Bonjour! From Syracuse to France, Jamesville-DeWitt High School Junior Ella Brodey continues to make an impact wherever she goes. For the next 10 months, Brodey will be studying abroad in Metz,France through Rotary International.
Rotary International is an international service organization whose stated purpose is to “provide service to others, promote integrity, and advance world understanding, goodwill, and peace through our fellowship of business, professional, and community leaders,” according to rotary.org.
Rotary’s youth exchange programs allows students ages 15-19 to be sponsored by Rotary clubs in more than 100 countries, giving them the ability to “learn a new language, discover another culture, and truly become global citizens.” Through these benefits, Brodey is learning more about herself and others everyday.
Getting into the program isn’t as hard as it may seem. “It was a lot of paperwork and a bunch of orientations, but it was also a lot of fun,” said Brodey. Even with these small requirements, the experience that Brodey is getting in France is undeniably worth it. “You can learn a new language, which is always really important because you can talk to a bunch of people and and it teaches you a lot about another place,” said Brodey.
The culture in France is part of what makes Brodey’s travels so unique. “Everyone is very put together, like everyone for school dresses up nice and they have their hand bags, they look like they’re 40,” said Brodey. Speaking of school, Brodey reports that classes in France are much longer than they are here at J-D, leaving less free time for herself.
Leaving behind everything you know for almost a year can be difficult, especially when you’re leaving it for an unfamiliar country. “I try not to think about it too much because whenever I think about it, I just cry” said Brodey.
It takes a lot of strength and courage to be able to leave Syracuse, not to mention the United States. So, Ella, J-D would like to wish you the best of luck in the next 10 months of your studies in France. As the French say, au revoir!
