Hello! My name is Elinor Kaplan, but I usually go by Ellie. I’m 17 years old and graduated from Douglas Anderson to go on exchange. About me: I enjoy art, love everything athletic, like swimming, hiking, but especially enjoyed rock climbing, which I did competitively in the U.S. Basically, if it’s outdoors, I’ll probably like it. I’ve always loved a challenge, whether creatively and mentally, or physically and straining—from designing a screen print to scaling a mountain—it’s the stuff that keeps things interesting for me.

I’m currently abroad with Rotary in a city called Mataró, a coastal town around 30 minutes north of Barcelona. I’ve always loved traveling, which has taken me to various corners of the world. Trying new foods and learning how people in different countries live has always been my favorite thing, and I have tried all my life to take every opportunity to explore the unfamiliar.

Last year, I had the chance to do a two-week exchange in Madrid, and that’s where my fascination with Spain really began. I loved the exchange and Spain itself so much, it led me to search for organizations that could possibly let me go for longer and more intensely, and that’s how I found Rotary. Now, I’m here, and I couldn’t be happier with my placement.

Hey! I’m the sort of seventeen year old who decided to spend my senior year abroad. I like to try new things and I have poor impulse control. More than that, I like to meet new people and make new friends. I like to explore the world and learn more about it through experience. The sort of fun that I like to have is sitting down with my friends and talking about our lives and ourselves; learning about each other. Or we go to a park and play on the swings, swings are fun. I like to do art and I have fun learning languages but my favorite school subject is math and I want to study chemistry in college. Going on exchange is a chance for me to learn about the art and language of another culture while still going to school and learning about math and science. Already I’ve made so many new friends and while I miss my family, everything I’ve done so far has been some of the best experiences of my life. I’m a different person than I was a month ago, more confident, assured, and outgoing. Before, I made friends by waiting for someone to approach me and now I make friends by walking up and asking them what their hobbies are and what their favorite color is. I’m a seventeen year old who decided to cross an ocean because I thought that I would have fun and I’m a seventeen year old who crossed an ocean and is having a really good time.

Hello! My name is Mikaela Eisenbraun. I am 17, almost 18 years old. I am from King George, Virginia, and moved to Gainesville in 2021, right before I started my freshman year at Buchholz. I live with my dad, stepmom, uncle, and my adorable French bulldog. I am going to be spending my senior year as a Rotary Youth Exchange Student in Caraguatatuba SP, Brazil.

Some of my favorite hobbies are shopping, baking and playing tennis with my friends. I love finding new recipes to try and making them my own. I treat my family as my guinea pigs in-a-sense when trying new recipes, but don’t worry they love having sweet treats in the house. During my sophomore year my best friend convinced me to try out tennis with her, at the time I was skeptical as I had no previous knowledge of the sport. Looking back I am extremely grateful that I took that step at trying something different as I created many memories and great friendships. While on exchange I hope to explore the nature and wildlife that Brazil has to offer. I’m especially excited to live super close to the beach. I also aspire to understand their culture and broaden my understanding and perspective of other countries and cultures as this will be my first time leaving the United States.

None of this would be possible without the support of my family and friends. I am extremely grateful to Rotary for allowing my exchange to happen and my host club as well as my district for being there with me throughout the whole process.