Indonesian exchange student Marsha Wardana in Sydney.
Once upon a time, international exchange students faced a lengthy year-long absence from home without modern technology to easily bridge the distance back to their families, but all that has changed with the introduction of short-term exchanges.
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Year 12 student Marsha Wardana, from the East Javanese province’s Sidoarjo Regency, has recently returned home to Indonesia after three months in Australia, staying with Kialla’s Birchall family, headed by parents Tracy and Scott Birchall.
Their youngest child of three, Year 10 student Asha, will follow Marsha there in December.
The exchange has been facilitated by the Rotary Club of Shepparton, which hadn’t hosted an exchange student since 2014.
Marsha came to Australia soon after her Indonesian school’s mid-year break, arriving in time to spend the two-week school holiday period preceding her Term 3 at Greater Shepparton Secondary College, with her host family and other exchange students.
The Birchalls didn’t break their annual tradition of a mid-year break to accommodate, instead they took Marsha with them to Canberra and Sydney, where she got to experience Australian beaches, see the place where parliamentary decisions are made and get an up-close look at Australian animals.
Tracy, Asha, Scott and Will Birchall with Marsha Wardana at Parliament House in Canberra.
With many weekends and a week of school holidays also at the end of her stay, the family showed Marsha Melbourne, Phillip Island and East Gippsland, too, while a Rotary trip gave her an Airlie Beach experience with other exchange students during her second week here.
The Birchalls, who are not Rotarians themselves, had started looking into exchange mid-2024 and discovered the short-term option through Rotary.
“Rotary was keen right from the get-go; enthusiastic and open,” Scott said.
“It’s been smooth. They’ve done so much work.”
Tracy said the three-month duration was appealing for Asha because it meant she could still have the experience without the challenges, and without disruption to routines at home.
“Asha is doing advanced level ballet and the idea of missing a full year of ballet and school was a lot,” Tracy said.
As a former exchange student, who spent a year in Japan herself when she was 17, Tracy believes you can’t get the same authentic cultural experience any other way.
“Actually living with families is completely different to visiting as a tourist,” Tracy said.
Where a short stay might limit some students’ time to learn the local dialect well, Asha, a dedicated Indonesian studies student, already has a good grasp on the language, which will likely enhance her experience.
Indonesia’s Marsha Wardana and Kialla’s Asha Birchall at Melbourne Airport.
Scott said Marsha spoke “fabulous” English, which meant she and Asha didn’t converse in Indonesian much while she was living with the Birchalls.
“Asha probably spoke less Indonesian in those three months than she usually does at home,” he said.
“Exchange is one of the opportunities to appreciate the benefit of another language.”
“There is so much culture attached to another language,” Tracy added.
They said Marsha fully immersed herself in school and life in Australia, independently catching a bus to attend a different school to Asha, Greater Shepparton Secondary College.
“GSSC was very supportive, they opened their arms to accept a student who was only going to be there for 12 weeks,” Scott said.
GSSC international student exchange co-ordinator Amy Gallacher helped obtain a voucher towards Marsha’s uniform and a loan of some textbooks for the Year 12 student.
Marsha joined in group dance with Excell Dance Centre, trying ballet and salsa, before taking part in the centre’s quarterly ball, where she even bravely performed.
International exchange student Marsha Wardana, Rotary Club of Shepparton member and Marsha’s Rotary counsellor Jeanette Sabri, and Asha Birchall, who will head on exchange to Indonesia in December.
Both Asha and Marsha attended Rotary meetings during Marsha’s exchange, where they gained confidence speaking to the older audience.
Marsha was assigned a counsellor within Rotary, Jeanette Sabri, who the Birchalls said supported the international visitor well.
“What Rotary offers manages to contain homesickness,” Scott said.
“It connects students with other exchange students in the area.”
The Birchalls recommend anyone looking into an exchange should start the process about 18 months before the exchange date, giving plenty of time to meet with their facilitating club, do their online training and allow everyone over 18 in the household to obtain their Working with Children Check.
It also afforded them time to get to know Marsha and her family via Zoom video-calling ahead of her stay.
