STUDIES IN SCANDANAVIA —
A Rotary exhange student
prepares for a year in | Sweden

Grade 11 student ' Curtis

‘Bretherick is starting to get

excited about his upcoming stay
in Sweden, sponsored by Rotary
International. Curtis was one of
seven ‘Terrace students who
applied for the opportunity. to

experience life and school for one -

year in another country
represented by Rotary Interna-
tional, He is one of two who will
be fulfilling that dream this year.

Curtis is being sponsored by
the Terrace Rotary Club and
Kenna Miskelly is being spon-

sored by the Skeena ‘Valley -

Rotary Club. -

Curtis says the process began
-in October. He first learned about
Rotary exchanges from Mike
Christensen. Mike had been a
Rotary exchange student in 1985.
Then Steve Keitzmar came to
Terrace from South Africa for
1991. Curt says he knew Steve
pretty well and Steve encouraged
him to follow through. Otherwise,
he might not have got his applica-
tionin. —

Curtis says the Rotary
exchange application is pretty
extensive. It included 10 pages of
questions including essay ques-
tions pertaining to the student’s

motivation for joining a Rotary -

International exchange. In a
speech to the Terrace Rotary
Club, Curt summarized, "I have

always been intrigued by travel .

mine where they'll send

and foreign cultures and I
feel the Rotary exchange
program is tie best way
someone of my age can
experience life in another
country.”

In January of this
year, Curtis and his par-
ents, Ross and Elaine, had
an interview with one
provincial and two.
regional representatives of
Rotary International.
"That’s when they deter-

me," explains Curt. The

first question Curt asked
himself was whether or
not he wanted to learn

Curtis Bretherick: Credits won't
transfer, but the experience makes
up for it.

another language. When
he decided "yes", his pref-
erence was to go to Europe. Ger-
Many appealed to him, but
Sweden won out because it’s a
country with active hockey teams!

Although Curt doesn’t yet
know what community he'll call
home effective August 1992, he’s
pretty well assured it will be
Sweden. He'll live with three or
four Swedish Rotary families and
attend school while he’s there.
Although credit from the Swedish
will not be transferable, Curtis
feels that the experience will

_ more than make up for having to

take his Grade 12 again when he
returns to Terrace.
In June, three-day orienta-

Terrace Review — March 20, 1992

Baber at at septa ap tes

tions will be conducted for young

people travelling on Rotary
exchanges and their parents. Two
days will concentrate on cultural
adaptation, expectations, lan-
guage barriers, and what to take
(for the students) and one day for
the parents to gather information
on the whole program and have
any unanswered questions
addressed.

Curtis concluded in his speech
to the Terrace Rotary Club, "I feel
that I have the necessary qual-
ities to be not only a good ambas-
sador for Terrace but also for
Canada,”

— Betty Barton

oa EL SRST WN TI OLR RT