Every year, Rotary’s Youth Exchange program sends students across the world to live, study, and grow in ways that no classroom can replicate. This year, the Rotary Club of Barrie had the privilege of hosting Alexis Tuomola, a 17-year-old from Rauma, Finland, a city about three hours from Helsinki. Hosted by Pam and Brad Ross, Alexis spent the year attending Eastview Secondary School, playing hockey with the Simcoe County Hockey Academy, and experiencing Canadian life in all its talkative, car-dependent glory.
Alexis shared his year with the Club at a recent meeting, and it was a presentation full of honesty and good humour. The first month was hard, mainly due to the language barrier, but things improved steadily as his English developed and friendships grew through school and hockey. He noted some cultural differences that stood out: Canadians talk a lot more than Finns, everything is much farther apart, and living with passionate Toronto Maple Leafs fans was, in his words, an emotional experience. One of the highlights of his exchange was a Rotary hockey trip to Montreal, where he watched the Canadiens practice alongside Past President Dave McCullough.
A sincere thank you to Pam and Brad Ross for opening their home to Alexis throughout his exchange year, and to Alexis for sharing his story so openly with the Club. His year here is exactly what the Youth Exchange program is meant to look like.