Clarkston Rotary President David Boersma presents Eva Meisl a certificate for her presentation.

BY JESSICA STEELEY
Clarkston News Staff Writer
Clarkston students may not know it, but there’s a unique opportunity for them to travel abroad through Clarkston Rotary’s Youth Exchange program.
Jeff Lichty, treasurer of the Rotary Club, leads the program and he’s working to get the word out and have more Clarkston students study outside the country.
He said there are two Clarkston students in the program this year, one in Italy and one in Peru, and Clarkston received three students from other countries: Chile, Turkey and Austria.
Eva Meisl, the exchange student from Austria, presented to the Rotary recently about her time spent in America so far.
Catching up with Meisl after the presentation, she discussed joining the program to improve her English and learn about another culture. She’s also had the chance to meet students from several different countries around the world, from Taiwan to Chile.
“They all invited me to their house, so I will get to know a lot of countries and I will travel a lot and I love traveling,” Meisl said.
Aside from English, Meisl is also learning Spanish and French, all of which she hopes to be fluent in. Meisl wants to learn English first and then do a study abroad in a Spanish speaking country in college.
“Now I have like the big opportunity that I’m with Mexican family and they speak Spanish,” Meisl said, excited about her current host family.
She said the program allows students to stay with three different host families throughout the year, which she likes because it allows her to experience American traditions and culture from varying perspectives.
Meisl’s first host parents, Don and Donna Blower, attended her presentation.
Talking with Donna Blower beforehand, she said she’s been involved in Youth Exchange since 2001, when her daughter went to Japan through the program. She’s hosted eight children, including Eva, all from different countries.

“I have the comfy house, they don’t have to worry about putting their feet up on the couches, we got dogs and cats and, you know, it’s the best for their transition because if they’re not ready to eat some foods I tell them ‘Don’t force yourself to eat something,’” Blower said. “I just want them to be comfortable, I want them to get comfortable with being here in the United States and with the program and with the school before they transfer to the next host family.”
Though Blower helps her kids transition to American culture, she said she also learns about the cultures of the students she host.
“We’re talking back and forth and asking questions and I’m always asking questions about family and, you now, just everything about the cultures, hosting an exchange student helps you to really learn more about the country,” Blower said. “We can always use more host families that are interested in learning about a different culture and just giving their time and their home.”
Despite being so involved in Youth Exchange, Blower said she had to be convinced to let her daughter go to Japan for a year.
“She had a really good Japanese teacher and they did have a program where they went for a short stay—two weeks—within the school system or within the foreign language programs and letting her go for that two weeks made it easier for me to let her go for the full year,” Blower said.
Besides just being in the United States for the first time, Meisl said Rotary offers students trips throughout their stay as well. Meisl plans to take a trip through the big cities on the eastern and western coasts and she said the American student staying at her house in Austria has a trip planned to all of the main European cities.
Meisl thinks having this program on her resume will eventually help her have a career with an international company.
“With other cultures you always have to be aware of that it can be different and probably will be different,” Meisl said. “It opens your eyes when you do an exchange.”
The Rotary Youth Exchange program got started just after World War II, Lichty said.
“A couple generals said that we’ve got to do something about reducing conflict in the world and, so, why don’t you send your son to my place and I’ll send my son to your place and we’ll start that way,” he said.
Cost to the individual includes a $1,200 administrative fee, health insurance if needed, and airplane ticket for the entire school year, including Christmas.
“You want to experience what the Christmas is where you are,” Lichty said. “So, if you’re down in Chile you want to find out what that Christmas is, plus chances are you’ve really grown attached to your family, so you want to celebrate Christmas with your new family, your new sisters, your new brothers and experience that.”
Primary countries participating in the program include Austria, France, Germany, Mexico, Argentina, Japan, and the Philippines, he said.
“For students it’s a fantastic education and a chance to really mature,” he said. “We often joke that we send kids over and get adults back. And then as far as the future goes, colleges love it and your chances of getting into your college are even better with that resume on. And then once you hit the business world if you not only know a language, a lot of kids learn a language at school, but if you’ve lived there you know the cultural, and that really becomes crucial for business.”