Nirali Shah

2007-08 Inbound from India

Hometown: Surat, Gujarat, India

Sponsor: Surat Rotary Club, District 3060, India

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

School: Allen D. Nease High School

Nirali's Bio

I am Nirali Shah from India. I am 15 years old. The idea of being an “exchange student” never struck me until my friend decided to try it. And believe me, I never regret being a part of this whole program ever since.

It's been 3 weeks since my arrival here in Jacksonville and I have enjoyed every bit of it. Living in the only superpower of the world, actually using the technologies you only read of, living in a country with the culture completely opposite than your own is an experience of its own.

I live with the Bresnahans. It's amazing how living with this family for only 3 weeks has made me a part of their family. It's like a second home for me here. This family has become an inevitable part of my life. Sometimes I feel that I have come here as a member of this family and not as a “host daughter”!

I have done many fun things here which I never even dreamt of. Living in this country for 3 weeks has given me such immense joy and pleasure that I just can't imagine the happiness in me during and after the whole year! All I know is that I am going to have a wonderful time here. it is going to be a dream year which will be a prominent part of not only my life but my SOUL!

September 26 Journal

I am 15 years old. The first 14 years of my life were just like any other teenager’s life. But then two roads diverged in the woods of my life. One was the road usually taken, where you complete your studies in high school and then graduate and live a harmonious life. I took the road less traveled by- and that has made all the difference in my life!

I had heard of being an exchange student, read of being one, talked of being one, but now I feel being one!

I arrived here, in Jacksonville Fl on July 31. I was welcomed with broad smiles and a huge welcome note on a chart paper. We clicked pictures, took my luggage and off I was to my new home. It has been such a short period of time that I have been introduced to this house, but now this house has become my home! And this home is not the place but the people that reside in it!

It has been only two months over here but I feel as if I was born over here. My friends in school, my host family and every minute details of this trip have helped me adopt the surroundings as my own. Nevertheless, I do miss the warm hugs and friendly smiles of my loving friends and family. This was kinda weird for me in the beginning. Making new friends seemed to be easy. But, I did not have my friends from India who would understand every emotion that I went through with just a mere sight of me. I did miss my family and its every day routine. I did miss my room and my computer. And yes, there were times when I would feel completely frustrated! But, then, this is what this program is all about: Learning and experiencing new venture in life. I had never ever imagined I would go through such traumas! For me, this emotion and drama just suited the TV. but now this helped me to face the real world. This sudden exposure has made me grow and has made me realize the true worth of family and friends!

As, I had mentioned earlier, I have done things which I had never dreamt of! I am a space and universe freak, completely into it. And I had never in my life imagined to see the launching of a space shuttle! Yes, and I have only 1 word for it : AWESOME. It was completely breathtaking. I enjoyed every moment of it. Even the minute fraction of the second that passed! About 20 miles away, you can see this space shuttle, as if launched from the horizon of the earth into the black space and beyond. It lets out gases behind it as if marking its final departure. Finally as it goes in the mid sky it whooshes into the space leaving nothing but its final surprise of thunderous sound. After about 30 seconds, you can hear this trrr.... sound that takes out the intestines from your stomach, the sound is so intense that it makes the ground sizzle! Whoa! it was an experience of its own!

Not only this, but I have also been to the Cummer Museum, the Melting Pot, wonderful sunny beaches, this fantastic deck which revealed nature in the fullest, Avenues and some other places with which I share experiences that no other experience can surpass! Oh yes, I have also been to this football match, after which I can tell you, that a visit to US without a football match is incomplete and totally worthless!

The other thing I realized is that this journey of mine is going to help me discover, discover not the different and various landscapes but discover myself, the true me!

December 4 Journal

I could not, at any age, be contented to take my place by the fireside and simply look on. Life was meant to be lived. Curiosity must be kept alive. One must never, for whatever reason, turn his back on life. Keeping this in mind I chose to be an exchange student and now I am trying to live my life to the zenith in this year I have. Every minute fraction of a second is worth living which I cannot afford to lose. Life is "trying things to see if they work".. And so, I have done the craziest things of my life which has made me realize that To live is the rarest thing in the world. Most people exist, that is all.

Tell me, would you ever in your life think of actually extracting honey? Well, I never did! But after doing it, I got a strange feeling of accomplishment. It was so cool.....I also went to the KSC with my Rotary exchange group! As I have mentioned earlier that I am a space and universe freak, I always wanted to go there. So folks, dreams coming true ain't only in the fairy tale books, it actually happens! I had a greatest time there....it was so wonderful, I even saw the real Apollo space shuttle. It is amazing to see man progressing so much with the passage of time!

