All of this end-of-year business has put me in a rhapsodic frame of mind. At Alicia's goodbye party I was struck again by what an incredible, life-altering gift these kids have been given, and by strangers at that. Warning: gushiness ahead.
There was supposed to be only one student from Vashon sent out this year; instead, the Rotary club agreed to send three of them. These kids have flourished in Italy, France, and Spain and will bring three times the experience home to their school, friends, and families next year. They're also lucky that they'll have each other to turn to while reintegrating themselves into their former lives.
Alicia was not supposed to come to Vashon, but Vashon Rotary and the school district (which made an emergency exception to accept six exchange students instead of the customary limit of five) welcomed her anyway. Vashon Rotary gives each student a $100 per month stipend (ends up being $1,000 per year, per student), and that's in addition to the various fees that the clubs pay for the kids they're hosting (travel to Rotary-sponsored outings, etc.), so one unexpected additional student is a considerable expense. The Vashon Rotary club is small in relation to the 50+ other clubs in the Seattle district. Out of all the clubs in the district, only about twelve or thirteen students were hosted, and Vashon hosted twenty-five percent of them.
Among those three were a girl who spoke no English, despite what her application claimed. It's not a requirement, but it's nice to know to help ease the student's transition. She was terrified when she first arrived, but had gained enough confidence (thanks in large part to the early efforts of her first host family) to play on the school volleyball and basketball teams and be a cast member in the school play. Although Alicia was relatively young when she arrived, she has been nothing but an asset to the Youth Exchange organization and has enriched the lives of every family she's lived with this year. She's also bringing home with her proof that not all Americans are fat and lazy. All of these kids - inbound and outbound - owe a lot to Rotary (and many individuals) for the opportunity given to them. As do the rest of us.
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