The London 2012 Youth Exchange Camp

The London 2012 Youth Exchange Camp in July saw 12 youngsters from around Europe converge on York Gate for a fortnight of the London Experience. All hosted in pairs by District 1130 Rotarians, their feet never touched the ground, so full was their programme!

None of them had met previously, but Di King who organised the camp had set up a Facebook page so they could share photos and get to know a little about each other prior to the trip. After a few days together it was as if they had known each other all along.

Ernie and I in a joint effort between our respective clubs, hosted two of the boys – one from France and one from Romania. As they were out in the mornings before 8 am, and rarely home before 11 pm, we didn’t see a lot of them, but the short times we did have together were good. It was like having two teenage grandchildren to stay!

On the Sunday midway, they came back early from their trip to prepare an International Meal for Ernie and me. Neither admitted to being a Master Chef, and working in a strange kitchen, with different utensils to home, was a little disconcerting for them. However, we finally sat down to a delicious chilled courgette soup, followed by Genuine Quiche Lorraine, then a dessert of a Vanilla Soufflé. The boys were delighted with the success of their dishes, and we thought they did very well – in spite of needing to consult their Mums to confirm ingredients or quantities – Thank goodness for mobile phones!! They even did their own clearing up!

The last day we were all a little emotional when seeing the boys off at Heathrow Airport. They didn’t really want to leave, and we didn’t want to give them back to their own families. Learning something about their countries was a bonus, especially about Romania, still recovering from the oppressive former government.

If you’ve never hosted exchange students, think about it. It can be taxing, but these young people are so keen to learn, willing to participate, and grateful for the opportunities to come to London to a caring family, often their first trip away from home alone. Ernie and I have now added two more to our list of ‘adopted’ children and grandchildren through the exchanges over the years, some of whom we are sure to meet again. A few years back we attended the wedding in Istanbul of one of the girls we had hosted.