As she was getting ready to complete the 2018-19 GRSP year, Mhairi wrote:

I started off this year quite nervous as this is the longest that I've been away from home and I would end up missing a lot of events and activities as a result, but I am so thankful that I decided to go with it and that I was given the opportunity to come here. Coming here has meant that I have met some amazing people and have definitely formed friendships that will last a lifetime! I'm so grateful for all the incredible opportunities that this program has presented me and the number of things that get put on for us. The weekends are definite highlights of the year!

In the beginning it was very overwhelming as left and right people were asking you all about yourself and there was the adjustment to living in a different country, but the Rotarians in my club and my host families have been amazing. They helped me settle in and have given me ways to explore the surrounding areas. The Rotarians have been great as they've been so flexible and if they can't help me then they will find someone else within their club or a partnering club to help out, which has meant that I have gotten the opportunity to interact with a lot of the Rotarians out with the regular meetings. I feel that this was very important as you got to experience their daily lives and really get to know them instead of the sometimes brief and fleeting conversations you may get occasionally.

Not only the Rotarians, but the other students have been amazing! Thanks to this program I have gained many connections in other countries, many of which I consider good friends. I have managed to travel with them and see some of the country with them; even just hung out when we've been free. It's great to have others that you can relate to and really bond with and because of this they've really helped make the year for me.

Living in a different country definitely gives a new insight to how the culture is different and how things work, which has been extremely interesting to me. At times it has been hard navigating and knowing when not to express something, but it's all part of the experience and I think that I've learnt a lot from it.

This year really showed me how much in common people from all over the world can have and how much unity we can have if we sit down and get to know each other. This gives me hope for the future and I think Rotary will have a big influence too.

The time has gone too quickly, and I will be sad to leave in a couple of months, as I will dearly miss the people I have met. However, I know that this isn't really the end for me or the group, it's just the beginning and I can't wait to see where we go from here!