Hello!
Welcome to my blog. To begin, I will introduce myself.
My name is Kearney Tate Newman. I am fifteen years old and have lived on an alpaca farm in small town Alaska for my entire life. Next year, that will change. I have been selected to participate in a year long Rotary Exchange. This blog will be a record of my experiences and thoughts during my year abroad. Whether you have stumbled upon my blog by mistake or are a close friend or family member looking to see what I am up to, I hope you enjoy what you read here and that you will accompany me on this journey of a lifetime.
Rotary International is a worldwide group of 1.2 million volunteers. These people commit themselves to Rotary’s motto of “Service Above Self”. By supporting education, clean water, health and sanitation, the continuous effort to eradicate polio, youth exchange and much much more, these people work to create a more understanding and safe world.
Travel has always been important to me. I love to learn new things, try new foods and meet new people. For this reason and innumerable others, I have long been interested in Youth Exchange. Applying and being accepted to Rotary International was a dream come true. I cannot thank my home club, Wasilla Sunrise Rotary, enough. Without them, this dream would never be a reality.
When one is accepted to Rotary exchange, it is not definite that they will end up spending their year abroad in the country of their choice. In fact, going to the country you wish for is improbable. When I applied for the Rotary program last October, I imagined myself riding trains to see castles in Europe, speaking Spanish with my new friends on the beach in South America or even playing soccer in South Africa.
An Orientation is held in January and students who have come to Alaska for exchange [inbounds] along with Alaskan students who have already returned [rebounds] from exchange assist Rotarians in selecting the country each outgoing [outbound] exchange student will be sent to.
Just before jaunting downstairs to the much-awaited banquet where we [the outbound students] would discover where their future would take us, I spoke to a returned exchange student. The girl, Sarah, had just returned from the most wonderful year of her life, spent in Indonesia. Though she did not want to go to Indonesia, she has told me many stories and says she knows Indonesia was the perfect place for her. The last words she said to me before the banquet commenced still resonate in my ears…
“The greatest compliment we (the returned students) could give you (the outgoing students) was to say that you could go anywhere. So, if you’re surprised by your country assignment, take it as a compliment. It means we know that you can do it.”
Thus, when all but two countries had been announced and I couldn’t recall which countries were left, I knew I needn’t worry. Something wonderful awaited me no matter what, I kept telling myself. When my name was finally called, “Welcome to Thailand, Kearney Newman!” the moment was unreal. I sat for a second barely realizing my name had been called. Then I stood, straightened myself, painted on a transparent smile over my undeniable shock and walked forward to the stage. Tears crawled down my face the moment I stepped off of it. Not tears of sadness or tears of joy, just tears. I had no explanations. All I had was shock.
Never once did I imagine myself in Asia. In fact, I found myself thinking the only place I had no immediate interest in was Asia. Come January, I find Thailand must become my reality and I am entirely willing to let it do so. As my time for departure draws nearer, less than eighty days away [not that I’m counting or anything… J], it is impossible for me not to become more and more excited. As the excitement mounts, so too does the anxiety. Questions pop into my mind, consistently reminding me how little I know about what the next year of my life will bring, about Thailand, about the world, about myself.
Though I know absolutely nothing about my next year, I look forward to absolutely everything. I cannot wait to begin this adventure!
-Kearney
