Hannah's Story

Hannah Kaufman was a short-term exchange student who spent part of the summer of 2001 in Argentina. Hannah was sponsored by the Gainesville Sunrise Rotary Club. Here is her story:

My plane ride back to this country just a few weeks ago was one full of mixed emotions.  I reflected for every moment of that ride about what I had left behind, both at the beginning of the summer and just hours before.  I knew that only a few hours later I would see my family, friends, and home for the first time in months; and yet, I had just left all those things behind.  These are some of the things that ran through my head.

The beginning of my unforgettable journey was definitely unforgettable in itself; however, I cannot say it was exactly enjoyable. Everything went wrong.  My first plane, from Gainesville to Atlanta, was almost three hours late; needless to say those were long goodbyes, but my mom did not seem to mind at all.  When I finally got to Atlanta I had to run to my departure gate.  It turned out to be the wrong gate, so I hurried to the other gate down the hall.  On the way I decided that I had time to go to the bathroom. I stopped in and while I was actually using the bathroom the final boarding call for my plane was announced over the intercom.  I do not think that my heart has every beat faster in my life!  I pulled up my pants and ran down the hall as fast as I could, hoping that everything was where it was supposed to be.  I arrived just in time to board, but the fun did not stop there.  The plane ride was decent, just a small amount of turbulence and two seats to myself.  When I arrived in Buenos Aires I was nervous, slightly sick to my stomach, excited, and totally unaware of what was in store for me.   After I found Eloisa and met her family, we went to get my luggage; only to find it was not there.  I ended up having to wait a week to get all of my clothes.

I will never forget my time in Argentina.  I have never made more friendships, seen more new things, eaten more good food, or had more fun in my life.  I now have two families, a new sister, an extra eight pounds, tons of friends and a mind full of memories which would not be there if I had stayed at home this summer.  It was worth every dollar I paid and every moment I felt nauseous on the planes.  Nothing I will be able to say will ever describe how I truly feel or what I experienced, so I will end by saying this:  if ever you get the chance for something new and scary, tackle that fear and jump right in because you just might have the time of your life.
Thank you!!!!!