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Sixteen-year-old Mia Bowden is excited. In less than two months time, she is leaving her family to live in France for 12 months on a student exchange.
“I’ve always wanted to travel and go overseas,” she said, her enthusiasm evident.
Mia was inspired to nominate for the exchange through Rotary after her family hosted a student from France last year.
“It was an amazing experience,” she smiled.
As the oldest sibling of three, she was quick to put up her hand when Rotary called for nominations, selecting France first on her preference list, followed by Italy and Japan.
“There’s no guarantee everyone gets a ticket, let alone get their first preference,” Gloucester Rotary’s Peter Markey said.
The local Rotary club has been sending students overseas since the 1970s, and students today have up to 14 countries to select from. They are billeted out amongst two to four Rotarian families throughout the year, and become ambassadors for Rotary both here and away.
“There’s an expectation that they will attend meetings, and learn how we do things. They need to be able to think and live away from home, be able to afford to go, be mature... There’s some psychological and means testing involved,” Peter said.
Mia is unfazed and has started learning French at home using a computer program.
“I think the hardest thing will be the language barrier, especially in class and in creating friendships,” she said.
“I’m nervous, but I’m really looking forward to the break and experiencing another culture.”
According to Peter, sometimes the biggest adjustment is living with new customs which might not be understood. Mia will land in the middle of a European winter and will live in Tours, south-west of Paris where she will attend the equivalent of Year 11 at school, which she will repeat in Gloucester on her return.
The exchange comes at some financial cost, with students needing up to $15,000. Fortunately Mia is a saver, and has been adding up her hard earned dollars since taking on part time jobs for the past two years. Her proud parents are kicking in the rest, but more is needed and so Rotary is hosting a family friendly Son et Vin (Sounds and Wine) evening at Tugwood Estate Winery on December 5. Music will be provided by the Bowden Bros, Steve Yarnold Band, Ben & Maddie and Mia (a singer) herself. Entry is $20 at the gate, $15 for students, $40 families. A $5 courtesy bus will be provided from town. Enquiries contact 0418 633 060.