironic because I run six days a week all year long haha! If I'm able to get this gym credit in Chile, I'll re-enroll in my school in West Chester (Henderson High School) and graduate with my class! I guess we'll see what ends up happening... Anyways, 40 English and History essays later, here I am at the airport!

       In this blog, I intend to share many of my experiences, thoughts, and feelings throughout my year abroad. Hope you enjoy, and don't hesitate to ask any questions! 

Chao,

Allie:)))