Hanna Bergman

2004-05 Inbound from Finland

Date of Birth: July 7, 1987
Hometown: Pernå, Finland
Sponsor: Loviisa Rotary Club, District 1420, Finland

Host: Orange Park Rotary Club, District 6970, Florida USA
School: Ridgeview High School

Hanna's Bio

One of my important hobbies is swimming. I have been swimming since I was 7 years old. I quit swimming when our swimming hall closed, but now I am swimming again, for the Ridgeview swim team. I do also like to play tennis, baseball and be with friends.

I wanted to be an exchange student because I wanted to see the another side of the world. The culture and the language were the things I was most excited about. Before I came here I could speak English but then I had to think first what I was going to say. Now it just comes, and I am thinking and dreaming in English too!

When I am going home next year the most important things for me is that I made friend all over the world, speak English fluent and to feel that I had a great year! I have so much nice people around me, so I think that I am goimg to have a very nice year!

Warmly

Hanna

September 13 Journal

Orange Park - yes, that is my new home now. I arrived the 30th July in the evening. I was really tired because it had been a long trip for me, but I forgot how tired I was when I saw how many people were on the airport to welcome me to America.

On my way home with my first host family we stopped by the restaurant Steak n Shake and ate. I was a little bit confused because everyone just grabbed their food and started eating with their hands. When I came home I went to bed direct because I was so tired.

I am really happy that I got the host family I have; they are all so nice, help me if I need help, they treat me as their own daughter and that is important to me! I feel like I am home in this family, they listen and they are just great people.

The first weekend in USA for me was nice, we went with my host sister to Georgia to my mom's sister's house.. That was fun! It took like 2 hours to get there. We listened to music and talked about many things. Natalie is such a good person, if you ask her to do something for you, she does that to 100%.. She is a great sister!

The first day at school was pretty nice, but the school is so big! I could not believe that there was 10 buildings and 92 portables. My school in Finland is 1 building. so.. and there is 150 people and here is 2000.. it is a big difference!
When I came here I decided I have to start to exercise. Because if I eat all the hamburgers and all the fast food they eat here, I am going to be fat, so.. I joined the School's swim team. But I could not get enough exercise of that, so.. I joined Eagle Harbor swim team too.. So now I am swimming 9 times a week. Now I don't have to worry anymore to fly back to Finland in one year as a big person! Because that was the first thing I saw of USA: The big people that walked at the airport..

Okay enough of that, one thing that I want you to know: I did not come here to study, I came here to meet new people, learn English better and to learn about their culture. That's why I am not going to study and make perfect grades. I could if I would like to, but I don't want to do that. One year is not a long time and I am not going to sit with my head in the book the whole year! Okay, I understand if they count this year as a normal year in your home country, but for me, they don't count this year, so...

I just want you all to know that I have a great time here and I am going to have the whole year! And all the other exchange students: I just love you all, you are all so friendly.. ;)

All for now,

Hanna

December 8 Journal

Hey you all!!

First I think I have to say sorry, because this is my second journal I send and I have been here for 4 months already!! I can't say that I really did not have time, I have had a lot of things to do but, not that much so that I could not have taken a break for 20 minutes and write to you... This letter is probably going to be long because I have so much to tell you all!!

SCHOOL: I don't take stress with the school here, I do my homework, I do what I really have to do, but it is always in the last minute. But does it matter when I do them? I think it just matters if I turn them in or not... I got my first report card a couple of weeks ago, I had 3A, 2B and 1C.. pretty good I think, for me! I had the A's in Spanish, gym, and chorus. The B's in economics and in history. And the C in English. Oops! In the beginning it was always so fun to go to school, I mean it is funnier to go to school here than in my home country, because this is all new. Or not all new but it is still not the old, same, lame school. I just hope I won't get bored. And if I would get bored should I not have been bored already?

All my teachers really like me or they are all teasing me every single day. I don't care, I don't take it personal because I just think they love me because I am different, I just have to open my mouth and everyone in the class is in a good mood again! They say that I am so funny, but I don't get it, what is so funny with me? I try to speak like them, be like them, I don't want to be special anymore! In the beginning it was irritating when they tried to talk like me, but now I think it is kind of cute.. And they are all coming with me home to Finland. That is what they are saying, and they all want to host me too.

