September 16
MY DREAM HAS COME TRUE IN A NEW LIFE
Everything started when I decided that I really wanted to be
an exchange student and learn a new culture, a new language, have a new family,
new friends, meet a lot of new people and make a New Life for myself.
I didn't believe it when the people of my Club (in Ecuador)
told me that I was approved and I was going to Jacksonville on August 28. I was
counting the days and finally it came. The adventure and the real dream
started when I was in the airport alone with my luggage waiting for my airplane.
It was a plane that would take me to a new land, a new country, where my new
home would be. I saw and learned new things my first month and I'm
continually learning a lot and making a new life rounded with lots of wonderful
people.
My first weeks here in the US were a little different than the
rest of the exchange students because I got very sick and I had
surgery. It wasn't nice getting sick and being in a hospital but it was
GREAT seeing and feeling all of the support from my family and everyone.
Everybody was GREAT and so helpful. I didn't feel homesick because my host
family was with me all the time and they were a big help. They have continually
been an extraordinary family. And of course I feel proud of myself because I'm
discovering that I have more strong characteristics than I thought.
These are things that I really wanted to know before I arrived
here. But now that I am beyond these difficulties that I have had, I'm so happy
to be an exchange student with a great new family and new friends from different
places around the world. They are my new best friends. Together, we share
many similar experiences and feelings. We learn more every day about the
new culture and our new language; all this is a New Life that I can make better
every day. This is the best experience and adventure that has happen to me. I'm
very happy to be here!
November 4
 Three months here and I'm continually having a wonderful time
and lot of FUN! But also I feel that the time is passing so fast and there are
great things that happen to me always. Never before in my all life did I feel so
happy all the time, like the way I'm feeling here. My family is wonderful!
In September I had to catch up all the assignments at school
and I did a good job because 3 weeks ago I received my grades and it was
excellent. Also in September I had so much fun because we had a big party at
Ale's house. We dance a lot: Ecuadorian and Brazilian music, it was fabulous!
And of course Kathy, Ling and I spent all the weekend at Ale's house and we
didn't sleep because we had so much to talk about and how happy we feel here
even if sometimes we miss lot of things of our countries.
On September 14, I met my second host family and they are
wonderful too. I guess that at the end of the year I will have 4 dads and 4
moms, that is great - not everybody has the chance to have so many parents and
just in a year and also to live all the greatest things that happen to me
everyday.
September 29, I had my orientation with Aye at Gainesville
because we missed the first time with everybody. After that we went to the lake
on a canoe, it was fun but I was scared that an alligator appeared and tried to
eat me (aha just kidding) and then her host family prepared a BBQ and it was
really good. 
October 6, I went with Al and Ale to St. Augustine the oldest
and pretty town of US. We went to the museum "Believe it or not" and
also we walked a lot and got into the stores looking for the cutest things and I
took this funny picture of me but it is adorable . Oh! I was forgetting
something important: Believe it or not I ate Gator tail! It sounds bad but it is
really good!
October 11, I went to Washington DC with my family and Ale, we
were host by Josh and Gina (my host brother and his girlfriend) and we had lot
of fun together and we walked a lot too. Definitively what a gorgeous
city!
We were in the White House, the Arlington Cemetery, Lincoln,
Roosevelt, Jefferson Memorials, Washington Monument, Smithsonian, Kennedy
Center, well we were in lot of places. By the way thank you mom and dad (Gary
and Yvonne) and also thank you to Josh and Gina, you are really fun and
wonderful people too!
October 18, I went to Daytona Beach with all the exchange
students to Tom's house, which is a huge and fabulous house. Finally I could
meet Tim, Alby and Lorraine and also I met Arne (he is from Germany and is Tim's
host brother), Susanna (Germany), Mayuko (Japan), Karine (France), Cinthia
(Brazil), everybody are very nice and fun! It was Friday night and Tom took all
of us to the big celebration in Daytona, it was really fun and crazy. I had
never seen so many bikers with really cool and pretty motorcycles. Also that
night we got in two roller coasters that were really fun.
On Saturday we went to the beach and we had dinner at Tom's
house with other Rotarians which it was very nice, met more people and also the
food was really really good. All that weekend nobody slept because there were
too much things to talk and do. What a GREAT weekend….I had lot of FUN!
OK I think that I wrote too much…but just everything is
fantastic and I really want to share with everybody my great experience and how
much I'm learning from the rest and of myself. I'M HAVING LOT OF FUN!!!
