A Sundre High School student who is graduating this year is mostly excited, albeit a little nervous, about the opportunity to spend one year in Mexico as part of a Rotary Club exchange program.
“This will be the longest I’ve ever been away from home,” said Victoria Taylor, who lives south of Sundre near Bergen.
The student, who turns 18 this month, is no stranger to Mexico, having spent several vacations there with family in the past in places like Cancun and Puerto Vallarta.
Although a bit anxious about surmounting the language barrier and not having any close personal ties nearby, she expressed unreserved enthusiasm about meeting new people and establishing fresh connections.
“Mexico has a special place in my heart.”
During her time in Mazatlan, where she will be residing with a host family, Taylor said she would be doing volunteer work. The Rotary Club of Olds is helping to send several emergency vehicles there, including an ambulance and firetruck, and she will be accompanying the delegation that plans to deliver the donations in person.
“We almost moved to Mazatlan when I was turning 15,” she said, adding that at the time her parents were considering accepting a teaching position at a private school that teaches an Alberta curriculum, but in the end declined due to financial considerations.
So returning to Mazatlan as part of the exchange program almost “felt a little bit like fate,” she said.
Half of the trip’s roughly $9,000 cost was covered by a contribution from the Rotary Club of Olds while the balance was borne by her family as well as money she had raised working part-time.
When asked what motivated or compelled her to pursue the exchange program, Taylor said she not only was craving some adventure, but also wants to improve her ability to speak another language.
“It’s really important to me that I become fluent in Spanish.”
Along the way, she additionally hopes to forge enduring, lifelong friendships.
“I’m really looking for those connections and really in-depth cultural experiences outside of the ones I have.”
She caught the travel bug during a six-week trip to Ecuador when she was turning 14, which opened her eyes to a bigger world.
“I really fell in love with Latin America — the people are so friendly and open.”
Further reinforcing her fondness of the culture is a passion for the music and food, which she calls amazing.
Since she learned in March that her application for the exchange program was successful, Taylor has been spending some time learning Spanish with the help of a smartphone app called Duolingo.
Although her self-taught lessons are coming along well, she confessed to still having a lot of work ahead. However, she is confident that immersing herself in a Spanish environment will substantially improve her ability to speak the language.
The student, who leaves in August, was chosen for the Rotary Youth Exchange program through a selection process, said Debby Crawford, Rotary Club of Olds and Taylor’s outbound youth counsellor.
Coming up from Mazatlan will be a 15-year-old Mexican exchange student by the name of Angel (pronounced Angal) Sanchez Eng Goon, who will be studying at Olds High School, she said.
“It just is so life-changing for the students,” she said about the exchange, adding youth also get an opportunity to boost their confidence.
“It’s an amazing program that we’re trying to encourage kids throughout the country to be aware of.”
The numerous opportunities for personal development include exposure to another culture and language, building an international network as well as fostering relationships among people of varying backgrounds who perhaps have a different approach at life, she said.
“Peace and understanding are an integral part of the program. The world is in good hands when youth get this kind of opportunity.”
Although Taylor’s plans might change between now and her return next year, she said she is seriously considering the possibility of pursuing a creative writing major at the University of B.C.
But for the time being, her mind has largely been preoccupied preparing for the exchange program, and Taylor said she is “just really over the moon to be going back to a place I love.”
