Rotary exchange student makes most of 10-month time in Mitchell

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Chia-Hsin Hsueh, this year’s Rotary International youth exchange student from Taiwan, Republic of China, said she learned a lot about herself during her past 10 months in Mitchell. 

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During a recent reflective interview at one of her billet homes — she was staying with Perry and Joanne Rose on Line 36, just north of Mitchell — Hsueh said the experience of learning a new culture was revelatory, which is what you’d expect from such an exchange. 

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“I learned more about myself and that sometimes life needs a little bit of balance,” she said. “I found the true meaning of life is being happy. It’s the most important thing.” 

Hsueh, who goes by her English name Doris, said she put an emphasis on challenging herself during the exchange and was happy with the results, whether it was learning how to downhill ski or trying a new sport at school. 

“When you say yes to challenges and opportunities, you become stronger after that,” she said. 

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A friend had originally told her about the exchange program, so Hsueh applied and hoped to travel and live in the United States, like her friend, but a club in Michigan failed to find host families. Instead, the revitalized Rotary Club of Mitchell, who had been involved in the international youth exchange program in the past, stepped up. 

Current co-president Lisa Van Bakel and family was her first host, followed by Rotarian Judy Hoffmeyer and then the Roses. All three homes were much different than what she had been used to, living as an only child in a city in south Taiwan with more than 2.8-million people. 

She enjoyed the open space, the more relaxed environment, and everything about her Grade 12 year at Mitchell District high school.

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Hsueh graduated as part of the Class of 2025 from Mitchell District, attended prom, which she called “the best experience,” and played extracurricular sports, including curling, soccer, badminton and tennis. She also expanded her musical knowledge by playing the flute and some trombone, and rekindled her love of piano. She was also a participant in the Optimist Club of Mitchell’s music festival. 

She admits she found the Grade 12 courses she took “easy” when compared to the rigorous nine-hour school and study schedule she grew up with, which have her plenty of free time to explore other avenues of high school life. 

“I don’t have time to do sports in Taiwan but I had a lot of time here,” she said, outlining the differences in culture and lifestyle. 

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Hsueh arrived last Sept. 20 and heads home, after a 17-hour flight with a one-hour layover in Hong Kong, on July 20. Before her departure, she enjoyed the Rotary club’s Canada Day event held on July 1, proudly waving a Canadian flag while riding in Rotarian John Hohner’s red convertible after helping judge the entrants in the pied piper parade. 

“It was so cool,” she gushed.  

She says there’s a similar celebration marking her country’s birthday in Taiwan, held every Oct. 10, called Double Tenth Day. The holiday commemorates the founding of the Republic of China and fills citizens with patriotic pride, but in her city there’s no parade. 

Hsueh celebrated her 18th birthday in February, with co-president Carolyn Deck also marking the lunar new year at the same time. 

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Hsueh connected with her parents on occasion, but she said she missed Taiwanese food the most. Chinese food here is similar, she said, but it’s too oily and seasoned for her taste. 

She speaks fluent English, so communicating wasn’t difficult at all, an acknowledgement of her learning to speak the language at an early age. Most children learn in kindergarten, she said, but she didn’t start until Grade 4. 

Hsueh completed some sightseeing with other exchange students, spending time in Ottawa, Toronto and the eastern seaboard of the United States, including trips to Boston, New York, Philadelphia and Washington, D.C., before visiting Myrtle Beach in South Carolina, as well as Disney World and Universal Studios in Florida. 

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Once she returns home, she’ll have to retake Grade 12 because the credits earned at the Mitchell high school don’t count in Taiwan, and she’ll then prepare for university exams in January. 

“I’m not excited for the school but I still have to face it,” she said. “I’ve been here for long enough. . . .  I think I’m prepared to go home.” 

She said she’ll remember the uniquely Canadian food the most – Berkshire bacon, poutine and Beaver Tails – as well as the lifestyle. 

“I’m going to try and tell myself not to be too stressed all the time,” she summed up. “The world is big and as long as you work hard and have a positive attitude you can always create a good life.”

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