Youth Exchange is forever busy. 
We have had our first Outbound orientation and it went very well.  Students were excited, and parents looked positively overwhelmed with all they heard and learned.  Enjoy the snippets from the students’ monthly reports.  I try to not correct spelling/grammar because it makes it theirs unique, so last month’s was a bit goofy.  The only word I regret is that I spelled Exchange wrong. (it’s called typing…)  I hope you are enjoying your students.  Please have Outbounds give you some news about where they are.  Any club looking to have an Exchange Student as a program, please free to let me know and I’ll work on arranging it. These kids have so much to give and share.  Your club would love it.   433-2207 or veraski@yahoo.com   Yours in Service, Vera
 
Marceli--In American school are lots of different things. First thing is system of grades. In my country u are graded by grades from 1-6 and here by percentages. Second thing is choice of class. In Poland at high school you choose direction you want to learn, for example math-physics class. Then you spend 3 years with the same people who also chose that direction and the only thing you and your class change during the day are teachers. Another thing is that in Poland you can go outside school during break (,which last at least 10 minutes instead of 4).
 
Nat:  I certainly have! I celebrated both the Danish and American Christmas with my host family. Danes celebrate Christmas on the night of the 24th of December (Christmas Eve) during which they open presents and sing traditional Christmas carols while dancing around the Christmas tree. Definitely a memory I will cherish for the rest of my life. On the 25th (Christmas Day) I opened presents that my family back home sent for me and introduced “Charlie Brown Christmas” to my host family. So in other words, I had a fantastic holiday season.
 
Gui: My Christmas was great, we went caroling and then dinner with the whole family. I also have been directing the Junior High Musical, I was invited by the teacher and it has been an amazing work.
 
 
Getting used to cold after Brazil…
 
My month has been really “lazy”, cold. But I’ve been trying different things as skiing and cross country skiing, the second one is definitely my thing. 
 
 
Emily:   This new family is super awesome.  They are speaking a lot more German with me than my last family and it's helped me a lot with the language.  They also own horses and I get to go riding again with the daughter which is super fun!
   We had our volleyball competition and our girls team placed 2nd and so did our boys team.  Afterward we went to a restaurant to celebrate and it was overall a really great time.
    I had a super great time with Christmas here.  Our host family celebrated with a few family friends and family members.  There was sooooo much food and it was all so amazing! 
 New Years on the island was a bit different since the island has Frisian traditions.  They celebrate New Years with Hulken, which is basically like Halloween.  You dress in a costume with a mask and you go to your friends and families houses and they have to try and guess who you are.  Kids gets sweets and fun stuff and adults get alcohol.  I went with a bunch of friends from school and then we all gathered at the church (another island tradition) to countdown the New Year.
   On New Years Day I left the island with my host family and we went skiing in Austria!!! It was amazing and I had a blast.  Unfortunately I messed up my knee and couldn't go skiing for the last couple days but it was still super fun to just be up in the Alps and get to photograph everything.  We even went on a horse sled ride and the sunsets/sunrises were beautiful!
 
Like all students have to, Sibyla is giving her presentation to the Wiesbaden, Germany Rotary Club. (Don’t forget that your Rebounds need to do the same when they come home.)