September 25

Coming to America was like walking to the edge of darkness, then taking one more step in faith to an unknown place. I don't know anybody, I don't know anything about this country, and I don't know my family. But I think this was right, what I have done.

I arrived August 6 to America, and now I can say to anybody, my family, the Ballard family, this is a wonderful family. On my first week, the family took me to Georgia (where Bruce's parents live), to Tennessee, North Carolina, and South Carolina. I climbed on the waterfalls and we slipped on the waterfalls, things that I've never done in my home country Germany. This was a trip that I will never forget in my life.

On the 13th of August I had my first school day. It was really different from a German school, but it was wonderful. All the students help me if I need help and understand my situation. Teachers help me also and understand. I feel very good at this school.

At the end of that week my family organized a Welcome Party for me, where people came to find out who I am. And on the next day, August 18, I had my first Rotary orientation.

The next weekend I met the other exchange students in Jacksonville. We had a lot of fun, we went to the beach, and we all had a chance to learn how to surf. We also took a boat trip and I saw for my first time a real baseball game (I've also seen here for the first time a rodeo and a football game). On September 7 to 9 we had the Link Weekend, and I enjoyed learning to ride "passafino". I attended a wedding shower and soon will go to a wedding, and to a homecoming (with Luis - he is the exchange student from Ecuador).

Also, I tasted a lot of different food here in the USA, like peanut butter, sweet potatoes, American hamburger, and a lot more. These are a lot of the things that I've done in my first month!

April 30

Hey all,

I didn't write a loooooonnnggggggg time, and now, I do not even know where to start! That is definitely a problem, but why are problems there?, They are there to solve them,,, so I will start.

This whole entire time here in the United States (Sunshine State) was a  BLESSING for me, the families and my friendships I closed with my friends. I had wonderful experiences here, like my Christmas (by the way my first without my family) and New Years eve that I spend with my first Host family the Ballards in Georgia, and yes we had SNOW up there. 

And then it hit me, you know what? NO???????????????? The Ballards told me I need to change families, oohhhh yea, I was not happy at all, not because I didn't like the family I would stay with, or because I was not open for other experiences, no it was, I felt like, that I grew into the family and I looked at them like my own family and I didn't expect a change, because at the beginning of the year I was told that they are not for sure if I would change families, so I thought I am not gonna change, but, I changed, and lived for a little while with the Debolts, and made new experiences, like to have a small sister (Nicole) she is a small little PRINCESS and a small brother (Mark, we called him Marki) by the way he was a excellent Basketball player, and I learned how to play too, and Dina she was my Host mother, she worked as a Chiropractor and this means, that I had my first experience to get adjusted, oohhh yea and I tell ya, it doesn't hurt at all, it feels wonderful, and my Host Dad Mark was a Realtor I learned about, how the realtors work, what they actually do and that this job, not so easy is as a lot people think. So here you can see and I can see how important it is to be open for new experiences and not to hold on to old, no, everybody needs to go on, if you don't believe me you will miss out a lot of things and good things and you will look back and say why was I so "tenacious",,,,, yepp yep. 

And then I changed to a different family, my third family the Ganzak's with Robert (my Host dad we call him Bob), Michelle (my Host mom), Quae (my small Host brother, oh boy he has a lot of ENERGY in his small body, he is 9 years old), Becca ( my Host sister she is 16 years old) and my older Host brother Matt, a big family. It is nice to see the different interests people have, like my new family they really like the water, and I have the change to spend a lot of weekends in Tampa at their boat ( you get the best sun tans on boats, this is what I learned) and I had Easter with my new Host family and I met many off their family members, a lot, but it was nice. And guess what! My new family they have Motorcycles the real ones Harley-Davidson and two off them, hi I get to ride on them on the back this is the best ooohhh yeah this is really the best you feel like you can fly I love it, first, when Michelle and Bob asked me to go with them on a ride I told them ok lets go and I was not afraid not at all and then when I had the helmet on my head yea there it was my stomach actually talked to me o o o now you are gonna really do that but I overcame my self and I went on, and the best is, after the ride Bob asked me if I want to go the next time on a ride with them I told them yes sure; like right now, I really didn't want to get off it is so much fun, ohhhh and before I forget I jet skied for the first time in my life too, I had much more experiences but if I would start to write them all down I would get old in front of the computer it is just to much, but fun, so sorry that I do not write all of my experiences. SORRY

And yea I didn't go on the trip to New York but guys if you write your journals I will read those and be happy for you and I will know how it was so WRITE, and I will enjoy it, oh by the way Tachi (Taís) she wrote me and told me everything, how much fun you had, and how much fun you guys had who need to come back to Jacksonville with your flight )

SO I SAY BYE,

Evelina