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Local to spend year abroad

Burns Lake resident Janelle O’Meara will spend the next year in Ciney, Belgium as part of the Rotary youth exchange program.
Local to spend year abroad
Janelle O’Meara.

Burns Lake resident Janelle O’Meara, 18, will spend the next academic calendar year in Ciney, Belgium as part of the Rotary youth exchange program. She leaves at the end of August, but won’t feel too much pressure oversea as she just graduated from Lakes District Secondary School.

She’ll billet with three different families during her 10 month stay. Ciney is located southeast of Bruxelles. The city of approximately 15,000 is predominately French speaking with several famous beers to its credit.

“There were opportunities to go to small English speaking countries, but I wanted to learn a second language,” O’Meara said.

“I’m looking forward to getting away for a bit,” she said. “This is my first trip to Europe.”

After a year in Belgium O’Meara will return to Burns Lake and will probably attend the University of Northern British Columbia, where she holds graduation scholarships.

She spent the summer since graduating in Burns Lake, working for the Village Burns Lake recreation department.