Anne Christensen

2007-08 Inbound from Denmark

Hometown: Aalborg, Denmark

Sponsor: Aalborg Østre Rotary Club, District 1440, Denmark

Host: Ponte Vedra Beach Rotary Club, District 6970, Florida, USA

School: Allen D. Nease High School

Anne's Bio

Hey! My name is Anne Buus Christensen and I’m 15 years old. I’m from Aalborg, a city with about 150,000 people in the northern part of Denmark. I lived with my little sister, Louise, my mom, Grethe and my dad, Henrik. Besides that I have a big sister, Tine and a big brother Thomas. I like playing piano and golf (Florida has some wonderful golf courses – so that’s really nice).

USA is very different than Denmark, because Denmark is so little. We only have a population of 5.3 million inhabitants and an area of 43.000km² so it is going to be very exciting to try something so different.

I wanted to be an exchange student because I like traveling and I really wanted to learn more about another country and another culture - which I think is very important. I expect and hope it will be a really fantastic year in my life, and I will do my best to make sure that it will be a great year. I will enjoy every second I’m here and just have a wonderful year.

October 1 Journal

We were all together in the airport. It was time to say goodbye to our families and it was the hardest thing I have ever done. I know I wouldn’t see my family for the next 11 months, almost one whole year. I cried and cried and I couldn’t stop, I couldn’t let them go. I knew this would be very hard for me but on the other hand, I knew I was going to Florida. One year in Florida. Something I had been planning for a long time and was really looking forward to. There was a very special feeling inside me, and it is nothing I can describe. It was a very big decision for me to be an exchange student. I thought a lot about it, and despite my feelings I was now sure it was the right choice for me. Everything felt so unreal. I just knew I was going to America. It had all been like a dream and now I was awake in a new reality. I wanted to travel and learn more about other cultures and other countries – that’s the reason I’m here.

As we sat in the airplane we were all so excited. Our trip was beginning and we were on our way to United States of America. I was traveling with about 15 other exchange students from Denmark. It was a long trip, about ten hours. We were all very happy yet also very nervous. It is difficult to explain how everything felt so dreamlike. We arrived in Chicago and that was the first time I stepped on American soil. The next day I flew to Jacksonville along with another Danish Rotary student, Thore. We kept reminding each other that right now we were on our way to meet our “New family”. As we stepped off the plane and into the main lobby at the airport, my family was there with gifts and a big sign that said “Welcome to Florida, Anne”. It was very nice to meet our new family and it was so great to finally be here.

My host family is incredibly good and it’s amazing all they do for me. I have only been here for a month and two weeks but I have enjoyed every bit of it. I have done so many fun things here which I never even dreamt of. Everyone has been so open and nice to me. They have given me many experiences I will never forget. In my opinion, most Americans are very open and nice people. The people in my Rotary Club have been so great and they have done so much for me. I have already been out playing golf, seen museums, I’ve been to football games and on small trips with Rotarians from my club. It’s fantastic how much people have done for me, and I’m sure I will have many more experiences before I return home.

My high school here in Florida is very different from my school in Denmark where I went to a private school from 0-9 grade. It was a small school with around 550 students but here I’m going to Allan D. Nease High School, a very big school with 2400 students. So the school is a big change for me but I like the school here very much and the whole “High School Spirit” – It’s so cool.

The culture here is very different from Denmark. Denmark has a population of 5.5 million people compared to United States with over 300 million. It’s hard for me to list all of the differences as I have only just begun my year, but I’m sure that before I go home I will have plenty to talk about. But the first thing I noticed when I came here was that everything is sooooo big.

I have been to an orientation weekend here where I met about 30 inbound students from 19 different countries. We had a great time together. It was amazing to meet people in the same situation. It’s fantastic I can now say I have friends from all over the world. I’m looking forward to see you all again in Daytona, it will be so great. J

When I’m here I have to think about I’m only here for one year and I will never have this opportunity again and I have to enjoy every day I’m here. I will learn much more about myself and I will do much more that I ever thought I could do. I’m sure I will grow and be stronger. And I know I will have a wonderful time here. Thanks to Rotary for this great opportunity.

November 10 Journal

Hey everybody! I have now been here for three months and it has been three fantastic months. I have had so many great experiences and I love to be here – I love America.

Homecoming

Homecoming was a fantastic day. I was together with two other exchange students (Nirali and Celina) and we used the whole day to get our hair and makeup done. Our topic was “Viva Las Vegas” and it was so much fun and we had a great evening.

Family

I changed to my second host family October 26th, and it’s a perfect family. They have six kids, five girls at 6, 9, 11, 13 and 15 years and a little boy at 2 years old. It is so much fun and I’m having a great time. It’s a very big difference for me to live with six kids, but they are all so nice. They live in a huge house and they have the best pool ever. They live 5 minutes from the beach and they have a very beautiful golf course right in their backyard. I love it and I love the family so much. They have giving me such great experiences so far and I’m so happy to live with tem.

Halloween

Halloween was so much fun and especially in a family with six kids. My whole family, Nirali (from India) and me was out for trick and treating for my first time and we had a great and so much fun evening. I was a cowgirl and Nirali was a basketball player. We also went to Halloween Horror Night in Orlando. It was so good and we had a great time.

Football

Go football, it’s just so cool here in America. I have never seen things like that. I have been to high school games, college games and professional games, and it’s all so cool. I love it and I learn more and more about the rules. It’s unbelievable to see so many people how is just screaming and shouting and really into the game. It’s just exactly like a movie.

Once again, thanks to Rotary for this perfect opportunity.