Thanks to Rotary my life has been enriched by the connections I’ve formed and the relationships I’ve made, and I’ll be forever appreciative for the opportunity.

Article by Verity Edwards

In 1993-94, I (Verity Edwards) was a Rotary Exchange student in Mons, Belgium, with my sponsor club being Hindmarsh in South Australia. Landing at Brussels I had no idea what to expect – my first time overseas – with host parents meeting me at the airport who didn’t speak a word of English… I was lucky I had five years of high school French to give me some vocab and conversational tips.

Pre-internet, speaking to my parents once a month on a Sunday and writing letters each week, I learnt the value of independence and grew up very quickly. My host family for the first nine months became my surrogate family, and we still keep in touch and have been back and stayed with them multiple times.

I stay in touch with my club too, including a couple who were never able to have children, who treated me like their own. Each time we go back, they invite us (including our children) to their meetings and post regular updates in their newsletters on what we’re up to.

Thanks to Facebook, I am in regular contact with my school friends, and we’ve had visits and continued to spend time together over the years. The distance might be thousands of kilometres, but it’s like we never parted.

Two of my bridesmaids were girls I had gone to school with and spent plenty of time with in Belgium, and one of them remains my kindred spirit. Another friend came and stayed for three months and did a dentistry internship at Adelaide Uni, becoming part of our family too.

In early July, the Rotary wheel will again turn when the son of my host sister comes and stays with us for six weeks. He’ll be going to school with my oldest son, and we can’t wait to share our lives with him, just as his sister shared her life (and bedroom) with me 30 years ago.

Thanks to Rotary my life has been enriched by the connections I’ve formed and the relationships I’ve made, and I’ll be forever appreciative for the opportunity.