Fer :-D
January 8
I’m
sorry that I haven’t written before but today I decided that I really need to
write so I’m going to start from November even if we are in January. Also I
want to wish a Happy New Year to everybody.
In November I celebrated Thanksgiving with my first host
family (for me this was the first time that I celebrated this holiday), it
was nice, and of course a lot of food, but I think that the best part is that is
a special day to give thanks and I’m really thankful with everybody and
specially with my parents in Ecuador because they gave me their support to be an
exchange student and thanks to them I’m learning, having fun and doing things
that I had never done before. Also thank you so much to all the people from
Rotary because they are great!
I think that the best month was December because everything
started just perfect, first I moved to my new (host) family that for me they
are coming like my real family they give me lot of love, I feel like in home;
they are WONDERFUL!!! I have two brothers and one sister but they are great and
very fun, we are laughing all the time, I like them a lot!
The trip to Disney was fabulous, I had the chance to met and
share with more exchange students from different places of the world, that now
we are friends, that is really cool have the opportunity to meet people from all
the world…in that way we can understand to every culture and know more about
them and of course to let them know about mine. It was great the trip, I really
had lot of fun, thank you!
Something great happened to me a day after school…my (host)
dad Jeff took me flying on a small plane, well is granddad plane but WOW! It was
really fun it was my first time on a small plane and it was so cool looked all
the city, I was so excited…a great experience.
I went to a Rotary lunch for Christmas and I sang "Silent
Night" in Spanish, I felt very good singing this Christmas song for
everybody, I wasn't nervous like the first time that I had to talk in front of
everybody, so I think is really good :)
Christmas!! Oh Christmas was the best I had a wonderful time
with my family, I had lot of presents but the really great and important thing
is that they make me part of the family and we share this special day with my
grandparents, my aunt and my uncle. Everybody is really fun and for them; I am
the daughter, the sister, the grandchild, and the niece which is fabulous, I
thought that it will be hard be lonely in Christmas but the true is that I’m
not lonely I have a family, friends from all over the world and Rotarians that
take good care of me and of course always the blessing from my parents in
Ecuador.
Well then it came my birthday - well it was very different
because it wasn’t noisy and a huge party like every year but on that day I
went to Orlando with my family from New York, so I didn’t have the chance to
celebrated it with my (host) family and friends. Well at Orlando with my family
from New York I had a very nice dinner in an Italian restaurant (one of my
favorite foods) hehe actually I like everything but anyway it was great and I
know that I will have on January 11 a party at Ken’s house (by the way thank
you so much Ken and family) I’m sure it's going to be fun especially because I
will see almost everybody…..
On January 2, I went on a Cruise and it was fantastic…I
really had lot of fun in the ship and also in land, I went to Key West which is
beautiful and the good thing is that I will come back very soon with the
exchange students because that is our next trip J,
I also went to Cozumel, Mexico which it was nice especially the weather because
it was warm and not that cold like here in Jacksonville…well at the ship there
was always something to do, and I danced a lot which is one of my favorites
things.
I did this trip with my cousin and her family from New York,
so it was pretty good seeing them and I had a wonderful time at this fun
cruise. I don’t have yet pictures of that trip!! But I will send them another
time.
Oh I was forgetting something - January 6 when I arrived back
in Jacksonville from my Cruise I had a big and nice surprise. My family was
waiting for me here with balloons, presents, bunch of love and a cake mmm… but
this cake was so original because it had the shape and looked like the flag of
Ecuador…. and it was really good, I say it was because we ate it the same
night J!
Well that is all for now and I’m counting the days to go to
Sea Camp and see everybody!
March 13
I
stop counting the months because I can say that I'm starting to really live
since my 5th month.
There are lot of things that have been happening to me; first
I went to The Keys on January 30 and I had a great time and experience at Sea
Camp with the other exchange students and also with new friends that we made
from Michigan...I felt like this time I really get to know very well American
kids and we really had so much fun.
And also we learn a lot of the marine life and water. The last
day each group made a presentation about different topics and our topic was
Water Quality and I really think that our presentation was very funny :)
But more than all of the friends I have made and all of the
people I have met, I found a family "The Edwards" a family that feeds
me, takes care of me, provides me with everything I could possibly need and most
of all that really loves me.
It is truly a gift that every exchange student can only hope
and pray for, it makes such a big difference. They really have been and become
my real family and they always will have a special place in my heart.
February 8, which was a very cold morning but it didn't matter
the weather to make a good thing, to contribute in a way to The Cancer
Association. I went walking 5 miles with dad (Jeff) and my sister (McKenzie). I
think that you call this fund raiser or something like that.
