Marnie pictured at Canberra Airport the day of her departure from Australia.
Over the next 12 months we will be following the exciting journey of Marnie Noakes. Marnie is a 15-year-old, Parkes Christian School student who has been lucky enough to be selected for a 12 months Rotary educational exchange to Germany. She is sponsored by the Rotary Club of Parkes.
When Marnie applied to be an exchange student, she was not given the opportunity to select the country that she wished to travel to, she was just thrilled to be able to experience a different culture, language and way of life. When she learned her host country would be Germany, she was instantly excited to be able to explore as much as she can and is looking forward to a range of new experiences including snow, German food and searching for new crafts.
Marnie was farewelled from Canberra Airport on 18th of January 2023, and after a long, 31 hour journey she arrived at her final destination of Frankfurt Airport in Germany.
Whilst in Germany, Marnie will stay with four different Rotary host families and will attend the Wirsberg-Gymnasium School in Wurzburg. She will return to Australia in mid January 2024.
Marnie’s mum, Liz Noakes said, “We have FaceTimed her a few times and she is super happy and really enjoying it.”
It was Marnie’s idea to reach out to the Forbes & Parkes Phoenix to see if we would be interested in following her journey. We are excited to say that once a month we will be publishing an update from Marnie on her schooling and many adventures in Germany.
Be sure to follow our social media pages for any images that don’t make it into the printed edition.
We wish Marnie a wonderful trip, and can’t wait to hear of her adventures!