Pauline Decaestecker

2003-04 Inbound from France

Date of Birth: December 2, 1985
Hometown: Villers au Bois, France
Sponsor: Lens-Henin Rotary Club, District 1520, France

Host: Flagler County Rotary Club, District 6970, Florida USA
School: Flagler Palm Coast High School

September 12 Journal - "For the first time I tried the real, fat, big, American breakfast! I thought that I would never be able to go on the bike again."

Pauline's Bio

Hi! Frenchy is speaking! I come from the north of France, near Belgium, and now I live in Flagler Beach with Lawrene and Bill Bishop who are retired. It is a very nice and pleasant place near the beach, the river, and the wood ... I will have four different families during the year. They are so different but so nice!

I started school two weeks ago. It is very different from mine but I start meeting people and getting accustomed to the pleasure of it. There I will belong to the running team and the Interact Club. I also intend to have a lot of fun with friends, exchange students, and sports ...

A bientôt

Arrival in Jacksonville

Pauline and her traveling companion Agathe, after a series of very long flights.

September 12 Journal

I arrived in Florida one month and a half ago, but so many things happened that I have the impression that I have been here for a very long time.

My entire story starts July the 26th, date I arrived. It was a very long day, so long that actually it started the day before. I come back from vacation thinking that my visa is already at home waiting for me. BUT no visa, problems in the forms… I had to go to Paris, wait four hours in front of the American embassy, hoping that they would be nice enough to give me my visa the same day, and YES, I got it twenty hours before my departure.

I didn't sleep this night, I had to pack and to prepare every thing, and after…after I was too excited to sleep.

I traveled with Agathe Lamouret who is also in District 6970. All would have been perfect if we didn't miss our transfer in Washington. We had to wait four hours for the next plane. It is funny that the hardest the first moments in a travel are, the best are our memories. In spite of all of that, it stays a great day according to me. I was HERE; I had been waiting for that for so long time. It was wonderful.

Since this day, I have been living a real nightmare. You can believe me: I am so tired! I think that the Rotarians will kill me before the end of the year. Seriously, I am very busy and I love that. I visited the area, the beaches, the Intracoastal, the roads and the woods and a little bit of the cities around. I went to Orlando, Universal Studios Park, with my family. I tried different scary attractions (I am not very courageous!) and other water games. At least, my stomach hurt, and I was completely wet, but I had a lot of fun.

A Rotarian from my club brought me to Saint Augustine. It is a wonderful city and for me, it reminded me a little bit of history. I went on a boat to visit the area by the river: beautiful! 

Then, the Sheriff of the county invited me, as he is in my Rotary club. I had a very good time, visiting the police station and even the jail. I found out the difference of police organization between here and France. It is rather confusing, but also learned some things that may exist in France but that I have never seen… After that, I had dinner at his house. I met his wife and spoke in French with her as she got to spend 6 months in France when she was student. They also had invited some pupils from the French class of my school!

I start enjoying water activities too as I had some parties on boats. The first time I went to the disappearing island, which is rather famous here. It was cool and I had a "beautiful tin". Then I spent an afternoon on a beach near Saint Augustine, on the Intracoastal. And I benefited from the board to start water-skiing, I get pretty good. Or even Jet Ski, or just sunbathe, which is the sport I prefer… My friends are also learning me how to surf… I love that but for the moment I stay with a body board.

WHAT ELSE, oh, for sure, I can't forget the orientation meeting. A whole weekend at a camp, near a lake, in the wood: it would have been a dream if there weren't so many bugs. We were eaten alive… Except this small problem of camping's joy, all was great. We met every student of the program, it was cool to see them, everybody looks alike a little bit and we are in the same situation. I think we are a good group. Between the Rotary's lessons, we had a lot of different activities. First we made some team games in the woods, and spent an afternoon in the lake, swimming, water-skiing or playing a very dangerous game, which consists of throwing people in the water. So fun! The best for the end, the last day, we climbed!  And walked on rods between the trees in the air! It was the first time I did some thing like that.

With some other exchange students, we also made a "drive" in motorcycles!  I will forever remember when the seven motorcycles (as in Harley) arrived at home with seven "sick boys"… We spent around five hours on the bike (it hurts!!) driving in the country. It was great; I saw some places I would never have the opportunity to go without that even if they are close to me… And for the first time I tried the real, fat, big, American breakfast! I thought that I would never be able to go on the bike again. Oufff!

As you can see it, I am spoiled (but shooootttt, I love that).

Otherwise I spend my time going to school, it isn't so interesting… Or Running, I am in the Cross-country team, it is cool, and it allows me to meet people. School was very weird at the beginning; it is so different from mine. But I start accustoming of it, and EVEN I start liking it…

So I don't like it enough to spend my time, speaking about it, just it is Ok, I feel good there, and start having friends. Otherwise, I don't know what to tell more, just that right now I don't….  really I don't want to go back to France. One month is already spent, it is so fast, and I fear this year will be too short.

