The Big News!

I've been in anticipation about where I will be sent for my exchange and if I am going to make it into the program for months! Finally the news came today! I came home and checked my email right away. I wasn't expecting to find out the recommendation of where I was to be sent. I called Mom as I opened the email. It said:


I would like to recommend that Jessica Rice have the opportunity of being a Rotary Youth Exchange long term student for 2012 - 2013. Her placement recommendation would be:

District 4470 Capital city, Campo Grande, MS, Brazil- Coordinator Rotarian Luiz Spengler

Congrats to Jessica and please keep us posted of placement when the application is delievered to the Country Coordinator and placed abroad




I had been hoping to be able to go to a Spanish speaking country since I have taken four years of Spanish and I absolutely LOVE the language! When I read the email I was in shock and a little bit in denial. I wanted to go to Spain or Chile (where David Archuleta is going on his mission!) I thought that it must be a mistake. Thinking back to how I have felt over the past two weeks since interviews, I have felt that I probably won't go to a Spanish speaking country. Since the interviews I felt that I was going to Brazil. This is what I am supposed to do and where I am supposed to go at this time. Now I am absolutely ecstatic! Brazil is the PERFECT place for me as far as I can tell! Portugese is very similar to Spanish and it will be easier for me to learn Spanish later. I just can't believe this is real! This is amazing!
I have to thank Terri Sawyer for choosing the best place for me with the best District Coordinator! I also want to thank Patrick who is in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil right now on exchange. I emailed him twice with TONS of questions and he responded with awesome answers both times! Thanks for getting me pumped Patrick! 
I have already made my first language/culture mistake! Terri told me how great my District-Coordinator, Luiz Spengler is. I thought Luiz was a female name! So I told Terri, "I got an email from Luiz and she is so kind! I'm so grateful to be placed in her district!" Terri responded, "Luiz is a guy." Haha! Oops! That's embarrassing!
But despite how exciting and amazing this is, I am honestly terrified to leave my family. I can't even imagine how hard it will be to leave them! It makes me sick just thinking about it. I love them so much! But I know that I will be able to overcome the hard times and in the end it will be worth every effort. I have God on my side who will comfort me and fill me with love at times when I am lonely and overwhelmed. I know I couldn't do something so difficult without the help of Heavenly Father and my Savior, Jesus Christ.
I am going to start learning Portugese right now!
Campo Grande here I come!!!!!

The Spark!

This whole crazy thing started in September 2011 when I discovered in my Spanish 4 class the amazing advantages and adventures involved in a foreign exchange. I didn't think it could be a reality for me until a student who had only recently returned from Germany as an exchange student gave a presentation on his exchange. This was the spark to the flame that hasn't stopped burning since!
The more I researched, the more I wanted to be a foreign exchange student and I knew Rotary was the best option especially since Rotary is a service based organization. I filled out a long application and was interviewed on January 7th. This was only the beginning.