Orientation pt.ll: Slovakia Edition
Hello again all! Grace here, coming at you live from my bed where I am lying sick and wishing I was back in Trenčín. Well, that's not quite true, I am glad to be back in Trutnov, but I do miss all my new friends and my exchange fam so much. I had the privilege of spending this past weekend in Trenčín, Slovakia with the other 91 exchange students from our Rotary district. Our district is comprised of all of both Czechia and Slovakia so it's pretty large. Getting together with everyone this weekend was amazing, finally getting to speak in person to people I've been seeing on my Instagram, Facebook, and snapchat for months was so surreal and fun.
Most of our time in Trenčín was dedicated to learning about the rules and expectations of the program. We also learned a little about the histories and cultures of Czechia and Slovakia, and took a language test so that we could gage our progress with learning Czech/Slovak. The district committee members and Rotex have high expectations for us over this next year as we are ambassadors of our countries, but also are representatives of rotary and its ideals and mission with youth exchange, to create globally conscious, aware, and responsible students and youth leaders. This can be a bit daunting as you really are made to understand there are people counting on you to be responsible, respectful, and impactful in your community throughout this experience. Knowing though that you were given this opportunity because other people believed in you and that you have an incredible support network that can be found in the district, both your host and sponsor clubs, you new friends at school, your friends and family back home, your host family, and the other exchange students who are all feeling exactly what your feeling makes this way easier to deal with and process though. Everybody wants you to succeed in this experience so while all the information we received this weekend may be a lot to process and is kind of intimidating it is important that we absorbed it quickly and that we keep it in mind now throughout this year.
For me the highlight of our time in Trenčín was visiting the Trenčín Castle. The castle is the third largest in Slovakia, and was an incredible place to visit. Getting to walk up the hill towards it and then tour around it and just be able to see and feel how much history was there was such an amazing experience.
This weekend was a fabulous experience and I feel lucky to have been able to share it with such a kind, fun, welcoming group of people who I am beyond excited to be sharing this experience with. I feel so lucky to be here and want to make the most of this opportunity. I look forward now to our christmas weekend in Prague with the other Czech students and then hopefully Ski Week in February where the Czech and Slovak students will be reunited.