On the 10th December 2024, Ms Ella Kusnierz gave a presentation to our Western Endeavour Rotary Club Members about her upcoming Rotary Youth Exchange sponsored by our Club to Argentina starting in January 2025.
Ella receiving her Rotary Youth Exchange jacket from | From left Micheal Lee (grandfather), Sascha Kusnierz (mum),
President Donna Thornton and Treasurer Michael Lee Ella Kusnierz, Wendy Lee (grandmother) and Brett Kusnierz (dad)
President Donna Thornton and Treasurer Michael Lee Ella Kusnierz, Wendy Lee (grandmother) and Brett Kusnierz (dad)
Ella is 17 and recently graduated from Methodist Ladies College where she has attended since year 7. She has an interest in jazz music, played the baritone sax for about 2 years and the tenor saxophone for 4. In terms of languages, she has been learning Japanese for about 8 years and while attending MLC and in year 11 she was given the opportunity to attend the Japanese study tour where she and 12 other students spent one month in Japan. There was three weeks staying with a Japanese host family in Kobe attending their sister school Kobe College and one week travelling around Japan. For Ella this short exchange opened her mind to the world of exchanges. She really enjoyed the trip, and from that short glimpse of what can happen on exchange she became curious about experiencing new cultures and meeting people from different walks of life, which is why this Rotary Youth Exchange opportunity excited her so much.
Ella informed us she applied for the Rotary Youth Exchange because of the power of cultural exchange to build relationships and experience new things. She said travelling to Argentina would allow her to immerse herself into a new culture, learn a new language (Spanish), and challenge her in ways she would never have been able to at home here in Perth. Ella said living in a foreign country for a whole entire year without her support network is a unique experience that doesn’t come around often, hoping to use this experience to gain independence, build lifelong friendships and relationships with people who she otherwise probably never would have met, and develop a greater appreciation for Argentine Culture.
At this stage Ella knows what city she is going to, her first host family and her first school. She will be staying in a city called Bahía Blanca, a medium sized costal city in Buenos Aires province about 7 hours drive south from the capital Buenos Aires. It is known for its export of grains and wool from the southern area of the Buenos Aires province. Its population is around 330,000 people and is about 1/3rd the size area of Perth. The school she will be attending is called Don Bosco Secondary School - a Christian school which focuses on teaching economics and social sciences. Right now there are 2 exchange students in Bahia Blanca, one from Germany and one from France. Ella could see from social media that her Argentine Rotary Club is very active in community service.
Obviously a significant challenge for Ella will be learning Spanish quickly to enable her to attend school and to communicate with the people she comes in contact while in Argentina.
We are looking forward to some updates while she is in Argentina and to present to us on her experiences when she returns to Perth.
Have a great time, Ella!!