Hyrum Rich reports from Aguascalientes

Thermopolis Bobcat Hyrum Rich is currently staying in Aguascalientes, Mexico as part of the Rotary Youth Exchange Program.

Rich will be gone a total of 10 months as part of the program that sends American students to other countries while their counterparts spend time in the states. They not only live in the country, they become part of their host family, experiencing schools, culture and all their chosen country has to offer.

Periodically, the exchange students send reports back to their local Rotary Club to fill them in on what they’ve been up to.

“I’ve been in Mexico for almost four months now,” Rich said, “and it’s been a pretty great time so far. The first month was really crazy, and a lot happened. I met my family right away, in the airport. They are really fun, and great people. They also seem to be a fairly good representation of Mexico culture, or at least they are here in Aguascalientes.

“My host Father speaks English, but only chose to for the first week, while I adjusted. My host brother also speaks English but he is currently in Worland on his exchange. I got the chance to live with him for a few weeks before he left, and he is a great kid. If you get the chance to meet him, his name is Alonzo.

“My second week I went to my first Rotary meeting, and the club here is very big, but were really welcoming and happy to have the exchange students. In my club there are about 10 exchangers, and six more in other clubs in Aguascalientes. There are three more from the US, about nine from Brazil, and a few from Europe. 

“I started learning Spanish right away, and at this point I am able to understand the general topic of almost every conversation, and be able to give input into conversations. My school also has quite a few exchange students. It is smaller than Thermopolis High School, with six exchange students. Its actually nice, and we are able to help each other out when we don’t understand something or we are feeling homesick.

“Speaking of which, the second month is definitely when I was the most homesick for my family, in-between the first month of being busy and the adaption part. I still miss my family, and all of Thermop, but its better now. Now I miss the simple stuff like tap water. And the cold. I miss the cold. It doesn’t ever get cold enough to see your breath here.

“Thanks to the support of everyone in the club, I’ve also had some really neat opportunities to travel around the country and learn new places. All the exchangers in the entire district went to Chihuahua for orientation the second month, and were able to visit Silver Canyon, which is a Canyon almost as big as the Grand Canyon, and with a lot more green and trees.

“I’ve also been to cities close by such as Guanajuato, Guadalajara, and Zacatecas. A few weekends ago, I was able to go to Clima, which is a costal city on the west coast. It got up to 97 degrees, and was very humid. There was also a lot of seafood, but it is a beautiful place.

“Last weekend I went to “Carnival de los Globos,” which is a four day party in Leon. Each morning of the carnival, more than 60 Air balloons take off, and float around. It’s quite a sight. The people and the culture in each of these spots are a little different, and it’s very interesting and enlightening to see the different ways people solve problems, and how they treat one another. In general, people here are really nice, and care for one another.

“The food here is amazing. Everything made is made from the heart, and it shows. Everything is eaten with tortillas and salsa. Sometimes it’s really hot. My family really likes to eat hot food, though it might be because when we do I turn more red than a tomato. I enjoy it though, and my family for being like a real family.”

Rich added his appreciation for this opportunity. “I want to thank everyone in my hometown rotary club for helping make this happen for me. I hope that this can become something that more students are able to experience in the future. Thank you. I would also like to start sending monthly emails, explaining what I learned the the cultural experiences I’ve had over the month. You all made this possible and I want to make it a good experience for the club, and everyone in it as well.”