Josh, RYE-Florida Outbound Student

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Josh Meinert

2012-13 Outbound to Spain

Hometown: Tallahassee, FL

School: Leon High School

Sponsor: District 6940, FL

Host: District TBA, Spain

Josh's Bio

Hola! My name is Joshua Meinert, I am sixteen years old and I live in Tallahassee, Florida with my mother, two sisters, and two dogs. I am a Sophomore at Leon High School. But soon I will be spending my Junior year in Spain. I am in the band at my high school. This will probably be the thing I miss most about America because all of my friends are here. I play trombone in the jazz band and baritone in concert band. Our marching band has 62 straight years of earning a Superior rating at Marching MPA (Music Performance Association). Which is why I am proud to call myself a Marching Redcoat! Last year I hosted an exchange student from France, Irene Potron, and I must say she changed my life. From her was the first time I heard of Rotary. I heard about the weekly meetings she went to and the trips she has taken and the friends she has made. This is why I want to do Rotary. I want to live this amazing life in a different country just like she did. I want to come back and have a lifetime of stories to tell from such a short exchange. A lot can happen in 10 months, and I'm going to fill every second of it with memories that will last me the rest of my life.

I hope to return to Florida a new person, a man one might say. Along with learning a new language, I'll be learning a new culture. The way I see life as a whole will be different. Everything I know will be left in the US. My family, my friends, my favorite foods, even the luxury of the English language. But this is an opportunity that I wouldn't trade for the world.

It's hard to tell what my true feelings are about this trip. I'm excited and scared at the same time. I haven't really digested it all yet. And I probably won't understand what is happening until it happens on the day my flight takes off. I owe thanks to 6940 and all of Rotary! And I thank my family and friends who are always there and always supporting me.