Living in Switzerland in Zurich while on the Rotary Youth Exchange Program (YEP) is proving to be a marvellous experience for local girl, Jessica Maher.  Jess is living with local Swiss families and attending school while on her 12 month exchange.

Jess has described Zurich as a beautiful old city situated on a large lake which is full of clocks, old buildings and cobble-stone streets where there is always something happening, whether it is a carnival or a music festival.  Many of the clocks, for which Zurich is famous, are situated on towers and they ring on the hour during the day, so that it is always easy to know the time.

School in Switzerland is held from 7.30am until 5.30pm and this can mean a 10 hour school day - something to which Jess is slowly getting accustomed.  But school offers her the opportunity to meet her friends and to practice the German language she is learning.

Jess reports that all her host families have been very welcoming.  Now she is living with her third family, where both ‘parents’ are architects and she has a younger ‘brother’ who is always happy to help her practice the language.  This opportunity has allowed Jessica to experience real family life in Switzerland.

Jessica is sponsored by the Rotary Club of Bellingen, which is at present also hosting two young German Students.

Johanna Budd, the latest inbound Rotary Youth Exchange student to be hosted by the Rotary Club of Bellingen, arrived on Monday 26th July. Johanna will spend a few days with Rotarians Diana and James Christian while she settles into school, etc, then will move to her first "host family" Tanya and Rob Donnelly in Urunga. 

Johanna just before leaving Germany
Johanna, with Kaja Dollman (both exchange students from Germany).
Rotarians Andrew Sommerville and Diana Christian, Johanna and Kaja, and Rotarians James Christian and Pete Bennetts at Coffs Harbour airport.

Members of the Rotary Club of Bellingen were most pleased to receive the photo below of their recent Youth Exchange Program Inbounder, Vigga Laursen, showing that she had arrived safely back in Denmark. Vigga is shown here with her relieved Mum, Unni, at Copenhagen Airport.

Over the past few weeks, the Rotary Club of Bellingen and the many friends and ‘family’ of Rotary Youth Exchange Student, Vigga Sand Laursen have been saying farewell.

During her last few days Vigga has tried to experience all those things she didn’t want to miss during her stay in the Bellingen area, and revisit all her ‘new’ friends and Bellingen families.  She has been guest-of-honour at several farewell parties, taken a trip on a Whale Watching cruise, visited all her favourite Bellingen places, and swum regularly in the ‘Never Never’ at Gleniffer so that she can re-acclimatise for the Danish summer.

Vigga is returning to Denmark where she intends to complete her studies and become a plastic surgeon.  However, she has definite plans to revisit Bellingen where she “has had the greatest experience of her life” as an exchange student.  While in Australia Vigga has had the opportunity to experience a different culture, study a different language, travel widely, while also meeting a new community of people.

While on exchange, Vigga has represented her home country, Rotary International, and her host club - Bellingen, exceedingly well.  She has been a wonderful ambassador for the Rotary Youth Exchange Program, and she has impressed everyone who has had the opportunity to meet her with her friendly demeanour, dry sense of humour and happy outlook.  The Rotary Club of Bellingen and all Vigga’s friends wish her well, but she will be greatly missed, until she returns.