One student has arrived, one will head out - the Rotary student exchange program has brought a new young mind to Flin Flon from abroad, while a Hapnot student will soon head out on a term of his own.
Elis Fantin arrived in Flin Flon last month to begin her exchange, which will continue until next summer, roughly corresponding with the end of the school year. When Fantin heads back home, Bobby Smith will embark on an exchange of his own, going from Hapnot to a country of his choosing - he doesn’t know exactly where yet, but he is preparing for the move.
Fantin comes from a city in the area near Sao Paolo, Brazil, where she has attended what she described as an open and free school.
“I live in a small city in the countryside of Sao Paolo. I go to a very open school - lots of open activities, a lot of nice stuff to do,” she said.
That school experience has been different than what she is used to - Fantin likened it to a high school from a movie more than what she’s experienced back home.
“I’m really enjoying school here. It’s been quite different for me - we have the same classes every day and we don’t really have that in Brazil. It’s nice - I have a locker here, like in the movies,” she said.
Moving from one country to another, especially when they are as different as Brazil and Canada, means there has been a slight culture shock. For instance, temperatures in Sao Paolo this week peaked in the high 30-degree Celsius range - Flin Flon isn’t so lucky, at one point posting expecting lows in the minus-20 degree Celsius range this week.
So far, that weather hasn’t been a problem for Fantin - though she’s getting ready for those northern bonechillers after New Year’s.
“It’s been okay, for now. I haven’t been here for January yet - if I stay alive, that’s good,” she joked.
“We got her out in the fresh air, because you have to get that up here,” said Rotary exchange supervisor Ted Smook.
It took a long time to get Fantin to Flin Flon. Several delays with visas kept earlier this year Fantin from heading to Canada - she only arrived in mid-November, whereas exchange students arrive usually at the start of the school year. The reason is due to a federal rule change affecting Brazilian travel to Canada for work or education that came into effect just one week before Fantin was supposed to arrive.
“Normally, Rotary has some pretty good contacts with this and we're able to sort of expedite things like that. With the new rules and the confusion that they created, it wasn't possible. We tried,” said Smook.
The culture change for Fantin also extends to how personable people are in the north, compared to back home. Fantin says she is more of a quiet person, especially when speaking in a second language, but says the experience she has had so far has been enlightening.
“I think it’s really good to go on an exchange in a small city. People are very… receptive, but I don’t like to talk,” she said.
Fantin’s exchange, like those for other students who have arrived in Flin Flon, will end with a final event near the end of the school year at Camp Whitney.
On the other side of the coin is Smith. The son and grandson of long-time Rotary members and volunteers, Bobby heading on a Rotary exchange made almost too much sense - he’s even been to the Rotary events at Camp Whitney before.
“I’ve gone to Camp Whitney as a kid - my grandparents took me there for five years before COVID-19 hit. I was there with all the exchange students, got to know them - great people, every single one of them were stand-up citizens, really nice, teaching me stuff,” he said.
“I’ve been exposed to it for a while. I’ve always been a part of Rotary and come from a very Rotary-rich family, so I’ve been blessed with that.”
Smith isn’t yet sure what he wants to do after he graduates high school next June. Instead of taking a gap year or finding a job, Smith said he wants to go somewhere and learn whatever he can soak in.
“It’s kind of an opportunity that I came of age to do, so I figured I’d just jump for it,” he said.
“I don’t really know what I want to do afterwards, so I thought it’d be a nice, proper year where I’m not wasting away, where I can learn and do good stuff at another school.”
Smith does not yet know where he’ll go on his exchange - he has submitted a list of five places, listed by preference, that he will learn more about following an orientation in April.
“They’ll have some orientation in April where we’ll get all the outbound students from the district, plus all the inbounds that are here now. They’ll go through all the different things - that’s when they’ll tell you,” said Smook.
Smith’s list, he said, starts with Italy as his first call, then Brazil, Belgium, Norway and Mexico as other options - “Anywhere is fine,” he said.
“I won’t be heartbroken if I don’t get my top two options.”
