After traveling a lot as a child and hosting an exchange student from South Africa in 1990, Dan Hamer, now with the Douglas County Sheriff’s office, decided to embark on his own adventure. At 17, Dan was selected for a Rotary Youth Exchange year in Santa Cruz de la Sierra in Bolivia.  “We have a job as exchange students - we are ambassadors of the United States.  That has served me in my life ever since,” says Dan.

Dan shared the details of his year and his subsequent visits with the Minden Rotary club this past Thursday - the club that hosted him over 30 years ago.  His family in Bolivia consisted of two parents, three sisters and one brother all of whom he still considers his family.  He attended an all-boys high school and, even though he had taken 3 years of Spanish, he had to learn informal Spanish spoken very quickly.  He captured his year in 3 journals which he still treasures to this day.  Dan says, “I made a commitment not to be homesick.  I wanted to take advantage of my time there.”

Highlights of his year include the friends he made, attending the wedding of his host brother, the native food he ate, and “getting used to” the effects of the water on his stomach.  Major differences from his life in Nevada included Election Day when the entire city shut down as well as every household having a live-in maid.

Dan went back to see his host family in 2000 and in 2002 brought his wife with him.  He had not been back until this year when he brought his daughter Abby to meet his Bolivia family.  Abby was “overwhelmed” at how wonderful the family was.  The city has grown from 800,000 people when he did his exchange year to now over 3.5 million people, so there were many changes to explore.

“If everyone could be a youth exchange student, there would be peace in the world.”  -Wyn Spiller, Rotary Foundation.