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Finally. The moment I had been waiting for the whole month arrived. Orientation.
Being in another country, six thousand and something miles away from home can feel very daunting, even lonely at times. The ONLY people who can relate to that feeling are other exchange students. So, naturally, being surrounded by approximately 90 exchange students for a whole weekend was quite possibly the best experience of my life.
We (William, Aylen, and I) arrived in Kromeriz, Czechia at 4pm on Friday and we stayed there until Sunday at 11:30 am. From the moment we arrived to the very last second on the main floor (we were some of the last to leave the meeting), I did not wish I was anywhere else. We met the heads of the district for the first time, as well as a number of Rotex (ex-exchange students) and other Rotarians. Of course, though, the best part was FINALLY meeting all of the exchange students that we had already become friends with over our Whatsapp (a messaging application) group chat. I was truly surprised (and thankful) for how quickly I bonded to many of the exchange students. Despite never have meeting them in person, the experience of traveling to a new country is enough to connect even the most polar-opposites of people.
In district 2240 (which is both Czechia and Slovakia), we have exchange students from all over the world, to name a few of the more represented countries: United States, Australia, Argentina, Brazil, Columbia, Canada, Taiwan, Mexico, and Italy. Regardless of the language barriers between us, I could sense the feeling of belonging no matter what group I found myself attached to. I tried my best to introduce myself to everyone I saw (although I am positive that I failed), and hopefully begin learning some names.
The first night of Orientation was primarily introductions and some basic rules for the weekend (as well as dinner, of course). On Saturday, we were blessed with about 7 Powerpoint presentations (although, I know the Rotex tried their hardest to make them not as dreadfully boring), however we did get to do some activities with the other exchange students. My personal favorite were the presentations we made about the 4 D’s of a Rotary Exchange. My group was assigned the “Do Not Date” D, so we made it a point to make the other exchange students laugh (do not fret, I will post a picture or two in my gallery so you all can get the jist).
On Saturday, we also walked around the beautiful city of Kromeriz for roughly two hours. While I feel the tour was, sadly, a bit rushed, the city is stunning and I am so thankful we were able to tour it a bit with each other. Saturday also included our first language test! I feel as though my result could’ve been way better, but it was nice to see where I was at with the language and what I needed to work on.
Sunday was just a final goodbye from the district and a LOT of waiting around for host families to arrive so we could make the trip back. I never thought I would feel so sad leaving a group of people I had just met two days prior, but I miss them with all of my heart. I wish I could see them more (we only see the people from Czechia, guaranteed, one more time this year). However, I am lucky to have so many fantastic people that I miss in my life. Being an exchange student is truly a blessing.