Miranda Bolla

2007-08 Inbound from Switzerland

Hometown: Bremgarten , Switzerland

Sponsor: Bern-Münchenbuchsee Rotary Club, District 1990, Switzerland

Host: St. Johns and San Jose Rotary Clubs, District 6970, Florida, USA

School: Bartram Trail High School

Miranda's Bio

Hi! I'm Miranda Bolla and I come from Switzerland. I'm seventeen years old. I have two little brothers and one older sister. The little village where I live in Switzerland is called Bremgarten and is next to Bern, the capital of Switzerland.

I arrived in Florida on the 15th of August. Currently I live in St. Augustine. Since a week ago, I go to the Bartram Trail High School. I'm a junior and I have already met some nice people from the school and from my neighborhood.

On the Inbound Orientation weekend I met also the other Exchange Students. It was great and I had a lot of fun! I'm very glad to be an exchange student! I'm sure that I will pass the best year ever of my life in Florida!

October 6 Journal

When I left the plane and walked down the way to the big Arrival hall from the Jacksonville airport, I didn’t realize that I’m going to live here for an entire year! But when I saw Jeff, that’s one of my younger host brothers, beckon to me, a feeling of a huge happiness came over me. There stood a lot of people that I didn’t recognize because I have never seen them before. But my host family was also there and they were holding big posters with my name on it and “Welcome Miranda, we are glad you are here!” Then everybody greeted me and said some nice words. I was so excited that I forgot about all the worries that I had before. Later when we were in the car and drove to my new home, my three host siblings, Maggie, Jeff, and Mac, asked me a lot of questions and told me a lot of things. They were so cute, it seemed like they were as excited as me! After a one hour drive, we arrived. The house is so big! The neighborhood is so nice and it looks exactly like I have seen before in all the American movies. Ann and Jim, my host parents, showed me my room and the house. I was so overwhelmed with emotions that I wasn’t tired anymore. Ann cooked a very nice dinner, salmon and rice, what is one of my favorite dinners! This day was so amazing (and the weather hot)!!!

My first day in St. Augustine, Florida

The first day was great! I had to go to the Bartram Trail High School because I had to make my schedule. That was a new experience for me because in Switzerland I can’t choose my subjects by myself. I have also a one week schedule and not a one day schedule. My counselor was very nice and she explained to me how the different subjects are. So I chose Team Sports, English, French, Math, Forensics, Draw and Paint, Study Hall and American History. I was happy about my schedule and so Ann and I left the school which is very big (about 3500 students) and headed back home. I really like the school’s building. It is round and in the middle is a very nice schoolyard.

The first week

After the first week in Florida, I started to feel very comfortable in my new home and environment. The Borngessers are such a nice family! They make me feel very happy and welcome. I also started to get to know the American way of life and the beach! It is so beautiful! These are all new experiences that are sometimes more and sometimes less different from Switzerland. Anyway, I am glad that I made the decision to do an exchange year because it shows you a totally new view of the country that you are in.

Inbound Orientation Weekend

It was great! I met all the other exchange students from the district. We went to Camp Montgomery. We did a lot of fun things, inclusive climbing in the woods, team games and hanging around and talking. We also learned more about the Rotary Youth Exchange program and the rules. It was great to meet the other students and to share the different experiences that every one of us made. They are all very nice people.

The first school day

My first school day in Bartram Trail High School was very stressful, but at the same time very nice. I learned a lot about the school life and everybody was interested in me because I am an exchange student. That helps you to meet new people and to make friends!

The school life

It is stressful compared to Switzerland because the school is so big and I have only six minutes to change classes. But I’m getting used to it and the fact that I meet a lot of nice people in school makes me very happy and encourages me too. I had also two schedule changes. That’s how my schedule is now: Study Hall, English, ROTC, Math, Forensics, Drama and American History. I changed French into ROTC which is great! It is also called Air Force ROTC. I also have Drama which is great too. I’m also joining two Clubs, the Interact Club and the ITS (Drama) Club. I don’t just go to school for studying but also for doing a lot of fun things like joining different clubs and learning more about the school life. It is very different to Switzerland, but I really like it! I also went to a couple of High School Football Games which are amazing. Last week I auditioned for two different plays and I made it! This is so great!!