I can't forget HOMECOMING, it was kind of exciting, I did not have a date so I just went out with my host sister and all my friends. First we went out to eat and then to homecoming. The dance was really not what I expected, I thought that these kids would dance like normal older people do when they have dressed up. But no, when I came in, everybody was just all on everyone. They did not care if they knew the person in front of them or behind them, they just had to be close together. DIRTY DANCING!! In Finland, we dance like that when you are really drunk and you don't know that is going on. On the homecoming week we had special days too, we had like: tourists day, pj day, nerds day, RHS spirit day.. it was fun! everyone looked so cool!!

The Disney World trip with all the Rotary exchange students was amazing!! To see all my friends again and to get to know new exchange students from all over the world was fun. I had a great weekend at Epcot, Animal Kingdom, Magic Kingdom and MGM. I liked MGM the best. There were the best rollercoasters in the whole Disney World. And all the 3 nights with the lovely alarm clock was fun too.. All you girls that were sleeping in the same from as me, know what I am talking about. ;) lol And I still want to thank you all for the wonderful trip, especially Al, that is doing such a great job for us. Thank you. ;)

A couple of weeks before the Disney World trip, I went to Georgia with my swim coach. We spent the night there and were 2 days at Wild Adventures! That was so much fun. I rode in every single rollercoaster there is. So if you are going to Wild Adventures, I KNOW all the best rides. ;)

Thanksgiving was a new holiday for me. We had many schooldays off, and that was fun because I hung out everyday with my friends! And then my host mom's sister and her family came over and we all ate together.. I thought you Americans would eat much more than you did, you did not eat that much, we Finns eat more at Christmas than you did. But it is okay, it was just fun to see how you celebrated it!

Me and my host sister are very close. I feel like we are really sisters, we talk about everything. And we can tell each other everything! That is so nice, I could not believe when I moved in here that we could be this close! But I don't mind, she is so nice!

Now I have to go, but I will write to u soon again!

Elle: Can you keep up, baby boy if I lose my breath!

Hanna

January 11 Journal

Things have happened a lot since I last wrote in my journal, sorry guys, I try to keep up.. But it is hard!! okay I will tell you about my December - January experiences..

December 10th - My chorus class went to Disney (again??) to sing Candlelight, I had a very fun day! We left our school 5 o'clock in the morning, we came to Disney and it started raining, so I was all wet the whole day, but it was awesome! next day (December 11th, I went to Gokhan's party, I had fun, but I was not there that long, it is just always so fun to talk/ see all the other exchange students! Thank You guys!

December 17th - My friend took me to his father's Christmas party. They own the Company here in Orange Park, and they had a big party. There I met all his relatives, and everyone seemed to like me! They were all so nice to me and asked the same questions all over and over again. Thank u for an awesome night!

December 21st - Me and my host family left for Ohio. My "host brother" lives there with his family, so they wanted to go and see them. I knew it was going to be a different Christmas, but not as different as it really was. I used to go to church on the morning of 24th, come home and eat porridge, go and take a shower/go in the sauna, and then eat the big meal and last but not least open the presents! But this year.. On 24th we went out to eat because Jeff's (my host brother) wife was too pregnant to cook 2 days in a row. And on 25th I woke up and checked my stocking, and there was a lot of candy! I got a little bit surprised! After that we all opened presents and I got so many good things! I got A LOT of jewelry, clothes, body stuff and gift certificates! Thank you everybody that thought about me on Christmas! After day we had the "big meal".. But the Finnish Christmas meal is bigger, this was good, though. I liked it a lot, but I was homesick a lot too. I just felt like I should have been with my family and I missed our traditions! But hey, I came here to see how you celebrate it and it was fun to see how different it can be!

New Years Eve - It was nothing really special for, I had fun with my family! We went out to eat on the day and then in the night we had a little party, fun with friends and family all together!

After this I have not really done anything REALLY special.. I just wanted to thank Al & the whole Rotary for letting us exchange students help at the interviews on Saturday & Sunday. I had fun to get to know new people and to see how you prepare your students here, before you send them out. One more thing I just have to tell you all, I went TANNING for my first time to a tanning bed on Monday. And oh no, I won't do it again! I am all red, I was just lying there for 12 minutes! But now I know how that is, so now I don't have to keep on wondering how it feels like... to be burned.. ;)

All for now

Hanna