Anton Liljefors
My name is Anton Liljefors, and I’m an exchange student from Sweden, staying in Regina, SK, Canada.
The program that made this exchange possible is the “Rotary Youth Exchange Program”, and I feel privileged to be a part of it. Rotary makes sure that you have host families to stay with (personally I have 3), a counselor that takes care of and looks after you, and arranges trips and activities so you can get a chance to explore your host country. For example, I’ve had the chance to go see polar bears in Churchill.
Apart from amazing experiences, you get to know a new culture and language, and you get new appreciation for you own country and culture. You don’t realize how great your life at home really is until you spend a year away from it.
Further, you mature, improve many life skills, and get to meet many new people. You learn how to be independent since mom and dad isn’t around to take care of you anymore. Many important life skills improve, especially the social ones since you basically have to build up an entirely new social life. And, last but not least, you get to meet people from all over the world, and with today’s technology you’ll be able to keep in touch with them for the rest of your life.
The exchange year is different for everyone. For some, it might be the first time they get to leave the country, and for others it might be a year of maturing. No matter what it is, it’s going to be a great experience.
For me it’s been a year of excitement. I really wanted to try something different and exciting in life, so I decided to go on the exchange, and I’m so happy that I did. And, what started out as being an adrenaline kick in my everyday life, ended up being a maturing journey full of life lasting friends and memories.
I strongly recommend everyone that has the chance, to join the Rotary Youth Exchange Program. The exchange year will not be a year in your life; it will be your life in a year.
Anton Liljefors
