"It was very strange to step
off the plane in another country. I knew I was not going to know
about the area, the people or the school I would be attending.
That was a real adventure."By KEITH BORKOWSKY of the Weyburn Review
In 1984, Thomas Severin stepped off the plane in Canada, having
arrived from his native Germany. A 16 year old travelling as a
Rotary exchange student from Freiburg, Thomas was experiencing
life on another continent for the first time.
"It was very strange to step
off the plane in another country. I knew I was not going to know
about the area, the people or the school I would be attending.
That was a real adventure."
Severin was in Weyburn recently, his third trip back since
his original arrival as a Rotary exchange student. He visited
his host families and addressed the same club which gave him the
opportunity to visit Weyburn 15 years earlier.
Rotary International runs a world-wide exchange program where
students travel from one country to another to give students the
chance to attend school and learn another language in another
country. Students are selected by an application process and apply
to the program at their home clubs where a panel sits to select
a suitable candidate.
"We look at academic records, whether the person is outgoing,
a good public speaker or willing to learn and honest people,"
said Des Silver, current first vice-president of the Rotary Club
of Weyburn. "The exchange student is an ambassador for the
country where they came from and their home club."
Students are also expected to assimilate to local culture as
well as possible. If they do not know the local language, students
are expected to learn it. To assist this process, Rotary clubs
will place the students in families where they will most likely
fit in. Host families are selected by Rotarians, with a special
emphasis on placing the student with families who have children
of the same age and gender. While Rotarians are preferred as host
families, the Rotary Club will place students with non-member
families when it is appropriate to do so.
Evan and Marion Goranson were one of four host families that
Thomas stayed with while in Weyburn. The Goransons recalled how
Thomas learned to drive in Canada.
"Thomas learned to drive in Canada at an earlier age than
he would have been able to in Germany. You don't want to know
what that experience was like," joked Marion Goranson. "Really,
he was a good driver."
"Thomas spoke a few words at our wedding anniversary recently
about how I taught him to do donuts on the ice," added Evan
Goranson. "We have a dam on a ravine where the water froze
really high one year. We did some donuts there and he really got
a bang out of that."
Thomas was also able to learn about Canadian agriculture through
his time with the Goransons.
"I have never lived on a farm before," said Severin.
"I did not know anything about Canadian farming. In Germany,
people do not live on the land they farm. They live in nearby
villages and commute to their land from there. Here, people live
on their land. That was a different experience for me."
Stafford Nimegeers also hosted Severin for several months.
He recalled how Thomas adjusted to life in Canada.
"Thomas came from another city in Germany. There is not
as much space over there, so the open spaces here took some getting
used to," said Nimegeers. "We had five children and
he adjusted well. We treated him as one of the family and he fit
in really well. We really enjoyed having him. My wife speaks German
and I speak a little German, so we were able to make him feel
more welcome that way."
After a while, Thomas adjusted to his new surroundings.
"The Liddles were my first family. They were very friendly
and I adjusted quickly. All the Rotarians were really good about
showing us how people live here. They showed me around the area
from the distillery to local businesses to the newspaper,"
said Severin.
Thomas also stayed with Dr. Philip Fong and his family.
"I was able to experience another culture with the Fong
family," recalled Severin. "I ate excellent Asian food
five times a week. I really enjoyed that, as I was able to learn
more about their culture while staying with them."
There was a particular bond shared between Dr. Fong and Severin.
"Thomas' father is a physician. I also knew that Thomas
wanted to be a physician. It is possible that he realized what
the particular demands of the profession were through staying
with us," said Dr. Fong.
Rotary exchange students are also expected to participate in
events Rotary sponsors. Students are invited to all meetings as
guests, but participate as full members. They sit on the international
service committee and speak at several meetings. They are also
expected to help with fund-raising efforts. While in Canada, Thomas
attended Rotary meetings every Thursday.
"I really enjoyed attending the meetings," said Severin.
"We sang songs and listened to guest speakers, which I found
very interesting."
At the end of his exchange, Severin attended a meeting in Thompson,
Man. which was hosted by the Saskatchewan-Manitoba Rotary Clubs.
There, Thomas got to know many of the other exchange students
which came to Canada that year. Many of those relationships continued
on later in life.
"I met eight students from Brazil in Thompson," said Severin. "When they travel to Germany, they come to visit me. When I have travelled, I have gone to visit other students. I am thankful that I got the opportunity to be a part of the exchange."
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