Posted by Paul Anderson on Jun 20, 2018
 
At the meeting last Wednesday, Javier Ferrebasket reviewed his time as a Rotary exchange student with the club.  See some highlights below:
 
Why did he travel all this way from Zaragoza, Spain?  According to Javi, he loves to travel, and wanted to come to the U.S. for quite some time.  On top of that, he just "loves adventure" and found himself "getting bored" in his hometown.  Javier's English teacher suggested that he get in touch with Rotary to make that dream a reality, and the rest is history!
 
Was it worth it? "Of course!" Even though it was tough to leave his biological family behind for such a long period, Javi mentioned that the trip was well worth the time away.  He mentioned how exciting it was to learn new cultures and customs, and that the experience helped him "understand how people in other countries can see certain topics so differently." 
 
Home(s) Away from Home - And even though Javi had to spend time away from his biological family in Zaragoza, he became part of three host families while here in the Hill Country.  He gave sincere thanks to the Alvarez/Chedzoy, Sibert, and Hays families and shared pictures (some are seen below) and stories from each stay.  You could tell how much Javier really enjoyed himself with each stay!
 
New Adventures - Javi spoke of his new adventures here in the states, including running cross country and track in lieu of playing basketball (he mentioned he was grateful for this experience, and that he appreciated doing something instead of basketball which he had played his whole life), spending time as a brother to two sisters (he has only brothers back home), making Christmas cookies, hiking the River Trail, indoor skydiving, a trip to Big Bend, bull frog hunting & shotgun shooting over Spring Break, visiting the Rodeo with other Rotary exchange students, attending a Sweet Sixteen Basket Ball game, traveling to California, and experiencing "American" prom! Javi's new adventures also included experiencing a root beer float for the first time (which he said is the "weirdest" American custom he experienced)!
 
We will miss you Javier, but at least you have cowboy boots (see picture above) and soon will have a cowboy hat (courtesy of David Reast) to take with you on your grand 30 day adventure around the U.S., and then back to Spain.
 
Thanks for the memories!!
 
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