Hey! My name is Awan, I’m an 18 year old youth exchange student from District 3410 Jakarta, Indonesia. I’m hosted by the Rotary club consortium of Sioux falls which includes South, Downtown, North, and West. I was hosted by 4 different families during my stay here and all of them have been incredible. Being hosted by 4 different families really broadens your views of things. I went to school at Lincoln High School. Being the extrovert person that I am, I kinda fit right in. The first football game I attended to however did not go so great. I wore red on a white theme and I couldn’t stick out even more, but it helped because people remembered me, “That kid wearing red on a white-out.”
Studying abroad has always been a dream for me, even though the US wasn’t my first choice, nor my second, let alone going to South Dakota. I kinda just accepted that anywhere I go will be great if I make it so. I have tons of friends here and have done a lot of memorable things as well. I don’t regret anything except the things I didn’t get to do. Thanks to the exchange program, it helped me grow as a person, becoming more independent than I have ever been. Also it continues to change how I view things and how I view life in general. It helped me enjoy the little things in life like having friends you can hang out with, having a person to give you rides, and how to find joy in small things like going for a walk, hiking, and having lunch with someone.
I hope that I will participate more with Rotary later in life. I am forever grateful for the opportunity Rotary has given me.