NORWICH – A local youth recently returned from her travels abroad as a part of a foreign exchange program, and shared her experiences of life overseas as a student during a presentation last week.

17-year-old Brooke Anderson of Norwich has had aspirations of traveling from a young age, and as luck would have it, applying for a spot in the Rotary Youth Exchange became an opportunity of a lifetime.

“Once I was accepted into the program, I was tasked with choosing five destinations that I'd like to live for almost a year,” explained Anderson. “I was very lucky to have been awarded my second choice: France.”

Every year, more than 8,000 students apply in the Rotary’s Youth Exchange program. Serving as just one of the philanthropic organization’s arms, the exchange program is aimed at diversifying culture amongst the young population.

“I spent the majority of my time in the community of Langres, which is in the Champagne-Ardenne region of northeast of France,” explained Anderson.

For ten months, Anderson lived in a foreign location and was faced with the daunting task of learning a new language out of necessity,

“I knew almost none of the French language when I arrived, which was a huge obstacle to get over. It took me more than five months to become fluent in the language where I could effectively communicate with my host families and school mates,” said Anderson.