Back from Genk, Belgium and sharing her experience as a Rotary Youth Exchange (RYE) student is Anya Falk of Eden Prairie, a graduate of the Academy of Holy Angels School whose exchange trip was sponsored by Rotary. She spoke to the Eden Prairie A.M. Rotary Club on Aug. 6.

 

Belgium is about one-seventh the size of Minnesota but has double the population. It’s a popular destination for high school exchange students. At the time Anya was there, Belgium had 250 visiting exchange students, 50 of whom were Americans.

 

Though most of her stay was with three host families and involved studies at an arts high school, Anya also traveled extensively, including to Paris, Barcelona, Dublin, Nice, Prague, and locations in Italy. She speaks highly of the Rotary program and of welcoming host families. Soon she is off to High Point University, a private liberal arts university in High Point, N.C.

 

The Aug. 20 meeting is a “backpacks for students” service project at our regular Bearpath location and time. Club members are invited to join with Eden Prairie scouts to celebrate Adventure Day on Aug. 18; more at https://www.adventureday.net/. Join Rotarians from three districts at a Rotary Blitz at the Minnesota State Fair event on Aug. 30; more info is at https://portal.clubrunner.ca/50084/Stories/rotary-blitz-at-the-state-fair. Congratulations to Roger Jorgensen for attaining his fourth sapphire Paul Harris Fellow Award. Members are encouraged to include two new Rotary Youth Exchange students in their upcoming activities.

 

In her vocational, Jan Eian shared that all she needs to know in life she learned while growing up on a farm with eight brothers and sisters: including how to get along, be responsible, love nature, and work hard. At age 9 she wanted to be a circus acrobat. Didn’t happen. But she graduated from the University of Minnesota and earned a certificate in special education so was a teacher for some time until she pivoted to banking. She then became an entrepreneur, starting a gymnastics schools, building a group of Sylvan Learning Centers, and forming Endurant Business Solutions with husband Nick. The mother to three daughters and grandmother to seven, she’s now working part-time for LearningRx, which focuses on using brain processes to help learners of all ages.

 

 

Kevin Kraemer is happy from a 10-day trip to Europe and his pending horse-riding participation in the Carver County Fair. Pei Ling is happy about today being her wedding.anniversary. Likewise, Dan O’Brien is marking a 46 th wedding anniversary and just returned from Europe – including meet-ups with former exchange-student “daughters” in Germany and Belgium. Bill Falk is happy to have daughter Anya back from an exchange trip to Belgium. Dick Ward is happy to have reconnected with former club member John Brown and John’s wife Vicky, but sad about the passing of his mother. Also contributing with a “sad five” was PG Narayanan, who asked for a moment of silence to honor the El Paso and Dayton mass-shooting victims.

 

Amy Nyren - Host Parent

Nate Nyren - Host Parent

Kevin Gao - Student Intern