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Someday, she may be addressed as Madam Ambassador.
For now, Rebecca Lewis is content to be an anonymous diplomat.
The 18-year-old Paynesville native recently returned from 11 months that she calls “the best experience of my life” as an exchange student in Belgium.
“I think an exchange like this opens up all kinds of doors,” Lewis said. “Knowing another language is always attractive to a potential employer, but I also feel more motivated. I want to know everything I can about people, languages, cultures...everything.”
The Rotary Club of Louisiana sponsored the trip and the Rotary Club of Attert sur Semois in Belgium was the host.
Lewis stayed with two families, the first in Buzenol and the second in Etalle. She attended school in Arion.
French is the common tongue in the part of Belgium where Lewis lived. Though she was familiar with the language, putting it into practice was tough at first.
“At times, I wasn’t sure I’d ever be able to do it,” Lewis recalled.
European media and an American cartoon character lent helping hands.
“After a couple of months listening to the radio, watching the news every night, going to school, even watching Spongebob Squarepants with my host sister - all of that adds up and you can’t help learning the language,” she said. “To be honest, I wasn’t really conscientious I was doing it. I got tired of not being able to say anything, so I just had to start, no matter how bad it was.”
During her stay, Lewis visited Greece with other exchange students and went to Italy with one of her host families.
Contrary to stereotypes, Lewis found Europeans to be open and friendly.
“The people were very welcoming,” she said. “Complete strangers would say hello to you on the street. They were interested in your story and where you came from.”
Lewis stayed in touch with her parents, Tom and Debra, and her younger brother, Christian, through telephone calls, e-mails and video conferencing.
“It would have been really hard for me if my family hadn’t supported me 100 percent,” she said. “They were all thrilled that I was able to take advantage of a program like this, which made it a lot easier to leave.”
Lewis will attend St. Charles Community College this fall. She hasn’t declared a major, but hopes to study French, English and history.
All three subjects would help Lewis toward her dream job of working in international relations for the North Atlantic Treaty Organization or the United Nations, and she recommends the exchange program to others.
“I now see the importance of understanding people from other cultures and having some knowledge of languages,” she said. “Not only do you mature through an experience like this, you also learn things that can’t be taught any other way.”
Someday, she may be addressed as Madam Ambassador.
For now, Rebecca Lewis is content to be an anonymous diplomat.
The 18-year-old Paynesville native recently returned from 11 months that she calls “the best experience of my life” as an exchange student in Belgium.
“I think an exchange like this opens up all kinds of doors,” Lewis said. “Knowing another language is always attractive to a potential employer, but I also feel more motivated. I want to know everything I can about people, languages, cultures...everything.”
The Rotary Club of Louisiana sponsored the trip and the Rotary Club of Attert sur Semois in Belgium was the host.
Lewis stayed with two families, the first in Buzenol and the second in Etalle. She attended school in Arion.
French is the common tongue in the part of Belgium where Lewis lived. Though she was familiar with the language, putting it into practice was tough at first.
“At times, I wasn’t sure I’d ever be able to do it,” Lewis recalled.
European media and an American cartoon character lent helping hands.
“After a couple of months listening to the radio, watching the news every night, going to school, even watching Spongebob Squarepants with my host sister - all of that adds up and you can’t help learning the language,” she said. “To be honest, I wasn’t really conscientious I was doing it. I got tired of not being able to say anything, so I just had to start, no matter how bad it was.”
During her stay, Lewis visited Greece with other exchange students and went to Italy with one of her host families.
Contrary to stereotypes, Lewis found Europeans to be open and friendly.
“The people were very welcoming,” she said. “Complete strangers would say hello to you on the street. They were interested in your story and where you came from.”
Lewis stayed in touch with her parents, Tom and Debra, and her younger brother, Christian, through telephone calls, e-mails and video conferencing.
“It would have been really hard for me if my family hadn’t supported me 100 percent,” she said. “They were all thrilled that I was able to take advantage of a program like this, which made it a lot easier to leave.”
Lewis will attend St. Charles Community College this fall. She hasn’t declared a major, but hopes to study French, English and history.
All three subjects would help Lewis toward her dream job of working in international relations for the North Atlantic Treaty Organization or the United Nations, and she recommends the exchange program to others.
“I now see the importance of understanding people from other cultures and having some knowledge of languages,” she said. “Not only do you mature through an experience like this, you also learn things that can’t be taught any other way.”
