By Darren Lum

It was an emotional farewell for the Highlands teenage girl with the large smile and enthusiasm for life who found more than adventure on her recent exchange trip to Argentina facilitated by the Rotary Club of Minden. She found a second family and another place she can call home. One she hopes to get back to in the near future.

The senior Haliburton Highlands Secondary School student Alyssa Denyer loved her short term exchange program trip to Henderson Argentina for the relationship that was built and fostered with her host family the Mateos.

On the last night there Denyer said it was a tearful farewell that she won’t soon forget.

With some of her closest friends unable to see her as she went around to say her goodbyes the finality of the situation dawned on her.

“So we’re leaving and I’m saying goodbye to everybody and I was like keeping it together all is fine” she said. “And we’re driving home and I’m balling because I’m just so sad that this could be the last time if I don’t ever get a chance to go back. And then we’re at the airport we’re all hugging goodbye and I think I hugged my [host]  mom like six times just because I didn’t want to leave I kept on going back to hug them and I was crying and crying.”

Denyer’s experience was made extra special because of her host family.

Denyer said they made a concerted effort to  communicate and help her despite her weak grasp of Spanish.

Although the Argentinian exchange student and host sister Belen knew English well her mother didn’t. That didn’t hinder the mother’s efforts to teach Denyer Spanish and to welcome her during the stay.

“Within the first week or two I was there  she was calling me her third daughter so it was just really welcoming” she said.

At first Denyer felt like a nuisance. That quickly faded as the Mateos family continually included her.
“They really welcomed me so they would invite me to sit with them in the living room so I wouldn’t feel trapped in my room. Just like it was my house as well” she said.

Although before going she did her best to learn Spanish with the language program Rosetta Stone it wasn’t enough.

“It was a lot different. I went there thinking I’m going to be ok but when I got there it was insane. I had no idea what was going on” she said referring to the rate of the locals’ speech and the slang that was used. She can now understand Spanish. However in conversations with another peer that spent time in Chile there is a definite difference that is associated with the different regions.

Despite the challenges with language and other cultural differences Denyer will never forget how the community  embraced her.

The town of Henderson is a little like the Highlands except it’s even more welcoming.

“You walk down the street and everybody is saying hi to you so you just kind of ‘hola’” she said. “It’s almost more welcoming [than here]. There it’s rude to see somebody you know and not say anything. Even if it’s just someone you met like twice in your life you have to say something to them. They consider it rude if you don’t. There was a lot of communication going on and everybody was waving at you from across the street and that kind of stuff.”

That kind of behaviour is something that made an indelible mark on her.

The way people introduce themselves was slightly different. She was warned that kissing is quite common even from strangers on first meetings.

“I walked up to my class and every single one of them came up and gave me a kiss on the cheek and I was like OK but it made you feel more a part of something even if you didn’t know what was going on” she said.

Denyer said it’s not hard for her to adjust to things but this was dramatic.

When school runs from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. it’s a definite difference to school days here.

Another dramatic difference was how dinner was regularly at 10 p.m. followed by outings after midnight. Most people don’t wake up until closer to noon.

At first she was the first one to wake up in the household close to her usual wakeup close to 7 a.m.
She used the time to make breakfast eat and read three books three times.

“I’d be the first one up and nobody was doing anything. We’re wasting the day [she told herself] but no we’re going until 2 o’clock in the morning on a school night” she said.

The Mateos home is located a 10 minute drive outside of the town of Henderson in a farming area with cows who became familiar with the Canadian teen who walked among them during her down times.

Eventually the Minden teen settled into the routine of life there and appreciated sleeping in.
On July 20 she experienced Dia del Amigos or Friends Day.

It was a great opportunity for her to indulge in the culture and food. The celebration is about spending it with like groups of 20 or  30 friends and sharing food such as chorizo (sausage) and asado (beef) that is cooked by smoking core salted meat on an open fire with coals.

