Junior Elisabeth Lee decided that studying abroad her senior year would be best for her. Like Regan Wagner and Mackenzie Dykstra, she is being sponsored by the Edina Rotary. She will be living near Pune, India “It’s only the 9th largest city in India and it has 5 million people! However, I don’t know if I will be in the city or maybe in more of the suburbs.”

In preparation for her trip, the Rotary had the students “make a list of 10 things we wanted to do, mine included riding an elephant, going to a wedding and playing Cricket, and I hope to accomplish all of them!” said Lee.

Lee doesn’t know when she leaves, but it will probably be “sometime in mid to late July, it may be early to mid August. When I am coming back depends on when I leave. It’ll probably be early or mid June.”

Spending a whole year in India won’t be easy. Lee said that she will miss her family and friends, along with “specific things like the State Fair, Pops, and football games.”

Although she is not sure what language she will be learning, it might be “Marathi, which is the primary language of Maharashtra, the state where Pune is.” Lee plans on getting a tutor to help her in this task.

Right now the details of her year are still in the works, Lee has nothing but praise for the Rotary Exchange Program. “It’s a great way to have an exciting and enriching experience before college.” All in all, Lee is looking forward to “exploring India, meeting new people and overall having a totally new experience!”