SAYFC Exchange
Kansas 2016
Lucy McClymont
Lower Nithsdale YFC
Introduction
Travelling is something I’ve always wanted to do and I was delighted when I got accepted to do it through Young Farmers. After my interview in February at the National Competition weekend it was time to start planning my trip!
My destination was going to be Kansas, USA for a total of ten weeks. I would be part of the International Farm Youth Exchange program and be living with three different host families.
I have been an active member of SAYFC for many years I thought this would be a great learning experience for me, as I really wanted to learn about the American Young Farmers equivalent and bring some knowledge back home.
This short report highlights the structure of my exchange and some of the experience’s I had.
IFYE Orientation Weekend
On June 17th I departed a rainy Glasgow and headed towards Washington D.C to attend my Orientation weekend. This is where all inbound and outbound exchangee’s attended. I was met by Colleen at the airport then headed towards the hotel where we would be staying for the weekend.
IsharedaroomwithReginafromSwitzerland.Shewasona6-‐ month exchange to Ohio and Nebraska. We had an action packed few days, from learning about each other’s countries, tips for our exchange and making friends for life! We also had a tour round D.C
where we got to see the White House and many other iconic buildings.
The few days were over in a flash and we were all very sad to be saying goodbye to each other. However, I was even more excited to see what the rest of my exchange had to offer!
The Edelman Family
On arrival to Wichita airport I was met by my first host family. They lived outside a small town called Lebo, which was about an hour’s drive from the airport. It was their second time hosting an IFYE.
The family didn’t farm so I knew I was going to be learning a lot of new things. They owned a rental business which meant we would be busy most days! From helping out with auctions to renting property, I learnt a lot. The property market differed a lot from Scotland and it was very interesting comparing them.
The family was made up of my host mum, Hope, host dad, Victor and their three sons, Zayne, Sage and Layke. The youngest Zayne was 12 years old and attended Lebo High School along with Sage who was 14 years old. Layke had graduated
from High school and would be attending college in the fall.
During my time with the Edelman family, it was an exciting time back home with the UK leaving the European Union. Luckily they enjoyed politics as much as me and we spent lots of evenings discussing America and Scotland.
Some of the highlights living with the Edelman family were attending family reunions where I talked about my country, visiting the Capital city of Kansas, going to a local football match, having a go at shooting and trying new food
Overall my favourite day with them was celebrating 4th July. This was something I had never experienced before. The day was spent baking with Hope and buying fireworks with the boys. I met other family members that night who came round to join in with the celebrations. It was a lovely night as I got to ride their horse and set off fireworks. A night I will never forget celebrating America’s history.
I also attended church that was interesting as they were from the Apostolic faith. I met a lot of new people at church and again enjoyed sharing my faith to them.
My time with the Edelman family soon came to an end and it was time to move on to my next host family!
The Flory Family
I was excited to meet my next family more than ever. I was their first IFYE so we both were going to be learning a lot. I was going to be living with my host mum, Jessica, host dad, Mark and their two year old daughter called Evelyn. She soon became my best friend and sister. They lived near Lawrence, a larger town where one of the main University’s in Kansas was located.
Theyowneda40-‐acrepigfarm,whichtheysharedwithMark’stwo brothers and father. They had a mix of breeds on the farm and also bred sows for showing. Being from a dairy farm back home I knew nothing about pigs. I quickly learnt a lot about them and
was even getting taught how to show them. Something I thoroughly enjoyed!
I went to work with Jess most days as she worked for K State Extension and research which involved orgainsing local county fairs. I was lucky enough to attend five county fairs where I got to see a range of cattle and pig classes. I found it very interesting comparing their shows to the
ones I attend in Scotland. One of the main differences I noticed was the dress code of people. Nearly everybody would be wearing cowboy boots and hats, which I loved to see! I also got to meet members of 4H that was their equivalent to young farmers. This differed a lot from SAYFC as they could join from the age of 7 which is a lot younger.
I went to a local farmers market with Mark where we sold their pork. I really enjoyed this day as I often attend farmers markets back home. The main difference was the weather, it was so hot!
The highlight of my time with the Flory family was going to my first ever Rodeo, that’s when I realised I was in Western America! There was an unbelievable amount of cowboy boots and hats! We visited Oklahoma where Jess’ sister lived on the border. One of my most memorable nights was going out horse riding through the ranch to check the cattle. I truly was living a cowgirl’sdream.
Kansas is state which loves baseball. Luckily I got the chance to go to a Royals game which I loved. I was blown away with the size of the stadium. Sadly, they didn’t win that night but the atmosphere was still incredible!
I even had the chance to visit a local John Deere garage where Jess’ brother Todd worked. I got the chance to drive in the combines which was great fun. All the machinery seemed so big compared to ours in Scotland.
