ST CATHERINE’S Post Matriculant Gabriella Marais is not quite packed but is raring to go.
Gabie, as she prefers to be called, is part of Empangeni Rotary Club’s Youth Exchange Programme and will be jetting off to the USA on Saturday.
Gabie’s exciting adventure starts when she lands in Milwaukee from where she will travel to her first host family in Oshkosh.
Throughout the year-long exchange programme, Gabie will stay with at least four families, but will attend only one school.
Last year, Gabie finished matric with six distinctions and is looking forward to experiencing the American education system.
The Rotary Exchange programme has been running for years and is a fantastic way to experience new cultures, meet new people and see a different part of the world. Gabie said she first heard about the programme when she was in Grade 9 and knew then that it was something she needed to do.
‘I applied in January last year and in June I was told I had been accepted into the programme. Only in September did I find out that I got my first choice and I was going to the States,’ an excited Gabie explained.
When asked what was the one thing she was looking forward to the most, Gabie’s answer was ‘snow’.
‘This will be the first time I have flown and I have never seen snow before so this is a dream come true.’
For those high school pupils who would like an opportunity to experience this incredible Rotary Youth Exchange Programme, there are two options. The first is a 12-month exchange which is what Gabie is doing.
The second option is a six-week exchange called the family to family exchange.
For more information contact Wally Brook on 082 9244639 or Bruce Edwards on 082 8779480.
