While Rotary Club of Sedona Village exchange student Gabi Curi, of Brazil, was studying at Sedona Red Rock High School, Village of Oak Creek resident and Mingus Union High School junior Kaori Emerson, 16, spent the last year attending high school in the city of Douai, in the Nord department of Hauts-deFrance, about two hours north of Paris, studying at General High Schools and Technological and Professional Edmond Labbé and living with three host families. 

“I’d say I’m a very stereotypical teenage girl. I love TV shows,” Emerson said. “I love the color pink and glitter, and I love Taylor Swift. And I’m very shy but I’ve found that I need to force myself to be more open about things to enjoy life, to enjoy what is in front of me.” 

She said that forcing herself to enjoy life was one of her reasons for applying to study abroad. She left on Aug. 28, 2023, and returned June 28. 

“I’m terrified of heights,” Emerson said. “But I took part in a sport called [orienteering] where you get put in the woods with a map. And then you just have to find these different places on the map. And oftentimes, that would be mountains or really high places. And no matter how scared I was, I just kind of had to do it because it was an experience. And I knew I would never be able to do it again. Being there taught me a lot … and I had a lot of personal growth with what I’m open to do. I couldn’t be stubborn anymore.” 

Emerson said that she was startled by the cultural differences between the U.S. and France, especially casual alcohol drinking among French youth and the formality in dress and etiquette expected at school, which she said forced her to buy a new wardrobe during her stay. 

“I had to buy another suitcase to fit it all,” Emerson laughed . “Another cultural difference would be dinner parties and lunches. They take those things very seriously. I remember with my first host family, every other Sunday, we would attend lunch with my host parents’ families, and we would sit down at maybe noon or 1. And then we would stay there till about eight o’clock at night … Between the courses, there’s lots of conversation, so it lasts hours and hours and hours, which I don’t think I’ve ever experienced anything like that in America.” 

For each outbound student that the Rotary Club sends to a foreign country, it is required to accept an inbound student, which requires three host families to volunteer for the year. Area families who are interested in hosting a foreign exchange student can apply and learn more at rotary5495youth.org 

“Rotary has a rigorous vetting and oversight process to assure that students are safe and supported by their host family. Host families may or may not have students in the local schools but encourage their exchange student to be involved in school activities and sports,” the club stated in a press release. 

Students and parents who are interested in taking part in the Rotary Youth program can attend an information session in the cafeteria at Sedona Red Rock High School on Tuesday, Sept. 17, at 5 p.m. 

“The advice I would give is to be sure that you’re ready to do this,” Emerson said. “While you’re there, don’t take the moments for granted, because it goes by so fast … I remember every day I woke up and I feel like I had just gotten on that airplane to come to France. It was just such a fast experience. But it really was an entire year and that’s hard to comprehend.” 

Emerson will be giving a presentation on her experience during the Rotary Club of Sedona Village meeting on Aug. 15 at 7:30 a.m. at the Sedona Public Library in the Village. 

“I have just had so many experiences I would love to talk about,” Emerson said. “I have so many pictures to share. I’m always saying, ‘Oh, when I was in France,’ I’m always talking about it one way or another. I feel like kind of a broken record with how much I brought it up recently, especially with school starting and telling teachers and friends that I’m making.” 

“She’s made amazing growth as far as her maturity from joining the program and it’s given her a lot of culture and it’s just really expanded her aspirations and her goals in life,” her mother Angela Emerson said. “She was thinking about going into social justice. Like as a mediator or an attorney … maybe becoming a teacher. In fact, she was going to actually assist me in coteaching. I’m doing an [Osher Lifelong Learning Institute class] this fall, and she was going to assist me in teaching that class [on American Sign Language].” For more information, contact Jennette Bill at (928) 301-1363 or JLBill@outlook.com