Rotary exchange brings Belgian to town

There’s been one trip, three families, and no complaints so far for 18-year-old Melanie Bourgeois of Belgium.
“I want to go everywhere,” said Bourgeois, who is living in Fort Frances for a year as part of the International Rotary exchange.
Leaving Belgium on a flight with almost 50 other exchange students, Bourgeois was the only one continuing on to Canada. Upon arrival, she was struck by the distance the country covers.
“It’s so big, the distance between the cities, the forests, the lakes, the rivers . . . Belgium is 10 million [people] and it is a small country between France and Germany,” she noted.
“You can cross Belgium in two hours.”
Even her parents have had difficulty grasping the size of Canada. Planning a trip here to visit Bourgeois, they suggested they would fly to Montreal, rent a car, and drive the rest of the way.
They didn’t understand that being in the country doesn’t necessarily mean you’re a short drive from your destination.
“I didn’t, either, before I knew it was big,” laughed Bourgeois.
Bourgeois currently is staying at the second of three households who will host her during her visit.
For the first four months, she stayed with Janet and Darryl Bishop before she moved into the home of Dave and Caryn Legg. Soon she will move on to stay with the Heberts.
“She never complains, she loves any food you put in front of her,” said Caryn Legg, who is hosting an exchange student for the first time. “The only bad thing is that she has to leave us.”
Her year in Canada is the beginning of much more travelling, according to Bourgeois, who plans to pursue a career in translation.
“You meet a lot of people from other countries and other cultures. You realize that there’s so many different things in the whole world,” she enthused.
Living near an international border is no big deal for Bourgeois, coming from such a small country in the middle of Europe.
“I live 10 minutes from France so [we] go to the movies there,” she said. “I’ve been pretty much everywhere in Europe and to Tunisia.”
Attending Fort Frances High School, on the other hand, has been a new experience.
“I really like it because you can take different courses like drama and guitar,” said Bourgeois, who has easily made a place for herself there.
“I think they’re more friendly over here, maybe just because I’m a foreigner, but everybody is so nice,” she added.
Bourgeois also has been enjoying the winter weather. She is very enthusiastic about snowmobiling and is looking forward to an upcoming ice-fishing trip.
“I like snowmobiling. I went one time and that is so fun on a frozen lake,” she said, though admitting that with the frigid temperatures this winter, she has watched more movies here than she ever has in her life.
But Bourgeois said she has no regrets or complaints about leaving home for Canada. She doesn’t feel homesick but does keep in touch with her family and friends, calling home every two weeks.
And she highly recommended the Rotary exchange as a beneficial experience.
“I think I’m more confident and open, more open. Definitely everybody should do it, even if you’re shy,” she remarked. “You just ask the Rotary Club in your town and then you write a letter and have an interview and they ask a few questions.”