Most AHS students don’t get to wander through historic castles, majestic churches and visit the finest eateries Poland has to offer, but for junior Maggie McGuire, this has become part of her daily life. Last year she decided to apply to the Rotary Youth Exchange Program and is currently spending eleven months in Krakow, Poland, with a host family.

   “I love Aspen High and my life I have made there, but I wanted to completely and fully experience a new lifestyle and culture with hopes to gain a new understanding and view of everything,” McGuire said.

   McGuire left the comfort of her own home in August and moved across the world to a Poland, where she has had to drastically adapt to new challenges and a new lifestyle. In her new school, the Jan III Sobieski High School, there is no lunch break, all of the classes are in Polish, and unlike the year round activities in Aspen, there are little extracurriculars.

   Much of her life this year has been complicated by the lack of a common language. Most of the kids at her school do not speak English, and she has just recently started learning Polish, making communication a challenge.

   “The language barrier is responsible for endless amounts of awkward silences and conversations I have experienced,” McGuire said. “It is hard to have an interesting conversations when someone is speaking their second language. As I don’t speak very much Polish, it is hard for me to contribute to conversations which can sometimes lead to me feeling very out of place.”

   Another obstacle she has faced this year is being away from her family. For McGuire, who has spent her entire life in the Roaring Fork Valley, leaving her life behind has been difficult. Thankfully, her host family has been tremendously helpful in adjusting to new life. They have been extremely loving and caring, immediately made her feel comfortable in her new home. Even with this support, it is still challenging for her to be away from her hometown this long.

   “I miss my family, dogs and bonds with friends more than I ever imagined possible,” McGuire said. “The whole experience has been so much harder than I anticipated. Eleven months is a long time. I find myself overthinking everything, which has been challenging. But I spend much more time happy than sad.”

   Although the transition has been hard, McGuire has had some amazing experiences that have heavily influenced her feelings towards her time in Poland. Since she is living in a big city, she has had the opportunity to do a lot of exploring by herself.

   “I have a new appreciation and love for alone time,” said McGuire in her blog. “I so enjoy wandering the city by myself. It has taught me some real independence I never knew I had.”

   In all her free time she has been able to visit new eateries and churches, constantly finding unexplored areas along the way. This is a big change from her busy life in Aspen where she rarely had time to do anything beyond school and extracurriculars.

   Much of her free time is due to the fact that her school in Poland has very few activities in which to participate, although she has also joined a volleyball practice team that meets for three hours every weekend. Through this team she hopes to meet new people and to have some friendly faces in the hall.

   Many of her new experiences and time alone have led her to discover more about herself. Throughout the year she has worked to accomplish her goals of building new friendships and learning more about what she wants in life.  She has also learned to enjoy the simple pleasures of life.

   “I have found happiness in the smallest and dumbest things such as a cute dog or a cheap pastry,” McGuire said. “I have become so much more independent, yet I have learned that it is ok to ask people for help, and I am more comfortable asking for help. I am more comfortable in awkward situations like sitting through the wrong class. I have become more aware as to how those around me are feeling.”