She also was taken on trips where she visited beaches on the Atlantic ocean visited the country capital Buenos Aires and the spectacular Iguazu Falls close to the Brazilian border.

“It was quite possibly the most beautiful thing I have ever seen in my entire life” she said referring to the falls.

The exchange started with Argentinian student Belen  coming here for her summer holidays staying from January to February followed by Denyer going to Henderson in July and August.

The Argentinian teen indulged in poutine learned how to curl and accompanied Denyer who is a competitive curler to bonspiels visited Arrowhead Park in Huntsville where she ice skated visited Canadian landmarks like Niagara Falls.

Denyer said her exchange sister loved winter for its snow and its cold.

“She left Argentina and it was plus 30 [degrees Celsius]. She lands here it was minus 30 [degrees Celsius]. She was like walking around without a coat” she said.

When Denyer brushed her car after a fresh snowfall Belen found the exercise a  novel concept. It’s an unusual practice for the South American teen unfamiliar with subzero temperatures.

Denyer was selected  because of effective communication skills openness to try new things and be interested in meeting new people. Interviews for the exchange are being conducted this week.

However if a candidate has not been chosen the club will consider others.

In addition to the STEP (Short Term Exchange Program) Rotary International offers a long-term exchange which runs the full calendar year and the participant  attends school. Besides Rotary students can study abroad through ISE Ontario and also with private companies that don’t require the participant to host a student. Contact the guidance office at the high school for more information.

Denyer who spent 10 days in Europe with other students as a tourist the summer before said an exchange is the best opportunity for students to really experience what life is like in another country.

“Starting off it was a travel experience. I wanted to see the world with exchanges … but then relationships that you build with people are so amazingly heart warming and heart breaking at the same time and I find it worth it to even  just to have those memories. Even if I don’t end up going back I’ve lived that. So with exchange versus travel you’re living that whole life. You’re not just going around doing tourist things. You’re actually living what it’s like to live there which I find really appealing.” she said. “When I travel I don’t want to just do what everybody does. I want to see what it’s like.”

It was an emotional farewell for the Highlands teenage girl with the large smile and enthusiasm for life who found more than adventure on her recent exchange trip to Argentina facilitated by the Rotary Club of Minden. She found a second family and another place she can call home. One she hopes to get back to in the near future.

The senior Haliburton Highlands Secondary School student Alyssa Denyer loved her short term exchange program trip to Henderson Argentina for the relationship that was built and fostered with her host family the Mateos.

On the last night there Denyer said it was a tearful farewell that she won’t soon forget.

With some of her closest friends unable to see her as she went around to say her goodbyes the finality of the situation dawned on her.

“So we’re leaving and I’m saying goodbye to everybody and I was like keeping it together all is fine” she said. “And we’re driving home and I’m balling because I’m just so sad that this could be the last time if I don’t ever get a chance to go back. And then we’re at the airport we’re all hugging goodbye and I think I hugged my [host]  mom like six times just because I didn’t want to leave I kept on going back to hug them and I was crying and crying.”

Denyer’s experience was made extra special because of her host family.

Denyer said they made a concerted effort to  communicate and help her despite her weak grasp of Spanish.

Although the Argentinian exchange student and host sister Belen knew English well her mother didn’t. That didn’t hinder the mother’s efforts to teach Denyer Spanish and to welcome her during the stay.

“Within the first week or two I was there  she was calling me her third daughter so it was just really welcoming” she said.

At first Denyer felt like a nuisance. That quickly faded as the Mateos family continually included her.

“They really welcomed me so they would invite me to sit with them in the living room so I wouldn’t feel trapped in my room. Just like it was my house as well” she said.

Although before going she did her best to learn Spanish with the language program Rosetta Stone it wasn’t enough.

“It was a lot different. I went there thinking I’m going to be ok but when I got there it was insane. I had no idea what was going on” she said referring to the rate of the locals’ speech and the slang that was used. She can now understand Spanish. However in conversations with another peer that spent time in Chile there is a definite difference that is associated with the different regions.

