As many of you know, I recently gave a speech at the bi-district rotary conference in San Andres, Colombia. This event was my first time ever giving a speech in Spanish, and my first time speaking in front of so many people (about 1500 rotarians attended). The video of my speech is on my facebook, but it is in Spanish. So, for those of you who do not speak Spanish, below I have placed the English transcript of my speech. Enjoy!
Seven months and a lifetime ago I nervously walked off a plane into a foreign land, a sixteen
year old girl all alone and far from home. But my host family and club lovingly welcomed me into
their beautiful home of Colombia, which has now become my home through a journey of growth
and discovery.
At first, I spoke like a gringa and the details of daily life were difficult. Eating rice every day was
strange, and I had to ask people to repeat what they said several times before I could
understand. I had to search to find the coffee cups, and even broke one the first time I tried to
make some of that famous Colombian coffee.
When I first started school, I was incredibly nervous. Making friends seemed like a daunting
task, especially because I could barely speak Spanish. And at first, school was awkward for me.
But then, my classmates opened their hearts to me. They greeted me with big smiles and hugs
every day. Even when I didn’t understand what was going on or know what to say, my
classmates treated me like an old friend. Through their open mindedness, they taught me
something very important: friendship speaks all languages, and accepts all cultures. I know now
that true friendship is loving one another for our uniqueness and what each person brings to this
beautiful world.
My exchange hasn’t always been what I thought it would be. It hasn’t all been fun, it hasn’t all
been easy. There have been many days when I have sat in my room and felt utterly alone, and
have wanted nothing more than to see my parents again. And then there have been days when
I have been with my host family at a party, dancing and laughing and recochando and I have
thought that this truly is the best year of my life. Days when I have seen the sunrise over the
nevado and illuminate the town I now call my own, days when I have breathed in the mountain
air and wanted nothing more than to stay here forever, days when all the hard moments have
been worth it just for the feeling of belonging that I felt right then.
And really, this is what exchange is. A mix of good and bad, a mix of loneliness and belonging.
It’s the hard moments that have pushed me out of my comfort zone, and made me the mature
woman I am today. It’s the good moments that have made Colombia my second home. Every
day here in Colombia, every day that I wake up to see the palms blowing in the breeze and my
friends’ smiling faces, it becomes more and more clear to me that going on exchange was the
best decision of my life.
I am a better person because of this experience. I am a better person because of you all,
because of Rotary. And I am not the only one. There are thousands of exchange students
across the world who have become global citizens through the Rotary Youth Exchange,
including those of them here with us in San Andres.
So thank you, Rotary. Thank you for giving me this grand opportunity of a lifetime. Thank you,
rotarians, for sacrificing your time to this worthy cause. One student at a time, you are making
the world a better place, and you have given me the best experience of my life. Thank you.
A photo of some of my fellow exchange students and I, taken at the conference where I gave my speech:
