Spreading the Word

Last week, Juan Pablo, my Granada Rotary host counselor, asked Jess and I to give a presentation to about 100 high school students regarding the American high school system. We created a presentation and had our teachers correct it for us. We took a taxi to the school, but even after the taxi driver dropped us off we had a hard time finding it. He dropped us off in front of a high school, but it was the wrong one. After waiting outside for a while, we finally decided to go in and find the office. A man that spoke English, as well as Spanish, directed us to the right school about a mile down the road. Once again, we had trouble. We couldn't find the room that we were supposed to be giving the presentation in. When we found it, Juan Pablo was talking to the students about the Rotary Youth Exchange program and five minutes later, it was our turn to present. The kids gave us a big round of applause as we made our way to the front of the room. Jess talked first and then I gave mine. Everything went well except for when I said "quiero ser una medicina," which means I want to be a medicine/pill. I meant to say "medica." All the kids were roaring with laughter, but it was a good way to break the ice. I felt a lot more comfortable after that. After our presentation, a girl named Laura, a Rotary Youth Exchange alumni, gave a presentation about her trip to the U.S. last year. It was really good to hear that she had a great time in the U.S. and can't wait to return. Giving this presentation was a really good experience for us and we definitely hope to do it again. Hopefully, from our presentations we can influence the Spanish youth to take part in the Rotary Youth Exchange and Ambassadorial programs. They are both great programs!