Despite the challenges with language and other cultural differences Denyer will never forget how the community  embraced her.

The town of Henderson is a little like the Highlands except it’s even more welcoming.

“You walk down the street and everybody is saying hi to you so you just kind of ‘hola’” she said. “It’s almost more welcoming [than here]. There it’s rude to see somebody you know and not say anything. Even if it’s just someone you met like twice in your life you have to say something to them. They consider it rude if you don’t. There was a lot of communication going on and everybody was waving at you from across the street and that kind of stuff.”

That kind of behaviour is something that made an indelible mark on her.

The way people introduce themselves was slightly different. She was warned that kissing is quite common even from strangers on first meetings.

“I walked up to my class and every single one of them came up and gave me a kiss on the cheek and I was like OK but it made you feel more a part of something even if you didn’t know what was going on” she said.

Denyer said it’s not hard for her to adjust to things but this was dramatic.

When school runs from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. it’s a definite difference to school days here.

Another dramatic difference was how dinner was regularly at 10 p.m. followed by outings after midnight. Most people don’t wake up until closer to noon.

At first she was the first one to wake up in the household close to her usual wakeup close to 7 a.m.
She used the time to make breakfast eat and read three books three times.

“I’d be the first one up and nobody was doing anything. We’re wasting the day [she told herself] but no we’re going until 2 o’clock in the morning on a school night” she said.

The Mateos home is located a 10 minute drive outside of the town of Henderson in a farming area with cows who became familiar with the Canadian teen who walked among them during her down times.

Eventually the Minden teen settled into the routine of life there and appreciated sleeping in.
On July 20 she experienced Dia del Amigos or Friends Day.

It was a great opportunity for her to indulge in the culture and food. The celebration is about spending it with like groups of 20 or  30 friends and sharing food such as chorizo (sausage) and asado (beef) that is cooked by smoking core salted meat on an open fire with coals.

She also was taken on trips where she visited beaches on the Atlantic ocean visited the country capital Buenos Aires and the spectacular Iguazu Falls close to the Brazilian border.

“It was quite possibly the most beautiful thing I have ever seen in my entire life” she said referring to the falls.

The exchange started with Argentinian student Belen  coming here for her summer holidays staying from January to February followed by Denyer going to Henderson in July and August.

The Argentinian teen indulged in poutine learned how to curl and accompanied Denyer who is a competitive curler to bonspiels visited Arrowhead Park in Huntsville where she ice skated visited Canadian landmarks like Niagara Falls.

Denyer said her exchange sister loved winter for its snow and its cold.

“She left Argentina and it was plus 30 [degrees Celsius]. She lands here it was minus 30 [degrees Celsius]. She was like walking around without a coat” she said.

When Denyer brushed her car after a fresh snowfall Belen found the exercise a  novel concept. It’s an unusual practice for the South American teen unfamiliar with subzero temperatures.

Denyer was selected  because of effective communication skills openness to try new things and be interested in meeting new people. Interviews for the exchange are being conducted this week.

However if a candidate has not been chosen the club will consider others.

In addition to the STEP (Short Term Exchange Program) Rotary International offers a long-term exchange which runs the full calendar year and the participant  attends school. Besides Rotary students can study abroad through ISE Ontario and also with private companies that don’t require the participant to host a student. Contact the guidance office at the high school for more information.

Denyer who spent 10 days in Europe with other students as a tourist the summer before said an exchange is the best opportunity for students to really experience what life is like in another country.

“Starting off it was a travel experience. I wanted to see the world with exchanges … but then relationships that you build with people are so amazingly heart warming and heart breaking at the same time and I find it worth it to even  just to have those memories. Even if I don’t end up going back I’ve lived that. So with exchange versus travel you’re living that whole life. You’re not just going around doing tourist things. You’re actually living what it’s like to live there which I find really appealing.” she said. “When I travel I don’t want to just do what everybody does. I want to see what it’s like.”