Then on February 10, I went with Alê to her school (Bartram
Trail) and we spoke about our countries in all of her classes and it was really
cool because we got the opportunity to teach more about the place that we live
and also to have the very comfortable feeling to speak in front of everybody.
February 19th, I went with Al and Alê to Orlando...a day
before everybody :) so that night we went to a Brazilian restaurant.
All those four days we had a fabulous time with all the
exchange students, because we went shopping, we went to Sea World and also we
took great pictures with a limousine I can't wait to see those pictures I'm sure
that they will be so funny..
The day of the conference which was February 22nd it was
great, but at the same time full of tears, you could see in the exchange
students and in the Rotarians tears on their eyes and it was because this
wonderful year is getting over because thanks to all of them we are and we will
be making a big difference in the world everyday.
We sang "Love in any language" and "We're the
World" even if it was terrible, nobody really cares about it, because we
were people from all over the world and we were together in peace been just one,
like the way we should be…I really liked everything, I definitively had a
fabulous and unforgettable time.
All of the exchange students are so thankful with Rotary for
gave us this great opportunity and I know that everybody keeps repeating about
it but well, thanks to them we are here, not only having fun and learning a new
language but also been a better person and not only for a year, this experience
will keep going and this is just the beginning.
It was March 2nd, and I had to move to my new host family
"The Wiatts" - they are great, I’m really having a good time with
them. But believed me I was really sad to leave the house of The Edwards, since
I'm here I haven't feel that depressed like that day and that week, I was very
homesick but I wasn’t homesick of my family in Ecuador I was feeling homesick
of The Edwards….I never before imagine that an exchange student could have
this feeling of been homesick of one of the host families...but well now I’m
soooo happy because at the beginning of this week I received the best news ever.
My counselor told me that I will be back to The Edwards like my fourth family
……YUPI!!!! I was so happy when he told me that just I want to say Thank You
so much Ken and Al!!!
Oh well that’s all for now, and I can’t wait to go to
Atlanta on my spring break with my host family…I am so excited about it!
Fer.
April 19
 I
have been realizing how important and good is to have the opportunity to
be with three different families, from each one I had learn a lot and it
had help me to discover my strengths and weakness, and not only that is
just a thousand of things more that I didn't know before. Now I'm able to
control my emotions and almost all the time no matter what I feel very
happy.
I have been living with my third family "The Wiatts"
for 2 months and on Saturday 4/19 (which is almost in a few hours), I'm
going to move again to "The Edwards" my second family and I can
say that I'm very excited about this : )!! Also I have to say that I had
wonderful families, starting with my first one thru my last one, everybody
have been very kind and great with me and to these three families I just
want to say thank you so much for everything that they have gave
me.
Well talking a little about my trips and things that I
have been doing during this month, first on my spring break I went to
Atlanta, Nashville, Kentucky, Virginia, South Carolina and the principal
purpose of this trip was to find out information about the universities
for my host sister, but I can say that I had the great opportunity to
visit all this states and see how different is each one and my favorite
place was Atlanta, is a pretty city where we went shopping in a big mall
where I get my "Prom" dress which by the way is beautiful, also
we went to the Coca Cola Museum and it was so cool, I love it and at night
we went to this concert of Tim McGraw (country music) I'm not a big fan of
this type of music but I enjoyed the concert, it was very good. In
Tennessee, Nashville we stopped at this place where is the
"Parthenon" like the one in Greece of course this is not the
real one but it was big and beautiful (here is a picture of it even if is
really hard to see us) hehe!
Then two weeks after that I got the opportunity to go to
St. Simon Island, and visit to the aunt of the exchange student that is at
my house in Ecuador and WOW! I had so much fun, it was a great opportunity
to do lot of stuff, like going to her school and talk about my country and
the exchange program….I had very interesting questions and I met new
people of my age and old er,
also I went to Fort Frederica which is St. Simon Island and there is lot
of history of this place. I went to Savannah which is a gorgeous city, I
just love it especially this place that is call "River Street"
it looks so unique and it has the style of a European street with all the
stores, cafes and restaurants, difficult to describe but more than
beautiful. My last day in St. Simon Island I went to the beach and
kayaking after a long day at her school, that all her students prepare
some South American food. This was a hard permission to get but well at
the end they let me go and thank you to my chairman, counselor and host
family. Always is a fabulous opportunity to visit new places and meet more
people.
I had the chance to go to saw "Contact" which
is a Broadway play and is really cool, I love it!! And by the way thanks
to Ken & Sara Weiss because of them I also could get some autographs
and 2 pictures with these handsome actors of the play….that was the best
part after a fabulous play…. I really enjoyed a lot and again thank
you!