Sadly, the three weeks with the Flory family went by too fast and it was going to be emotional saying farewell. Evelyn and I had bonded so well and I really didn’t want to say good bye. I just hope she remembers me when she’s older! They had become friends for life and I cannot wait to see them in Scotland!
The Schlickau Family
Moving on was hard but I soon settled in with what would be my last family. They lived on a beef farm
outside a small town called Haven. From day one I was excited to learn more about the farm and the local area. They had Hereford cattle and the family business had been running for over 100 years. They also grew soybeans, wheat, corn and alfalfa.
My host parents were James and Charlene and they had three children, twin girls, Ashton and Caitlin and their brother Cooper. The girls had just turned
18 and were going into their senior year at Haven High School. Cooper was 16 and also attended Haven High School.
Charlene worked in a nearby town with Pfizer, a large pharmaceutical company. She explained a lot about the American health care system and how much it differs from Scotland which was really interesting.
I lived with James’ mum Lois who stayed across from the farm. She quickly became my host grandma who would bake me a cake for breakfast and make the most delicious meals. I certainly gained a few pounds!
In my time with the Schlickau family, James was running for County Commissioner in the local election. James had held the seat for the past 8 years so it was important he won the vote again. The family soon picked up on my love for politics and I was out
campaigning for him in no time! I attended meetings which where held in the local courthouse where his office was. This was personally an interesting part of my trip as I loved learning about American politics and what the next few months meant to America.
One of the most fascinating days with the Schlickau’s was when they introduced me to the Amish community. This iswhere they don’t drive cars or use electricity.It was amazing to see families travel by horse and cart.
From going to the cinema with the girls to out walking the dog, they soon became my sisters. We would go drives around the countryside and visit some of the lakes. The countryside was beautiful. I don’t think a day went past when we didn’t laugh or have fun.
The Olympics was also on whilst I was staying with them so most nights we would watch it. I would scream for Team GB and they would be rooting for Team USA, thankfully we remained friends throughout them!
The 3 weeks was definitely not long enough with the Schlickau’s as they really did become my family. Saying goodbye to them and to Kansas was extremely hard, as I did not want to return home. They made sure I finished my trip on a high. Let’s hope I see them all in Scotland soon.
The National IFYE Conference
This was held in Manhattan, Kansas and ran for 4 days. I was really excited for it, as I would be meeting up with some of the IFYE’s I had met in Washington. I lived with Michelle who was a former IFYE. I spent most days with Alice who was from Devon, Ludwig & Johanna from Germany, Mohit from India and Lulu from Taiwan.
On the first day we had the flag parade where I was lucky enough to carry the Scotland flag. I felt very proud to represent my country. We attended workshops to learn about food safety, social media and of course Kansas. I also got the chance to visit theothermainUniversityinKansas,whichwasK-‐ State. I was tempted to take a place up there!
We also attended a tour of the Flint Hills which were a famous tourist attraction in Kansas. The rolling hills reminded of Scotland which was nice! One of the highlights of the conference was the presentation Alice and I done on the UK. With both of us being very proud of our countries we managed to do a very humorous talk on the UK. The 200 plus audience seemed to loveit!
My favourite day in Kansas was when we went to the local lake outside Manhatten. Emily who was a former IFYE and her husband owned a boat that we went out on. The sun was shining and everybody enjoyed themselves!
Overall the conference was a great few days and we were all very upset that it had to come to an end. The people I met became friends for life; from old to young we all had the same aim of sharing our culture and learning about others.
Conclusion
When the day came to fly home, I didn’t want to leave. The memories of my trip will stay with me forever. Without doubt the people who I met as strangers became my closest friends and I cannot wait to visit them all again.
My host families taught me so many things and of course they introduced me to real American life that I loved. A huge thank you to you all, I hope one day I can introduce to you to Scotland.
Since returning home to Dumfries, I cannot speak highly of the program I was involved in. I hope my experience will encourage others to do the same thing, as it truly was amazing.
IproudlywearmyKUandK-‐stateshirtsathomeasKansaswillalways have a place in my heart.
Now to sum my experience up in one word seems impossible but the word ‘home’ fits it to a tee.
Acknowledgement of support
My whole trip would not of been possible without the funding I received from various organisations. To everyone that supported me I cannot speak highly of my experience. It truly was a trip of a lifetime.
The Scottish Association of Young Farmers Club
- The International Farm Youth Exchange
- Kansas State University
- The Ellen Kerr Awards Scheme
- The Young Farmers Ambassadors
- The Holywood Trust
- Lower Nithsdale Young Farmers Club
- Dumfries & Galloway District of Young Farmers
Also to my family and friends in Kansas and in Scotland, the support I received from you all made it worthwhile.