Zac Luxford and Kahlee Traynor-Chilcott packed their bags in January 2014 and jet set their way to Italy and Denmark where they attended school, lived with native families and took in some of the famous sights, sounds and delicacies of European culture on their Rotary Youth Exchange.
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Both 16-years-old and have recently started Year 11.
Zac is considering a teaching career, Kahlee has aspirations of backpacking across the globe and after spending the last 12 months attending school in Europe and immersing themselves in rich European culture, both can lay claim to three priceless things—a well stamped passport, a bedazzled green blazer and a host of friends across the globe.
“It is a fabulous initiative because it introduces the students to a different culture and a different language,” Inverell Rotary Club president Josephine Kelly said.
The experience of taking in another culture, with all its complexities, another language and another cuisine was unlike any other, the two young globetrotters said.
Zac, who was lucky enough to bag his first selection, said he got to travel to the country he had always wanted to visit.
“It was my dream ever since I was quite young to go travelling the world and I was always obsessed with Italy,” he said.
Kahlee also had eyes for Italy, but after three selections, found herself travelling to Denmark. Unperturbed, she said while the food and the language had its challenges, she never looked back.
Between skiing the Austrian Alps, visiting international cities like Copenhagen, as well as the renowned Lego Land, Kahlee said the challenges only added to the hype.
She said making the leap from the stretches of Lightening Ridge to the semi-mansions of her host families was like a year of living the high life.
Kahlee and her family have since moved to Inverell, riding the exchange high as she integrates herself in a new school and community, but they both agreed they had been firmly bitten by the travel bug and are keen to see more of the world.
With more stories to tell than time to tell them, both Zac and Kahlee are keen to encourage students to take the leap and extended thanks to their friends, family and the local community who made it possible for them to see the world.