Holley student shares highlights from her year as exchange student in Hungary

Photos by Kristina Gabalski: Holley “inbound” exchange student, 15-year old Lara Braun of Switzerland, poses with Nina DiLella, a Holley senior who spent last school year as a Rotary exchange student in Hungary. Lara is also a member of the Holley 2018 Senior Class and is currently staying with the DiLella Family.

By Kristina Gabalski, Correspondent Posted 20 September 2017 at 8:04 pm

Nina DiLella, a senior at Holley, talks about her “memory jacket” from her year in Hungary as a Rotary Youth Exchange student. The students exchange pins as they meet during their travels as well as various souvenirs they collect along the way.

HOLLEY – Nina DiLella, a Holley senior, spoke to members of the Holley School Board of Education Monday evening, giving them details of her experience during last school year as a Rotary Youth Exchange student to Hungary.

DiLella said she learned that, “you can’t stereotype cultures,” and that not all things are black and white – “there is a lot of in between.”

DiLella said she loved her time spent in Europe and attended a language-focused high school while in Hungary. She studied Spanish.

“I had 16 Spanish classes each week all school year,” she said.

She enjoyed sharing her American culture with new friends including carving pumpkins for Halloween and enjoying a Thanksgiving party.

“It was the first time they had snow in 30 years,” she said of the region of Hungary in which she stayed. “I told them I brought the snow with me.”

DiLella said she was about 40 minutes outside Budapest and was able to visit much of Europe as part of her stay including Italy, France and Germany.

Nina DiLella included the Hungarian language with photos of her Rotary Exchange trip to Hungary. She was sponsored by the Holley Rotary Club.

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