Omg, I need to tell you this, I went to the Halloween horror nights in Universal Studios with my friends. It was breathtaking. They scare you to the core. Every other minute you get sudden chills and you feel as if your intestine is going to burst!

I spent the most amazing time on Thanksgiving. I almost burst myself stuffing myself with food! I went to the oldest city in USA “St. Augustine” and I saw the lightings of the town which reminded me of India during “the festivals of light”...It was authentic! Going back to history made me feel special! It was so beautiful! I couldn’t take my eyes of the ancient sites! It definitely cheered me.

Talking about cheer, a Gator game is the best place to cheer! It was the best live game in my life! I loved it completely! Not only the game, but the liveliness of the stadium, the band, and the cheerleaders are all the part of the wonderful experience! It's not the place but how you feel in that place that matters! And a Gator game is the best place to swallow your blues!

It is amazing to see how all the people in this world are the same! We all may have different covers in the name of a different lifestyle and a different culture but what lies within is a soul, a soul similar to all of us! Each of us are so strikingly same but yet so different. We all live with the objective of being happy; our lives are all different and yet the same.

February 5 Journal

Do you know that “there is still no cure for the common b’day???”……Yeah, I know that few women admit their age, but few men act theirs!!!!

Yes, Dec 5, my 16th b’day. It was so good. It was obviously different than what I had pictured it years ago before I ever thought of becoming an exchange student, but whatever it was, it was just the best! To make it better, Dec 6-9 was Disney weekend….it was like I was celebrating my birthday in Disney.

Now, as you all know Disney has 4 parks. I liked Animal Kingdom the best! Nevertheless, all of them were nothing but totally fantabulous. The terror tower was awesome. They scare you to the core before allowing you in the tower and then with adding horrifying illusions to the fright, they drop you from mid air…Going against gravity was an experience of its own.

Then comes the fast roller coaster, those are just the best. Nothing in this world can beat it. The guitar roller coaster, Space Mountain (the “bestest”), the train and so much more. The speed, the air in your hair makes you feel like a bird on loose!

Cinderella's castle reminds and encourages you to believe in miracles and magic. The fireworks in Magic Kingdom and Epcot were breath taking- both with deep messages of faith and peace. Standing in Epcot watching the fireworks in front of a manmade globe and w/ the message of peace w/ all the exchange students from different countries gave all of us chills. It triggers a feeling in your heart which is unforgettable.

I changed my families on Dec 16. Omg, my new family is just amazing. They are what a family really is! A true family…..

They are the perfect example of love and brotherhood. Man, I’m going to miss them so much. I so don’t want to leave them. They mean so much to me, its unbelievable! I love them so much!

You learn everything at every stage in life. This teaches me to live every moment I have w/ them to the fullest so that when I go back I won’t regret it. After all, no shred of evidence says that life should be dealt seriously. Lay back and enjoy as you go! Rock on!

Jan 24-28 was Seacamp. I had heard a lot about it. I was told that it would be the best experience I’ll ever have on my exchange, and it truly was!

Before going to Big Pine Key, we stopped at Key Largo to this dolphin show, it was good. Did you know that these dolphins can help motivate disabled??!!!! Isn’t that simply awesome!

Getting a break from chilling weather (32 degree Fahrenheit, 0 degree Celsius) and being on an island enveloped with beauty in the lap of nature in Big Pine Key was totally enthralling. Surrounded by Atlantic Ocean, mangroves and some tropical trees gave us a wonderful experience. We met other campers from Russia and US itself.

First, we had a swim test followed by snorkeling practice. After that we snorkeled at different location in the Atlantic Ocean, saw crazy and wild stuff like little hammerhead sharks, lobsters, starfish and some other stuff (can’t remember the names, lol)!

After that we went to Key West, the southern most tip of USA! It was somewhat like St. Augustine…..but it was fun. I loved the Hard Rock Café in there!

Besides Sea Camp, I’ve been to boat rides, IMAX….I’ve been to IMAX in Ahemdabad, but it wasn’t nearly as cool as this! At first when I entered the theatre hall I mistook the screen for the wall. It jerked me when at the corner of my eye I saw movement on the wall, after which I realized that it was the screen! I am so not kidding, it was so cool and like everything else in USA, it was huge.

I have been to the crocodile farm and I saw many different kind of crocodiles. I even saw a white crocodile. I know it was pretty cool, huh?

I am also learning ASL (American Sign Language) in which I have gained extraordinary interest. It gives me great pleasure to know the huge step taken towards our communication w/ the deaf!

And as I told, life goes on…one day I’ll have to go and I am excited to go. But, my best interest lies in just enjoying every moment as it goes and living It to the fullest. I am living each day as if it were my last so that when I go back I have nothing to regret about!