Copyright times
A Rotary Youth Exchange (RYE) student who spent a “dream come true” year in east Auckland is happily reflecting on her time here. Matilda Riha, 17, of Vienna in Austria, was hosted by the Rotary Club of Pakuranga and attended Pakuranga College. “I’ve always loved listening to people’s stories from their exchange year and their experiences from studying and living abroad,” Matilda tells the Times from Vienna. “I always wished that could be me one day, but I never thought that would be possible. “Now, I’m the one telling the stories about the amazing memories and friendships you gain from stepping that far out of your comfort zone. “A RYE year is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. I truly hope every student that’s interested in taking part in the programme will have the courage to say yes. “The RYE is not another year in your life, but an amazing life in a year. “Spending a year as a RYE student really was a dream come true as New Zealand was the top country on my list.” Matilda says to become a RYE student applicants have to find a sponsor Rotary club in their home country and a host club in the place they wish to go to. She was sponsored by the Rotaract Club Blue Danube in Vienna. “I attended Pakuranga College and because my Austrian education year started in July, midway through the school year [2024] in New Zealand, I completed two terms of year 12. “I experienced the New Zealand summer with a real Kiwi Christmas, then went back to school and with that, two terms of year 13.” She says the schools RYE students attend in their host country are “a key component” of the exchange. “Depending on the school you will have a different experience. I really enjoyed mine at Pakuranga College. “It has a lot of international students which makes it easy to find friends,” Matilda says. “I found that a balance between international friends and Kiwi friends worked best for me. “Pakuranga College was very different to my school in Austria because of the different education systems. “School was more interesting and fun in New Zealand as students are able to select their subjects and have more opportunities to get involved.” Matilda’s very appreciative of the warm welcome she received. “Pakuranga Rotary was my host club, but the Rotarians did way more than that for me,” she says. “Some of them opened their homes and hearts for me as a host family, while others showed more of your beautiful country and shared their culture with me. “Pakuranga Rotary Club meets once every two weeks, and I always enjoyed going along to the meetings to learn more about it and Rotary. “During my exchange year I had a lot of amazing opportunities to see the beautiful country. “From Cape Reinga down to Milford Sound, New Zealand always amazed me with its breathtaking scenery and lovely people, but some of my favourite memories happened in Auckland and east Auckland in particular. “I made the most amazing friendships. I’ll never forget the times my friends and I went around the area and explored east Auckland together.”
