Up north to Down Under

Falls High School upcoming junior Aleena Wilson will spend the next year in Stanthorpe, Australia, getting assimilated into the local culture.

She’ll be saying “hooroo mates” (goodbye friends) to friends and family in International Falls, as she is to have little contact with her current life while she is Down Under. She said that the organization she is traveling with, Central States Rotary Youth Exchange Program, recommends that she limit contact with family and friends so that she can make the most of her foreign exchange experience.

“I’m most looking forward to the accents,” she said of the Aussies’ notable vernacular.

Wilson will study a typical courseload at private Stanthorpe State High School, where she will also be required to wear a uniform. English, history, math and science will continue to be on the schedule for the junior, along with other required and elective courses. The school has about 650 students in grades 8 through 12.

She will be immediately enrolled in school, which she said has already started. When she spoke with The Journal, she was awaiting travel arrangements that would send her on the 8,787-mile (as the crow flies), 17-hour journey near the first of August.

There are five people from the Central States Rotary Youth Exchange Program in Australia, she said, but not necessarily all at the same school or even in the same area. When applying for the Rotary-sponsored program, Wilson said she was able to indicate which country she would like to exchange to, but her preference was not guaranteed.

Australia was her first choice in destinations, she said. She became interested in the country after meeting a girl from Australia in one of her dance classes. She called the choice to study abroad a “random thing. I thought it’d be fun to do.”

The 16-year old will not be able to drive to school. Instead, she’ll follow the local customs and bike around the town, which has a similar population to International Falls.

According to the 2006 census, Stanthorpe had a population of 4,271 people. The area surrounding the town is known as the Granite Belt. Stanthorpe is located in southeast Queensland on the New South Wales border, more than 2,000 feet above sea level. Due to its altitude, it is often one of the coldest places in Queensland, with light snowfalls and below-freezing (but above-zero) temperatures recorded in the winter.

Stanthorpe is named for the Latin word for tin, with tin mining being one of the original industries in the area. Now, the area is dependent on its agriculture, including apples and grapes. Vineyards, with wine made from local grape crops, and tourism are important to the Granite Belt region. The high school Wilson will be attending even has its own vineyard and winery and wine tourism courses.

During the last school year, Wilson participated in dance in Fort Frances, and was on the Broncos girls swim team, the math team, Knowledge Bowl and FHS Student Council.

She will now get an education in agriculture, especially as her first host family, where she will live for part of her stay in Stanthorpe, operates a working farm. She said she hopes they teach her some of the skills they use on the farm, especially in growing produce. In addition, she said she may like to try some of the sports popular in Australia such as rugby.

She expects to stay with four families in total during the year. She has already made e-mail connection with her first host family, who she said are 28- and 30-years old and will be getting married while she is there.

She also hopes to be able to see some of the Australian sites, such as the Sydney Opera House, Great Barrier Reef and an Outback safari.

During her sophomore year, Wilson applied to the local Rotary Club for sponsorship into the program. Each year, the Central District program receives about 250 applications per year to study and live abroad and exchanges with more than 40 countries.

For more information on the Central States Rotary Youth Exchange Program, visit www.csrye.org/.