November 15 Journal

Hello

We are in November and it looks like summer!! I love Florida. My father in France told me that they have already had some snow!! It is funny isn't it?

A lot of things happened this last month but I have to start with the most impressive!! Two weeks ago, we had a little break at school during a week and my third family, the Bevels proposed that I benefit from this time to make a trip to WASHINGTON!! It was so exciting! And I kept a journal every day over there so I am actually able to copy it, so that you will have all the details. 

Trip to Washington.
Departure, Palm Coast, 1 h 25 pm, Tuesday, October the 14th.
Temperature: definitely sunny and warm.
First stop; 1 min later: CD player forgotten
1 h26 final departure to Washington DC
Four in the truck with the back full of bags, plastic bags, even under the feet, idem for the food: we had chicken sandwiches, chips, fruits, cake and soda….
Camera and video camera ready!!
Actually every thing was ready for the "great trip". We traveled through Florida, then Georgia and around 7 pm we stop somewhere in South Carolina, in Florence if I remember well. Everybody went to bed pretty early, even if we slept during the whole day, the car is pretty tiring
Well Wednesday, alarm clock rang at 6 h22 (and I am supposed to be in vacation…). We were on the road again at 7 h 15 to keep driving in North Carolina and then in Virginia. We arrived around 1 h pm in Springfield (everybody knows this city…). It is just next to Washington, so our hotel was here and we took the train to go in the city.
First problem in the inn: no power. So to wait for it we went to do some shopping. We needed to do so; to bear the coldness of the big North.
Ok, it is colder here than in Florida. It is rather normal and hopefully… but I liked this fresh air and this kind of wind which makes you awake. Anyway, I was more accustomed of the temperature than my family…
It was the longest trip by car I have ever done, 12 hours in two days but it was fine. I was comfortable with my pillows, blanket, music and food… Ohh and a good book. I am reading Harry Potter, in English of course. This is great!
It is amazing how the landscape changes through my window. The palm-trees don't stay longer. In Georgia, there are still some much water but not so many woods and it is flat so you can see the land rather far. I am sorry but my English doesn't allow me to describe it properly but I loved it. Then in Carolina, it is plenty of woods, like in the mountains… Anyway, it is so different.
Thursday,
The first visit we had was…… the White House!! It is so exiting. Really impressive and we did the tour with two bodyguards. They are my host-father's friends, and they work for the security in there, that is why we were allowed to enter. People asked us our ID and check if we had nothing with us. No purse, no camera… it is a pity!  We only saw the first floor, which has already so many rooms. It is really where the president and his family lives but when he is not here, people can come to visit. Hopefully people don't do that with my room…oops… but actually I am not the president.
There are many luxurious rooms, dinner room, reception, meeting, and conference: The red, the green, the blue, and the east one. Everywhere there are many pictures of important characters of the American history. In each room there is a guardian who can explain us some little stories about it. 
In the entrance, there are also few pictures of the White House, when it was building, some of Mr. Bush and his family and the funniest: There is also a board about all the animals in the White house as the different presidents' dogs and cats or even horses and sheep. Hold on, there was even a cow one time in the garden and guess what, its name was Pauline: NO COMMENTS!!
On the afternoon, we went to the Pentagon. I loved it because in fact, I love men in uniform. During the tour two soldiers escorted us. It was a pity than they weren't from the Marines, as it is the uniform I prefer.
We were very surprised by the main thing we saw: The Pentagon is worse than a big mall! There is a huge quantity of shops. All of them are for the staff working there, to allow them to have under their hand all the things they need without leaving work. It is Ok for the fast food or donuts but there are also souvenirs shops, jewelry, vacation planning, a bank, a pharmacy, and clothes…
It is almost the main thing we saw, don't even imagine that we were able to see or even to get close to the secrets rooms were decisions are taken, kind of James Bond rooms! Nothing! Never mind! We went through the court in the middle. The man who made the visit told us a funny story about it. In this court there is a little cabin where hot dogs are sold or stuff like that but during the cold war, the opponents having pictures from above thought it was a bunker were important decisions were taken and many bombs were pointed toward it but actually the main decision people have to make there is between mayonnaise and ketchup…
We finish the tour by visiting the part which was destroyed the September 11th and we went in the memorial room. Here is a strange feeling in this room. It was the most interesting thing in the visit for the Pentagon.

