Southern hemisphere exchange changes student’s life

 A year spent on exchange in South America has made quite the impact on one Camrose student.

Myles Derry was the 2010-2011 outbound student from the Camrose Rotary Club, and spent his Grade 12 year in the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil.

He said from the moment he arrived with his hosts in Brazil, he was treated like family.

"I spent almost the entire year with one family, because I became very close, not only with my immediate family, but with my grandparents, cousins," Derry said. Typically, Rotary exchange students spend time with different families to get a better sense of the diversity of a community.

"Generally … you'd meet the (exchange student) at the airport and bring them home. In Brazil, it's such a family-orientated place to live that instead of going home from the airport, I went straight to one of my aunts' house where the whole family was there to meet me. They treated me like one of their own from the very start."

He was able to meet with 50 other Rotary exchange students living in the local district for the year, who he became close with.

"I have connections through anywhere in the world. I could make a phone call, and I would have a friend there on the other end. … Everyone loved to meet all these new people and get photos taken with them. My district, every time we went on a trip and met people from other districts, they said how they couldn't believe how close (we) are," Derry recalled.

Many Brazilian communities are proud to be home to Rotary or other service clubs.

"Every single entrance (to the city) if it was a Rotary community, or Lions … always had a giant plaque or structure at the main entrance, so as soon as you came in you knew it was Rotary. Everyone knows what Rotary is and they're all very proud. If your city had Rotary, your city was better," Derry said.

As part of his exchange, Derry went to Rotary club meetings in Brazil and also aided the service club through charity work. He helped prepare meals for the less fortunate as well as raised money for the British charity ShelterBox.

Derry also got a chance to observe religious holidays in Brazil. He said the commercialization of Christmas in North America was nowhere to be seen in the southern hemisphere.

"It's very religious and is about the history of Christmas. We did have fake trees and presents. It was celebrated on the 24th – everyone would go to church that night. The actual celebration as far as gifts wasn't such a big deal, it was more about respecting and showing your belief," Derry said.

Derry was grateful to the Rotary Club of Camrose, who funded the majority of his exchange to Brazil.

"It's changed my life so much. If I could go back and live every year as an exchange, I absolutely would. It was amazing. I know some Rotarians often have doubts about the exchange and they're not really sure it's something they should invest in, but this is an amazing program. It's changed my life — and not just mine or other students'. I know it has affected everyone I was involved with, my family, my friends, everyone's life was changed by me doing this, and I owe it all you," he told the Rotarians.

The Camrose Rotary is starting the process to look for an outbound exchange student for the 2012-2013 year.

 Story courtesy Laurie Callsen, Camrose Canadian