 Hi Rotarian hackers!!!
What's goin' on with my exchange program in Ponte Vedra?!!
No journal for more than 3 months.... What happened? >>>>>So much stuff !!!
Well... I'm sorry for my irregular journal, but as we say
in France: "Pas de nouvelles, bonnes nouvelles!" (=no news, good news!). I'm
not gonna write the story of my life here on this website, but just say some
feelings for those of you who would like to do this exchange program next
year, leaving their District 6970. I guess (and I can see that with my
exchange friends here in Rotary or in my High School) this exchange is felt
for each of us very differently, a European coming in US won't have the same
impressions than a Japanese coming here or an American leaving for
Brasil.... But as far as I am concerned, I think it's a very particular and
different experience which needs to be seriously thought all the year before
to get ready. But then.....
.. Then... what a great experience!!!! to be so far away
from all your marks. Just living your new life overseas, building your own
life by yourself here, with the help of the host families, a real
breadwinner, and the Rotary always present to give one's support to you. I
discovered here new people, with different mentalities, cultures (...and
language of course), another system, a lifestyle totally different... So,
even if I don't always agree and fit in with my European.... hmmm... worse:
French view!!!!, it's interesting to see how really are the United States of
America, with their flag, their cars, their president, Halloween, football
games, Thanksgiving, war in Iraq, "businesses", high schools, beaches, fast
food, sodas, ice glasses, country music, wonderful TV programs, .... etc!
...and soon, Disney World!! I have to get ready, see you lovely American ;-)
people and lucky courageous :-) exchange students!!!
A bientot!
Pierre. |
|
Another
adventure, which will stay in the super memories of this year in US, is my
trip down to the Keys. It reflects perfectly all the feelings, the interest,
the emotions and the fun we can have with this kind of Super Teenagers >>>
the International elite of Exchange Students.
This trip has been on 4 days, but let’s just tell here what has been going
on during one day “only”. My schedule of Saturday the 26th with a
lot of details, because it’s often the little details which make the great
moments and as my memory about this day is still fresh, let's write what I
could forget in 10 years.
“beeeep-beeeep-beeep…”
>Greg –“What a
f…” Gok –“… rrrrrllff, pffffff….”
>Jay –“ _______
” Me –“hmmmpff…time to wake up guys…”
7:00am, time to start a new day, to my
daily question “Is it worth waking up today?”.. Ho yeah!!! So very quickly,
after a short visit to the bathroom, I’m brushing my teeth on the balcony,
not super alert yet, in my Spider-man boxer with a “Rotary Dist. 6970 Youth
Exchange- Florida” T-shirt, but what a wonderful spot:
A view of the mangrove, the sun rising
on the Caribbean Sea and the morning breeze on this “Big Pine Island”. I
remember have thought to my friends in France, who at the same time would
probably be enjoying snow, homework and dullness in Clermont.
The 3 gongs are ringing, it’s time to go
for breakfast, maxi tourist dressed up: orange sunglasses, baggy and beach
shirt orange flowered, camera and the unavoidable flip-flops, direction the
cafeteria, hugs, smiles and shakes, 2 rows: girls, boys and “Colonel Mister
Jack” between.
(Some quotations by the way: “do not
run!” “Do not touch a girl!” “Stay in line!” “Do not leave the group
without a buddy and a permission”, “I’m sure you guys will have a lot of
fun! That’s gonna be grrreat!! Rrrrrr;)!” … And that was great finally!
J )
I could give some names in these 2 rows,
but we were about 100, and I know almost all of them, I like almost 200% of
them, so… that would be long. (See T-Shirt)
After some English Muffins, omelet,
bacon, yogurts, cereals and the schedule of the day by Mister Jack, we all
have been diving in 10 groups to start the educational program of the day.
In my group: my eternal buddy Gokhan, the chaperons Dana and Angela, Robin,
the coolest math teacher ever (from Jay’s high School), Magda, Ina, Jemina,
the 2 Americans girls Liz and the ultra tall one, Raisa and me. We first
started with a boat excursion around the Bird Island where we dived,
observed and collected some aquatic species to explain the notion of
“biodiversity”. Very exciting, but 2 stinky experiences:
-To dissect a sponge.
-To take of your mask next to a
pelican’s nest.
Even if it was kind of cold in and out
of the water, we have seen some beautiful fishes, sponges, corals and
landscapes.
12:00 noon, back to Seacamp for lunch,
same rituals before, during and after, we had …hmmm… yes>>: Hamburgers!
(Interesting fact by the way: 5 times hamburger meal during my trip: McDo,
McDo, Seacamp, Wendy’s, Burger King)…(but I like that!) An hour free time
after lunch: time to take some pictures, play volley, get tan, talk…etc.
Then, starts a pretty good class: wooden
tables on a terrace right on the beach!! That was just great: learning,
thinking, studying (laughing too…) about ecology, biodiversity and marine
science (and about the last party…). My job was to write the introduction. I
used for that “my bible” the Nicolas Hulot’s book, and even if I’m pretty
concerned, aware and interested in this domain, I think it was a good thing
to make us realize how rich, wonderful and fragile our planet is. We tried
to work seriously. But that wasn’t super serious, even sometimes hilarious…
like when I read my introduction with the worst French accent I can have.
And after dinner, we had the conference to present the work we have done and
what did we learn about it. This conference was:
Long, interesting, serious, funny…and
kind of boring compared to the party we had the night before (I definitely
like this American way of dance…). We had some cookies and sodas during the
break before the Round II, but the other main activity of this night has
been the signatures of the T-Shirts. We all got a “2005 Newfound Harbor
Marine Institute at SEACAMP” T-Shirt, which has become a Super Collector
Shirt for all of us. When some memories will be gone, those signatures will
still be on it.
And the end of this day slowly came; we
all went in our room, flashlights on after the 2 (at least) “light off
control”, Jay (from Marathon), Gok and Greg in my room, a last “Graze
RoooooOOOOoomaaa…” “And VIVA LA FIGUA!!” or another Italian song as a
lullaby from next room, where Jeremy is too. He is the French guy I’ve met:
He was in Seacamp with 2 other people from Key West High School because he
moved there 7 years ago. That’s crazy, every time, to meet some people where
and when you wouldn’t expect them, like Ann from Texas in Orlando, and many
other example. So, midnight passes, everybody fall in sleep and another
Exchange Day will start.
I could give again more and more
details, more and more thoughts, but that would be very long, days like this
one, we had 3 of them, with a thousand more great moments than I have said
here, and soooo muuuuch fuuuun, just like the trip in Disney World, but this
time, that was kind of harder because it was the last time we had met all
together with some good friends we made. All the good things have an end,
and I’m even sure a bad day like I might get tomorrow at school will bring
me something good, so let me enjoy this before the end, see you!
|
Pierre Ribeyre
