Veerle Schute has only been at Bowral High on exchange for six weeks, but she has already seen some of Australia’s best landscapes.
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From a small town in the Netherlands called Elst (between Arnhem and Nijmegen), Veerle is the Rotary Club of Bowral and Mittagong’s latest year 11 exchange student.
For Veerle, the experience has been both daunting and exciting.
“I’ve never been away from home for longer than three days, so it’s a bit crazy.”
When Veerle applied for exchange with Rotary, she was asked to list three countries she would like to live in.
She chose Australia, New Zealand and Argentina and then Rotary picked which of the three she would live in.
”It was really exciting because you have no idea where you will end up. Three months before I left, I had no idea which country I was going to,” she said.
The Dutch exchange student will be attending Bowral High School for a year and moving between four different families in the Highlands.
Her first host family, the Sheridan’s, are based in Colo Vale.
It is with them Veerle has been able to explore Hamilton Island, participate in the City2Surf event in Sydney and try surfing for the first time at Kiama on the South Coast.
“It’s been really amazing. All the people at Rotary want you to have an amazing time and show you everything.”
“My host family are really lovely people. We have a very good connection – we’re always laughing and having fun. They keep me really busy.”
Jacinta Sheridan, Veerle’s current host mum, said this was the family’s first time hosting an exchange student.
“It’s been wonderful,” she said.
“If anyone is thinking of hosting I would highly recommend it.”
This week Veerle will head to Rottnest Island with her host family, where she hopes to fulfill a long-term dream – taking a selfie with a quokka.
“I was quite young when I first saw them on Animal Planet, I think. I just thought they were so adorable,” she said.
“I want a photo with the happiest animal in the world!”