My time till now

I am here since seven and a half weeks and I have to say: The decision to make an exchange year was the best (and will probably be the best) decision that I have ever made! I have met a lot of new people and learned a lot of new things! It is awesome!!

Bis zum naechschte mau!

December 5 Journal

Hello everybody,

It has been a while since I wrote the last time…I have seen so many things since I’m here and I’m so glad that I came to Florida! I have met a lot of friends from school and my neighborhood. It’s great!

Bartram Trail High School

I really like going to school here, it’s so much more fun than in Switzerland! I enjoy most of my classes. I joined a new club, the ROTC Drill-Team. I have every Tuesday and Thursday practice after school. It’s so much fun! And it’s harder than it looks like! I have also been to a lot of Football Games which are very fun! Go Bears!!!

Homecoming

The Homecoming Dance was my first school dance ever! I just knew what it is because I saw it in the American movies. It was so exciting! I could borrow a dress from my next host sister. It was a great evening! At first, a bunch of friends came over to my house and we made some pictures. Later, we went out for dinner and after that, we went to the dance. It was a short dance, but it was a great experience! I have never worn a dress like that before. Now, I’m really excited about the next dance, which is prom!!!

Halloween

This was my first real Halloween. I went to a Halloween Party. We played a game, it’s called Scavenger Hunt. My group won it! At the 31st of October, I dressed up as Marilyn Monroe and went trick or treating… I still have candy leftoversJ It was a great new experience and I am amazed by how much candy some kids got!

SeaWorld and Halloween Horror Nights

On the 2nd of November, I went with my host family to Orlando. We went to SeaWorld. It was a great day! I saw Shamu and the dolphins and a lot of other animals. Later that day, I went with a couple of friends to the Universal Studios. I have never been so scared before! There were people running behind you and trying to make you run away and scare you! After a long day, we got home at about 3 a.m. in the morning. That was one of the greatest days that I had since I have been here! It made me feel so happy that I made the decision to do an exchange year.

Thanksgiving

This was my first Thanksgiving and I have to say: I have never eaten so much before! I went to Orlando with my family and we visited some other people from my host dad’s family. The food was delicious! On the next morning, I got up at 4:00 a.m. and went shopping with my host mom. America is just crazy! But I’m loving it! There were endless lines in the stores and people running around with shopping-plans. It was a lot of fun! I have never been shopping so early in the morning.

Soaring

On black Friday, I went flying in a glider! It was soooooooo awesome! I sat in the cockpit and could fly by myself!!! Of course, there was a real pilot sitting behind me. His name is Dr. Pat and he controlled the flight. He also showed me a plane that he is building on his own. It was a beautiful day and we could see Jacksonville Downtown, the St. Johns River and even the ocean on the horizon. Dr. Pat showed and explained me all the important things in the cockpit. We flew up to 3000 feet! That was really high! And when I let go the other plane that pulled us in the air, it was suddenly silent and we were gliding silently downwards. It was amazing!

Georgia

On the 17th of November I went to Georgia with my ROTC Drill Team. We had an important meeting and a competition. I wasn’t yet in one of the teams but it was a lot of fun anyway. The week after the competition we made new teams and now, I’m in a team which is called exhibition team. It’s really hard to not make any mistakes and to know all your commands. But once everybody knows his part, it looks great!

I had a super-great time since I’m here and I’m looking forward to rest of my exchange year!!! Thank you Rotary for making my dreams comes true!

January 11 Journal

Disney World

On December 6th I went to Disney World with the Florida districts . We left early on Thursday morning. I was very excited! When we arrived at the Disney Resort, I saw all the other exchange students from district 6970; it was a happy reunion! Everybody was very excited, just like me! After saying hello to everybody and checking in, we headed off to the first park, the MGM Studios! Everything was so pretty decorated because of Christmas! There were huge Christmas trees! The first ride we did was the Hollywood Tower of Terror. I remembered that ride from my last time when I was in Disney. But that was almost eight years ago, so I was still very excited and shocked when the elevator suddenly dropped! After that amazing ride, we went to the Rock and Roll rollercoaster. It was very fast! I went three times on it during that day! I also saw the Indiana Jones Show and a lot of other great shows like a car stunt show and of course, I saw the Parade with all the Disney Stars!

