There'll be an emotional farewell when a Belgian exchange student waves goodbye to the friends she'd made in Griffith.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Clara Soenen has lived in Griffith for the past 11 months on an exchange program with the Rotary Club of Griffith Avanti, who have given her the full Australian experience.
She's slapped sausages at Bunnings, she's survived an Australian summer, and she's been on an epic 11,000 kilometre tour all around the country.
She's seen more of Australia than your average Australian; she's been to Sydney, Melbourne, Coober Pedy, Kings Canyon, Uluru, Alice Springs, Cairns, Rockhampton - just to name a few.
READ MORE
The 18-year-old will be flying back to Belgium on Thursday, but she'll be taking with her a suitcase full of mementos and a head full of fond memories.
"I'm glad for all the people I met in Australia; you take a bit of everyone with you," Ms Soenen said.
While her friends moved to the big cities for their exchange programs, Ms Soenen made Griffith her home, and she doesn't regret her choice one bit.
"I had the chance to discover the countryside - the real Australia," she said.
"It's really nice to have a town where everyone knows you and you know everyone."
Rotary members came together on Sunday for one final farewell party.
Rotary Club of Griffith Avanti's Peter Sparks said the whole exchange program had been a blast from beginning to end.
"I'll be sorry to see her go," Mr Sparks said. "She's been a great part of our community while she's been here."
***
While you're with us, did you know that you can now receive updates straight to your inbox every Monday at 6am from The Area News? To make sure you're up to date with all the Griffith and MIA news you can sign up here.