DANISH exchange student Agnes Thorvig has settled into her new Australian life, eager to experience everything she can in her year abroad.
In her time in the region, Ms Thorvig will live with both suburban and farming families, gaining insight into her peers’ different ways of life.
“Living on the farm is going to be a really fun experience, because you get to meet all the different families and learn how they live,” she said.
Ms Thorvig was drawn to the exchange program because while she loves travelling, she wanted a deeper experience than the surface level of tourism.
“I’ve already tasted a lot of food, I want to go to a zoo, obviously, to feed a kangaroo and see more wildlife. I have a trip planned to Queensland so I get to go to Australian beaches and be in the warmer weather,” she said.
“Australia is so big and obviously I can’t see everything, but I want to see as much as I can in the year that I’m here.”
Coming from Aalborg, with a population of 120,000 the fourth-largest city in the northern European country,
Agnes is adjusting to the small-town life of Swan Hill.
“I still don’t understand how big Australia is – I said in my presentation that it is 180 times bigger than Denmark but coming to a smaller town is a big change,” she said.
“It means there’s so much more to learn about and it’s very different, so it’ll be more fun because I’m learning about something that’s so far out of the norm of what I know.”
While Agnes speaks fluent English, as it is taught throughout Europe as a second language, she still has lots to learn.
“The language barrier isn’t bad, it’s the slang words I have to get used to,” she said.
Ms Thorvig encourages anyone with questions about going on exchange programs to come to her.
“Even though I’ve only been here a short time, it’s been an incredible
experience,” she said.
“Rotary have been doing this for a long time, so they know what they’re doing and have good advice to support students on exchange.”
