I will Forever be an Exchange Student

What a treat we had today hearing from Youth Exchange student Ashleigh Gureckas. Ashleigh finished High School at Bishop Tonnos in Ancaster and headed off to Kanazawa Japan for one year before she starts Trent University this September to study psychology. Dressed in her red jacket and adored with pins from youth exchange students from all over the world, Ashleigh gave a spirited summary of her stay in Kanazawa complete with photos of her host families, Japanese cultural sites and the many friends she made at her new high school. She said District 7090 prepared her well starting with the Temagami ON week followed by the Jamestown NY weekend and then the Rotary Bike Trek out of Niagara-on-the-Lake. At these events she met other outbound students along with all the inbound students. She developed teamwork and leadership skills and new friendships. Ashleigh went on the exchange knowing no Japanese but came home after being immersed in Japanese culture, her host families and her school with the ability to speak the language and a grasp of the written language. She visited castles, gardens, geisha districts and temples and took part in a variety of cultural festivals. She left Ancaster as a vegetarian but learned to cope with change and ate almost everything she was presented. At the beach they did not serve hot dogs, rather she ate squid on a stick and sushi. She relished the experience with her many friends at her high school and thought that it was great that the entire class would stand up and bow whenever a teacher finished class and a new one entered the room. She said there are many cultural differences between our two countries,but there are also similarities. She now has five host families and many new friends that she will forever remember.