Each year with a final hug from their parents and nothing before them but great expectations, thousands of students board a plane to leave the only life they have ever known, and to start voyage out into the unknown. Among those that leave, there are those who will return and those who will find that their year was not what they expected. However, the vast majority will stay, endure, overcome, and in short, experience the time of their lives. And among the new country, new language, new culture and new life, the naive student, who boarded that plane one year ago, will return changed, and a true citizen of our diverse world.
There is a well known saying that states, "Don't judge a man until you have walked a mile in his shoes." Well, that is what we, the exchange class of 2001-2002, are literally doing at this moment - for one year. An exchange is simply what the name implies - an exchange; an exchange of country, school, language, ideas, family and friends. We exchange these things to open our minds and develop our understanding of another person's life and view points as well as our own. We exchange these different elements to promote the need for tolerance and understanding between different types of people.
This is the importance of programs such as Rotary International Exchange. The overwhelming positive benefits gained from participation are magnified ten fold by events such as those on September 11th 2001 that rocked the stability of world peace. Events such as these emphasize that we must let go of our naive beliefs that we are untouchable and invincible, and that the shock waves are not confined to the targeted country, but reverberate throughout the world. During these troubled times, healing and understanding is needed perhaps more than ever. However, exchange students alone will never bring about world peace. But, exchange students do have the opportunity to bridge the gaps that we, humanity ourselves create. Thus, if we created the circumstances that drive a wedge between us, we are also capable of bridging the barriers. We can do this by challenging our views of the world and our thinking, promoting youth exchange across every culture.
An exchange year is not simply a party year, or a year for the opportunity of travel. It is a challenge to see the world, and the people in it, in a different light. It is a challenge, like the challenge to abolish atrocious acts of terror, which needs to be embraced. We need to embrace these challenges as nothing of value is easily accomplished. No matter how futile it sometimes may seem, we are trying to make a difference, and that is what counts. This is why exchange is important. And by fostering growth, understanding, open mindedness, tolerance, and perseverance, we will make a difference. So, I tell you, go forth into the world and continue making a difference. For when I smile, you smile, and after all, "we all smile in the same language".