A letter from our Outbound Student Ciedele Mezger, who is currently in Germany:
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Hello all,
Here is my next report. Hope everything is going well for you and your families.
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Since my last report, things were going really well, until the corona virus situation escalated. I'm stuck in my house for quarantine now and we have 3 weeks supposedly until it is finished but the situation changes daily so it might be extended.
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I passed both of my A1 language tests; with the language school and the Rotary :)
The inbound weekend was so much fun. I met all of the exchanges in our district (40 total) and we stayed in a little castle hotel in a town called Monschau which is on the border of Belgium. We visited an energy museum, had a mini show fight, visited Hilters school museum and explored Monshau.
The next Rotary gathering was in Bonn at the History museum. We met rebounds/rotex and the outbounds and split into groups for tours about the history of Germany after WW2.
I feel upset that some exchanges had to go home early and the next exchange groups probably won't be able to participate in RYE, due to the Corona situation worldwide.
Due to Corona, our Eurotour is cancelled, as are the other inbound weekends. After the old group leaves, I will be alone in my district with one other Aussie, as I suspect the new inbounds will not arrive. It is a shame really that we get to miss out on exchange highlights and friendships but it won't stop us from making the remaining time count and having new experiences and friendships.
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I had 2 weeks in my school before they shut. All schools in my district are shut for 5 weeks. The cities have gone into quarantine mode; schools, events, churches, restaurants, theaters, transport have all shut, cancelled, decreased open times or adapted to prevent contact. I have been in my house for 2 weeks straight now and I've been biding my time, calling friends, crafting, cooking, and interacting with my host family. Before quarantine, I went to my host grandmothers 80th birthday with my host parents and my 3 brothers. I sang "Somewhere Over The Rainbow" at the party with my ukulele and made origami animals.
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I participated in an online Rotex/ Rebound meeting the other day and it gave me an idea. If my Australian clubs (Kalamunda or Geraldton) are planning on hosting an online meeting, I could join and we could chat. Would allow more questions and interactions than email or a report, and the timezones are convenient as an evening meeting in Australia would be a midday call for me. This could be an idea for the other current exchanges as well. Just a thought :)
//////////////////////
I passed both of my A1 language tests; with the language school and the Rotary :)
The inbound weekend was so much fun. I met all of the exchanges in our district (40 total) and we stayed in a little castle hotel in a town called Monschau which is on the border of Belgium. We visited an energy museum, had a mini show fight, visited Hilters school museum and explored Monshau.
The next Rotary gathering was in Bonn at the History museum. We met rebounds/rotex and the outbounds and split into groups for tours about the history of Germany after WW2.
I feel upset that some exchanges had to go home early and the next exchange groups probably won't be able to participate in RYE, due to the Corona situation worldwide.
Due to Corona, our Eurotour is cancelled, as are the other inbound weekends. After the old group leaves, I will be alone in my district with one other Aussie, as I suspect the new inbounds will not arrive. It is a shame really that we get to miss out on exchange highlights and friendships but it won't stop us from making the remaining time count and having new experiences and friendships.
//////////////////////
I had 2 weeks in my school before they shut. All schools in my district are shut for 5 weeks. The cities have gone into quarantine mode; schools, events, churches, restaurants, theaters, transport have all shut, cancelled, decreased open times or adapted to prevent contact. I have been in my house for 2 weeks straight now and I've been biding my time, calling friends, crafting, cooking, and interacting with my host family. Before quarantine, I went to my host grandmothers 80th birthday with my host parents and my 3 brothers. I sang "Somewhere Over The Rainbow" at the party with my ukulele and made origami animals.
//////////////////
I participated in an online Rotex/ Rebound meeting the other day and it gave me an idea. If my Australian clubs (Kalamunda or Geraldton) are planning on hosting an online meeting, I could join and we could chat. Would allow more questions and interactions than email or a report, and the timezones are convenient as an evening meeting in Australia would be a midday call for me. This could be an idea for the other current exchanges as well. Just a thought :)
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