In the evening we saw a laser water show with Mickey Mouse! It was an amazing show! I liked it a lot! When we got back to the All Stars hotel, we had to search our bedrooms which were not very easy to find because there are a lot of hotels! I slept with Mona, Isa, and Airi in the same room. Our hotel was called the “Love Bug”. The name comes from the move “Herbie”. Later in the evening I went swimming in the hotel pool. The water was not that warm like I expected, but it was still ok. We were all very tired after a long day of a lot of fun!

The next day, Friday, got up very early and after eating breakfast in the hotel resort, we went to Magic Kingdom. We divided in groups and made a tour. Each of the groups had a leader that explained us interesting stuff about American history and about America’s presidents. At the end of the tour, we watched a show about all the presidents from the United States of America. After the tour, we were for ourselves. I went to a lot of rides and I saw some shows and another parade. I love Cinderella’s castle! In the evening, we saw the fireworks show. It was amazing to see all the colors and lights. At the end, the castle shined different colors which looked amazing!

When we got back to the hotel, we had a pizza party and it was also Nanda’s birthday. We had a lot of fun and I went swimming again in the pool. It was very cold! The next day we went to Epcot. It was interesting to see the different countries and the Test Track rollercoaster was very fun! In the evening we watched another fireworks that was above a little lake. It was beautiful! Sunday we went to Animal Kingdom. Everybody was very tired after three days of fun and action! I still enjoyed my last day in Disney! Animal Kingdom is my second favorite park while MGM Studios is my absolute favorite park! The whole Disney World trip was awesome! Thank you Rotary!

New Years Eve

On the 31st of December I went to the Gator Bowl Parade in downtown Jacksonville. Rotary had a float and most of the students from district 6970 were there and represented their country. It was great! I had to wear my Rotary jacket and I could hold a Swiss flag! There were a lot of people and I yelled about a hundred times “Happy new year!” We even were on TV!

After the parade was done, we went to the Shacters house. The Shacters are Rotarians and very nice people. They made a party which was a lot of fun and I stayed up all night long! The next day I was actually really tired…! But I had an awesome start in 2008! I’m sure that I will always remember that and think on it when another year is gone!

July 7 Journal

New Year, new family!

Right before New Year’s Eve I changed to my second host family. It was a little bit weird to change family. My feelings were mixed. On one side, I was sad to leave my first family but on the other side I was excited to move to my new family. I was very confused and it remembered me on the very first days when I was in Florida. After a few days I got used to the new family and after 2 months I’m already very attached to them!

Seacamp

At the end of January districts 6970 and 6990 went to the Keys. It was beautiful! We went diving and learnt a lot about the sea and ocean life. We stayed there for four days. We stayed at a residence called “Seacamp”. The keys are a beautiful place and a must see when you visit Florida!

Miss Bartram Trail Pageant

The first time I heard about the Miss Bartram Trail Pageant was from a friend of school. I always wanted to do a Pageant! The whole competition seemed so American to me! It was a lot of fun but also a lot of work! I had practice every Tuesday and Thursday from 5pm until 7pm. There were three main parts in the whole pageant: The opening act, a talent part and the formal part. In the opening act all 18 contestants performed a dance on stage and introduced themselves to the auditorium. The second part was a lot of fun. Every contestant performed a talent. I performed a Kickboxing routine! It was so much fun! The last part, which was the formal wear part, was my favorite part of the whole pageant! After that, the judges decided who will be in the top five. Then, the top five had to answer a question and the judges decided who would win. I couldn’t win because I’m not going to be here next year but I still won most photogenic!!! The whole pageant was an amazing experience and I’m really glad I participated!

The rest of the year

This whole year has just been amazing. It’s so hard to put all these feelings and experiences of an exchange year in words. The whole experience is almost like a dream and unfortunately I have to wake up now…which makes me very sad. I have to admit, I’m not ready to leave. I don’t feel like a foreigner anymore…I feel like an American girl. I guess that’s the whole point of an exchange year; to become a part of the country where you’re staying.

I would like to thank Rotary Youth Exchange Program, District 6970 (you rock!!!), my host families and my friends for making this year the best year ever in my entire life!!!

Thank you so much for everything, Rotary!