IT'S NOT ABOUT YOU, BUT IT'S UP TO YOU

Sometimes I just have to stop and think how lucky I am. Last weekend made me really realise that, I got to experience something so special and fantastic that there is no words to describe it.

Algonguin is a big park in Ontario and Rotary Youth Exchange students from district 7090 gets to go there and experience northern wilderness in a whole new level. Before I start to tell more about the trip, you need to remember that some of the kids on this trip have never experienced winter before. This trip that we did, lasted for four days and three nights. I will try my best to explain Algonguin to you people, but there is this one rule I have to follow carefully. What happens in Algonguin, stays in Algonguin.  This rule is not made because we do something stupid and no one should ever hear about it, it’s made to protect the trip. You should only know that it will be cold and fun. That is all I knew when I went up there and honestly, that was everything I needed to know.

This year we were blessed by the weather, it wasn’t nearly as cold as it was last year or year before that and I think that is one of the reasons why our trip was such a success. Two days out of four the sun shined the whole day and temperature was down only in minus 15.  Spending every day outside doing activities really took energy out of people. I promise you that in the evening when we finally went to bed, we were done.

Our group was divided into different parts and my job was to lead the group. Being a leader is something that I actually know how to do and I really enjoy it. Being a leader in Algonguin, was a whole different job than being a leader back home. There it means that you have to make quick decisions, keep the group calm and remember that everyone wants to have some fun too. Two full days being a leader of group of 21 people made me learn more than I imagined. I had to deal with stress more quickly than normally, I had to make some hard choices and I had to learn to trust people that I had met just one day ago.

"Chillin' chillin' chillin in alwonquin park, just chillin' here in this great park"

- Jose

One of the exercises that we did there, made us think ourselves and who we want to be. Exchange is a perfect place to figure that out, no one knows you and you can decide who you want to be. This exercise was harder than I thought, I was really emotional and I went through lot of thing in my mind that I haven’t thought in a really long time. I realised that some of my choices in the past are actually made me better person and some of them I shouldn’t have done. I don’t regret anything, but now I know how to proceed in the future.

Best four days of my life. Winter wonderland. I never thought that you can become friends with people so fast and you can build a trust in someone you just met so quickly, but things like this prove me that it is possible. I will remember this trip for a very long time and every time I face something hard in my life I can come back to this trip and remember that I survived. It’s not about you, but it’s up to you. This sentence changes my way of thinking completely.

Now, six months of exchange behind me and six months still to go I can proudly say that I am who I want to be. I know what I want and I know how to get there. I am in peace with myself, I know I have problems but today is not the day to stress about them. I am happy and I am ready to face all the challenges that life gives me. I am ready.