A Dundee lass had a taste of Europe, during her stint as a Rotary exchange student in Belgium.
Megan Peddie, a former Dundee High School matriculant, was selected to represent her town and country abroad for a year, after going through a vigorous selection process in both Dundee and in Durban.
She left sunny South Africa behind in January last year, to spend an exchange year in Belgium where she was hosted by three different families.
“My first family, the Wagenaars, took me to Portugal, Germany and Luxembourg when I was not attending school! My second family took me to the Vatican, Italy and France, while my third host family was kind enough to take me to France for my birthday,” said Megan, adding that her hosts were very kind and treated her as if she was their own child.
The Rotarians also took her on trips to Spain and the Czech Republic. She said the weather was ‘pretty, wet and chilly’ for most of her time in Europe, but was pleased to be blessed with some sunshine during the European summer.
“The scenery was lovely – not many mountains like I am used to in Northern KwaZulu-Natal – but mostly forests. One thing that struck me was how close the houses are to each other.”
Megan explained schools abroad offered purely academic programmes and sport was done separately. While in Belgium, the ballet student also enjoyed dancing and turbo kickboxing!
“I felt very safe while travelling and there was no fear of crime. I made many friends, as there were over 300 learners in Belgium participating in the world-wide Rotary exchange programme. It was such a privilege to interact with young people from across the globe.”
This year, Megan hopes to study the teaching of ballet, before embarking on her ambition to become an air hostess. The travel bug has certainly bitten her!
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