STUDYING abroad is an enlightening experience.
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The student, host family and friends benefit from a mutual exchange of culture, learning, and when trying to understand each other - laughter.
Being far from home there can be tears, but soon a second home is found and bonds with friends and family are made for life.
Rotary exchange student Gina Held from Switzerland will leave a lasting impact on not only her friends and host family in the Manning Valley, but on people she has never met.
Her YouTube video and social experiment 'I think you're beautiful' and photography and storytelling on Facebook page, Humans of Manning Valley, is connecting past and present residents of the Manning Valley.
Gina made the YouTube video 'I think you're beautiful' for a school assignment.
She asked fellow Taree High School students whether she could take their photo.
Gina admits it was nerve-wracking approaching students she didn't know to be part of the project.
"I was nervous about my english skills," explained Gina. "But everyone was really nice."
In production Gina asked the subject to stand in front of her camera.
She told them 'I would like to take your photo, as I think you're a beautiful person'.
But during this time Gina wasn't taking a photo - she was filming the reaction to her compliment.
Gina captured a range of emotions from her subjects.
From smiles to protests of 'no I'm really not'. Gina said was further emotional moments off camera.
"One of them said to me 'Today I was feeling really sad, and you have me so happy'."
"One of them said to me 'Today I was feeling really sad, and you have me so happy'," smiled Gina.
Gina filmed the project over two recesses, a lunch and a free period.
When she sat down to work on the editing process her computer would'nt work.
Luckily, a friend offered Gina her laptop to borrow for the weekend.
When she uploaded the finished video to YouTube and shared it via social media, the reaction was huge.
*Video language warning*
Past and present students of Taree High School shared the video, commenting on how proud they were a video with such an important message, that we are all beautiful, was made by a student.
Gina says offline the reaction was similar.
The message I want to get across is that it is not about how people react to being called beautiful but how others can take the time to bring some positivity to someone else's life!
- Gina Held in the 'I think you're beautiful' video description
"Teachers and students I didn't know were coming up to me at school wanting to hug me and say how emotional the video made them."
The video has now passed 4000 views.
Gina said the whole process made her overwhelmingly happy.
"I think the world shouldn't fight so much," said Gina.
"Making other people happy, will make you happy."
Gina has been based in the Manning Valley since July of 2015.
Her current host parents Belinda and Daniel Crossingham connected Gina with the opportunity to run Facebook page Humans of Manning Valley (HOMV).
Based off popular Facebook page Humans of New York, HOMV in an initiative by Belinda's work FOILD.
Gina takes photos of Manning Valley residents, asks them questions about their life in the Manning Valley and uploads the result to HOMV.
"It's really good to learn more about the area and the people who live here," said Gina.
On her return to Switzerland this July Gina hopes to attend art and design school.
laura.polson@fairfaxmedia.com.au
