Michael Bucy came to share with us his experience as a Rotary Exchange Student in the Philippines in 1973. He is forever grateful to Rotary for this life-changing experience.
Michael is 65 years old and has lived in the PNW most of his life. He has lived in La Conner for the last 5 years, with music and guitars very much in his life. He is a member of the Parks Department, and, as you walk downtown, you can often hear his music coming from inside Studio 623. Michael attended Highline High School in Normandy Park, and when he was a sophomore, he saw that anyone interested in being an exchange student for Rotary could apply. He filled out the forms and told his parents he really wanted to attend. He stated he had a way to always convince his parents of what he wanted to do, and they fully supported him. He was selected and was given the opportunity to go to the Philippines in 1973/1974. He travelled from Seattle to Guam to Manila, where he spent the night. He found himself with a family on the island of Mindanao, on the bottom chain of islands. The father was a doctor and the mother a commissioner.
Michael shared many experiences and learnings, the first being not to climb trees due to ants. They crawled up his pants legs biting him, and he had to be stripped down to get them off. Michael got to experience a different family about once per month, which he loved due to his desire to travel and meet people. A couple of other exchange students taught him to play the guitar as well as music from the Allman Brothers, which he taught himself. He learned to play mahjong and eat delicious foods. The host families would try to prepare for him American food, but he shared that he really wanted to try all their foods – dinuguan stew (which is made from pig blood and entrails), barbeque chicken, jackfruit, balut (14-day-old duck eggs), bok choy soup, and San Miguel Beer. He met many other exchange students. In all, Michael stayed with 12 different families, each one with a different lifestyle. It was so eye-opening for him and such a wonderful experience. When he came home, he was a bit out of touch with his family, friends, and all the changes. He would not change the opportunity or the impact it had on his life. Michael again shared how grateful he is to Rotary.
Thank you, Michael, for blessing us with your stories and adventures.
