American exchange student Allegra Spero enjoyed her time in Australia. 66881
By Danielle Galvin
AFTER a year on Australian soil, 16-year-old US exchange student Allegra Spero will head home.
She’s had a jam-packed year, visiting most of the tourist hot-spots and getting a taste for the best Australia has to offer.
Allegra took part in the youth exchange program with the Rotary Club of Kooweerup and Lang Lang.
The program allows young people to spend a year with host families in a country of their choice.
Before she came to Melbourne, Allegra didn’t know what a Rotary club was.
“I had no idea what a Rotary club was or what they did and I was a bit nervous,” she said.
Through her host families at the club and the exchange program, she has visited Phillip Island, Central Australia and far-north Queensland.
She snorkelled on the Great Barrier Reef, went on Puffing Billy, climbed Uluru, and saw the Sydney Harbour Bridge up close.
For a small town girl from Pennsylvania who had never been overseas before, the Sydney attraction was something she couldn’t wait to see.
“The bridge is the most famous tourist attraction in Australia. It was amazing to see it first hand,” she said.
It’s clear Allegra will remember her time on Australian shores fondly.
“You can’t describe it. I thought I would see kangaroos and koalas, but I’ve seen so much.”
Allegra says she doesn’t know where she will be in a few years’ time when she finishes high school.
What she does know is that she’s not ready to settle, she wants to see the world.
“I don’t know what I want to be when I grow up, but I want to travel,” she said.
Allegra says that climbing Uluru was one of her more thrilling experiences.
“I didn’t know how long it would take to get up there, and it’s really steep. My backpack broke when I was up the top and I had to tie it up which looked pretty daggy,” she said.
After a year away from her family and friends, her comfort zone and support network, Allegra says she’s learnt about herself.
“Before I came, I didn’t know much about myself. I’ve learnt who I am. It’s funny that when you go somewhere overseas you don’t just learn about that place, you learn about the whole world.”
Allegra says that her story is not written yet.
“I still have so much ahead of me, and I won’t forget my year in Australia anytime soon. I went to Kooweerup Secondary College and I’ve made friends for life,” she said.
At the club changeover dinner on 22 June, past-president Kevin Corbett said Allegra was an asset to the youth exchange program.
“You were always so lively and friendly, it’s been a pleasure,” he said.
Each year, 8000 young people go on exchange through Rotary Clubs.
The exchange students spend one year living in another country with three or four host families.
The aim of the exchange program is to build confidence and self-sufficiency.
