Over the summer, two Greenville High School seniors took part in a Rotary Youth Exchange Summer Exchange Experience. Scarlett Coons spent three weeks in Barcelona, Spain with her host sister Claudia while Genevieve “Gigi” Stewart spent four weeks in Brescia, Italy with her host sister Giulia. After their European adventures, both girls hosted their “host sisters” here in Greenville!
The purpose of the short term program is to help students “gain a better understanding of other cultures.” Living in another country allows students to “see the different challenges that other cultures face, their customs, and their way of life.”
For Scarlett, she enjoyed experiencing the Spanish culture first hand. With a base knowledge of the language, Scarlett was able to quickly connect with her host family who reminded her much of her family back home. Her favorite part of the exchange? Going boating at her host sister’s grandparent's home in El Port de la Selva - a small, but important fishing port on the Balearic Sea with picturesque views of the coast. Her favorite foods were tapas, which are small savory dishes (like snacks) as well as Patatas Bravas (fried potatoes with spicy red sauce) and Croquetas (a deep-fried roll with a savory filling). When her host sister, Claudia, visited the United States they spent time in Greenville and took a trip to New York City and to Washington, D.C. to visit the Capitol. Although initially nervous about the experience, since she had never been on a plane by herself, Scarlett says that she’s incredibly grateful for the opportunity and hopes to go back to Spain every year. Without Rotary’s program, she said, she never would have gone out of her comfort zone like this.
For Gigi, her trip to Italy was eye-opening as she had no previous knowledge of the language. Her host sister lived in Brescia, the northern Italian region of Lombardy. Gigi’s favorite part of her trip was hiking in the Dolomites, a mountain range in Northeast Italy. Her favorite Italian food was Risotto, a creamy Italian rice dish. Throughout her trip, she traveled to many places in Italy and its bordering countries. Gigi was inspired to take part in the Rotary exchange after meeting Maria and Melina, previous exchange program students. When her host sister, Giulia, visited Greenville they spent time outdoors, with friends, at the lake, at the Altamont Fair, and in New York City. Her favorite phrase after spending four weeks in Italy is “Mama mia!” - something people said quite often!
Both Scarlett and Gigi hope to continue to learn about other cultures and study foreign languages in college. One thing is for sure, this isn’t their last trip across the pond!