2009 Youth Exchange

Welcome to the 2009 Youth Exchange Trip Site!

The daytrip to Chicago is usually the #1 event we hold, and we’re pretty sure this year will follow suit. A beautiful day in the Windy City was the backdrop for our visit. To get the most time in Chicago, we departed Peoria by 8am – to surprisingly little grumbling! Everyone was in good spirits for the day ahead. First stop: The tallest structure in the world (if not the tallest building). What was recently known as the Sears Tower was recently renamed the Willis Tower. It doesn’t matter what you call it, this building is impressive! 103 stories from street level, our group took in a dramatic view of the city. A new addition to the tower lets visitors enter a transparent enclosed platform more than 1,000 feet directly above the sidewalk below. Some found it a bit unnerving, but it was a big hit regardless. After coming back down to earth, we took our guests to two magnificent photo opportunities: Buckingham Fountain and the Adler Planetarium. From each of these viewpoints, the Chicago skyline is stunning! But then came everyone’s favorite part of the day: being set loose on the streets of Chicago! We dropped our charges off near the Hard Rock Café, the site where we’d all meet later in the evening. Everyone set off in small groups, maps in hand, to travel down the caverns of skyscrapers and shop in the cities countless stores. Many made it to Millennium Park, with its several interesting structures, entertaining bandstands and fine greenery. Some returned with packages in tow, others with cameras full of unforgettable images. But everyone took home memories that will last them a lifetime.

Farewell / Peoria Journal Star Article

Our final gathering is always a bittersweet time. A stranger to this party would hear excited conversations, in both languages, about good times spent together. Laughter echoed off the walls. Yet there was a bit of sadness to it all, knowing our time together was about to end. Still, we made the most of our last official event. It was held at the home of Bob and Jo Ann Randolph, she being a former FOF president, and both of them unfailingly generous in the use of their beautifully located home. From the small lake fronting their home, to the well landscaped gardens, their home is truly a retreat to enjoy. The students strolled the grounds, boated in the water and joked together on the deck. After a delicious meal of barbequed pulled pork and pulled beef, we gathered to relive the best and funniest moments of the exchange. Each host/guest pair of students was called up to relate humorous and impressive times together. These ranged from simple appreciation for everyone’s kindness to eyewitness accounts of Chicago streakers! Host Dad Fox Ellis, a professional storyteller, regaled us all with a compelling tale of life as a riverboat captain. Prizes for the “best” host family (who held the most parties) and the best German marksman (and woman) at paintball were awarded. And at the end of the evening, we celebrated the 17th birthday of host teen Liz with extra dessert (yay!) and all students signed shirts that a few had thought to bring as souvenirs. For this, our final gathering, the weather was great, the people were wonderful, and we could not have asked for a better time to mark the end of another successful youth exchange.

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