 Here
are some pictures from all of my trips!! The picture with the azaleas is
in St. Simon Island and I took it because I haven't seen that kind of
flowers that big, they are pretty!
Oh! I was forgetting that also I went to a meeting with
"Rotaract" and it was very fun, heard so many different
experiences of young people that make a difference in the world, helping
to others, I had to speak for 10 minutes about my experiences and guys if
you have been reading my journals you probably know what I say…if you
don't I will tell you that my experience have been wonderful and unique, I
will keep all this year on my heart and mind forever, because I made
things that I didn't do before I came, I met incredible people, I found
truly friends and great families and of course all of this is because of
Rotary, thank you!
Last Sunday 4/13, the Edwards invited me to a surprise
party for Mom's sister and let me tell you that I had so much fun; this
was a real fun party. We went in the boat to this very good restaurant
"Outback Crab Shack" and I love sea food so this was the perfect
place for me, everything was perfect and really funny! Well is
very late now and I'm feeling a little lazy to keep writing so that's all
and enjoy my journal and pictures. Have a Happy Easter!!!
Fer.
P.S.: I don't know why the pictures are not too clear
... sorry about that!
June 28 - Final Journal
I'm
so sorry that I haven't write immediately after I arrived to Ecuador but
well now I'm writing to all of you to let you now how it have been being
at "home" and stuff.
First of all I have been here almost 2 weeks, I left on
June 14th and that last week I was very sad but at the same time excited
it was a mix of emotions....when the day came it was very difficult to
believe that I was leaving my home that have been for a year and I was
coming back to my other home in Ecuador....I was crying all night thinking
in all the fun times that I had with my beautiful American family, friends
and great people that I met during my stay. Then the day arrived and we
were at the airport with my American family...in the way to the airport I
was so nervous and I was wishing that day haven't arrived but it got worst
when I had to say good bye to all of them, and especially when I gave the
huge hug to Mom and we both couldn't stand and we just started crying and
crying it was hard for me to stop crying....I was feeling that I was
leaving home to start another exchange year...
At the airport I was with the Rotary blazer on my hand
and crying, then a woman asked me if I'm a Rotary exchange student and I
say: "yes" and she ask me "where I'm going?" and I say
I coming back to Ecuador...then this surprising face on this woman and she
say "What a small world...my daughter is going to Ecuador like a
Rotary exchange student but for 5 weeks" and I seriously was
surprised too, and I was thinking the same: what a small world. Lindsay
was the name of the girl, and it was a big help because we had the same
flight and in Miami we were talking and when we arrived to Quito we were
trying to find our luggage and then we went out of the airport and I was
so nervous to see everybody again, I was looking for my family and OH MY
GOD!! everybody was looking soooooooooo different that it took me a while
to figure out that was my family (of course they didn't recognize me
either because I came back with 20 extra pounds and looking different), I
came out trying to say "Hola" and you want to know what
happened? It sounds very funny but I was talking in English and then I
change to Spanish, but it was so hard to speak just in Spanish, that
really happened believe it or not! And well not only that I was so tired I
couldn't breathe because here in Quito we are at 2.840 meters and well let
me tell you it took me two days to get used again to the highest mountain
and I found so different and beautiful my city, but it was hard to breathe
especially when you come back from a place that is so flat and is at sea
level like Jacksonville.
But well, I got the chance to meet the parents of the
exchange student that my parents have been hosting during this year and I
also met him, and he is so much fun and I seriously think that he have
been a big help for me because my first week I was feeling terrible and I
was missing so much my American family, well I still missing them a
lot...I think that they are unique and I thank Rotary that they gave me
the chance to live with such a great and fun family The Edwards, for me
they will always be my American family and I'll be waiting here to see
them again.
I never figured out that I get so used and I fit
perfectly in the American culture that now that I'm here is so hard to get
used to everything and I can see that I'm more American that I though -
hehehe it sounds funny but is the true.
I just wanna say thank you but thank you so much to my
Rotary host club, my Sponsor club, to the chairman Al, my counselor Ken,
to all my families and friends, because I had the best year of my life and
I learn and change so much that now that I'm here in my country I can see
all my change and how hard is to fit again not only in the country but
also with my family and friends. I miss everybody a lot! And to the future
exchanges students I just wanna say that is the best thing and it only
happen once so take advantage of it and enjoy as more as you can.
I love you all and miss you,
The American-Ecuadorian girl Fer. |