Friday
Wake up at 7h" it starts to be hard!
Direction: The Smithsonian to see some museums.
There are a lot!!! All of them are concentrated in the same street and around. We went in few of them but the visits were a little too fast according to me. I would have like to have spent more time to learn the American history that unfortunately I absolutely don't know. 
On the afternoon, we went to the Senate. First we went the Senator of Florida's office, as it is there that the tour start for us, Floridian people…The offices and the chamber of Senate are in different buildings so to go from one to the other, there is a way underground. It is funny!
It is beautiful inside and huge!! Very high.
We attended to a session in the chamber but I didn't understand a lot of what was going on. They were talking about airport or air force. I am not sure.
We took a break and a dinner by the same time in the great restaurant. On a terrace, at the 9th floor of the "Washington Hostel" just in front of the White House. I could see the city from the air…
Then we took the bus tour to see and take some pictures of the main monuments of the city. White House, Jefferson memorial, Roosevelt memorial, and Lincoln's one.
It was almost midnight when we were back at the hostel. It was a very long day but so interesting. 
Saturday, we start by packing and I thought we were about to take the road already but 5 min after a little drive they stop at the mall and I catch that it was for shopping… We did a good job! Lol. And only after that we were really ready to go back. The way back was quite of the same than the beginning except that the vacation ends, (not so funny) Instead of reading Harry Potter I was writing this journal to not forget anything and then, the trip seems more pleasant when the temperature becomes warmer and warmer…
I realize how I was lucky to have such an opportunity. 

Then these few months gave me the time to discover new things about the culture. 
At the beginning of October, there was Homecoming in my school, something which absolutely doesn't exist in France. It was a lot of fun. During the whole week, people were dress out to go in class, in pajama, like a teacher, like the star we prefer, like a girl for the guys and inverse. I was very surprised that even some teachers played the game. Then there were some activities in the evening almost every day. It is funny to live something I have already seen in a film, like there is a Pepperoni in the movie "Grease" and during all these times, I didn't know what was it, and didn't even suspect that it was a common celebration in school. (Editor's note: we believe what Pauline means is not "Pepperoni" but rather "Pep Rally".) The football game's day, the King and the Queen were announced. 
The day everybody was waiting for was the dance! I was very excited about it too. 
I love dancing so I felt very at ease in this party. I was happy to give a good image as now, people in school think that every French dance so well… lol: my head is growing. As I learnt how to swing dance with one of my friends we benefit from this to do it there. It was fun. But, it was finished at midnight, it is a pity and even if my feet were bloody I didn't feel like stopping. We finish the night on the beach with some friends. We took a blanket and some ice cream. We even took a bath around two am… 

I lived another American experience at Halloween. It does exist in Europe but it is not so important. I went to look for candy with a group of friends. We represented all the holidays of the year, Christmas, Thanksgiving, July 4th, etc. People, opening the door were surprise so hear "Happy Christmas" instead of Halloween! They song in the streets, but I didn't know these. Then I had a party. It was fun.
The thing I don't like during this period is that there are a lot of scary movies on TV all the time. Nothing else to watch and you know I am a chicken… grrrrrrr

Then I learnt the football rules. You cannot become American if you don't know that. I was invited by a Rotarian to go to a football game. Miami against Jacksonville. I love the mood over there, people are joking and there is a friendly (or sometimes not) between the supporters. We were for the Dolphins, which was a good thing as they won! And the orange matches well with my skin…lol

Pictures from Michigan (a Thanksgiving trip with first host parents Bill and Lawrene (click to enlarge)

March 16 Journal

It is Spring; it is the time when we start counting how much time we have before the dream stops; and also realize that we still have so many things that we planned to do and we don’t have done yet. But the good thing is that so far, when I look behind me, there is nothing I could have regret for, I always did the most that I could, but one year is definitely not enough. Please: a little bit more, again, again, “encore”. But it is not the time yet to talk as if I was already gone. I am here and you won’t get rid of me so easily…

I realize how much American I am now; I met a French guy few weeks ago, in Florida for the vacation. He had some misconception at the beginning, as every one does but I notice that I was jumping to defend my host country as I used to do for France. I bet it will have hard times when, back in France, I hear people criticizing the United-States. But that feels good.

To talk about my life here, I want to start with my completely new passion. I started few times ago to play Lacrosse. I really love it. I never played team sport before and I see it helps me for my cooperation issue!  And I wanted to play something rare in Europe, something I wouldn’t have the opportunity to play otherwise. But on the other hand, now I am sad because I know that I couldn’t continue next year, couldn’t improve myself. But for instant it is some great moments. I met very good friends there and it is so fun.

To give the best example, let me describe my practice today. It was pouring down this afternoon as it can be very likely in Florida and so the ground was soaked!! After the regular practice we were already really muddy but then we decided to finish with a game of sprints and we had to throw ourselves in the mud. I can’t describe my clothes… But tomorrow the weather should be nice and we are doing to have practice at the beach….

That takes a lot a lot of time in my every day life, then I use the time with my friends and then in class. For the second semester, I had new subjects; I have English 4, psychology, weight training again, and economics followed by American government. I had the best grade in my economics class! But as far as American government is concerned, it is more difficult.

I am in my third family; a complete change of family life. My two first families were retired or working at home with no kids. Here, I have two sisters home (5 at least) and the parents works a lot. I see a completely different way of life, especially that they have different origin. Edna, my host mother is from Antigua. The biggest change is the food, Edna is an excellent cook and she works hard for it: I always see her cooking, very early in the morning!