Aude Lekeu

2008-09 Inbound from Belgium

Hometown: Esneux, Belgium

Sponsor: Esneux-Aywaille Rotary Club, District 1630, Belgium

Host: Marathon Rotary Club, District 6990, Florida

School: Marathon High School, Marathon, FL

Bio

Aude's Bio

Hello everybody!!!

I am Aude Lekeu and I am an exchange student from Belgium. My country is in Europe above France. I live in Liege, and my town is Esneux! It is really nice! There is a lot of woods. You can walk a lot! In Belgium, there are three languages: French, Dutch, and German (a little bit). I speak French. I am 18. In Belgium, I have two sisters: Magali is 28 and Caroline is 26 years old. My district and my club in Belgium are the 1630 district and Esneux-Aywaille. My host district is 6990 and my host club is in Marathon. Here in Florida, I live in Marathon (Keys in the south) with Chris and Cindy my host parents. I have too one host brother: Riley, he is 13 years old. And two host sisters: Regan is 10 and Lindsay is 4 years old. There are really friendly!

I arrived in Miami August 9th after 14 hours of travel!!! Very long! I began the school August 18th (Monday), but with the hurricane I began only Wednesday 20th... Yes! I have already had experience with hurricane, a lot of wind and rain!

I like swimming, scuba diving, and reading. I play volleyball here in Marathon. I go to the Marathon High School.

I am very happy to be here to live a year in Florida. It is wonderful! Here the culture is different, the food and the language too... It is really nice to met a lot of people. Sometimes, it is a little bit difficult to understand what they say because I don t speak very good English... But it is the experience too! I learn all the time a lot of things! :D

October 25 Journal

Hello!

Everything is very great here. I went to my first football, volleyball and soccer games, to watch them. In fact I was in the volleyball team at school but after 3 weeks, I had a bad sprain... So I must stop it for a few weeks. We don't have a lot of football games in Belgium but it is really nice! I learn the rules (Chris, my host father, and Riley, my host brother, explain me the rules). Now I understand better what happens during the game. Here the sport is very important! Everybody does that!

I had some experience with the hurricane... In the beginning I was a little bit scared … But in fact, it was not too terrible… It's raining a lot and we had a lot of wind. For IKE I was more scared because it was a big big one! We went to Orlando to be in security. We went on an air boat in the night to see alligators. We saw a few. It was the first time that I saw alligators in freedom. This ride on the air boat was very interesting! When we came back here, everything was ok! No damage! WHEW!!!!

At school, it's ok too. The teachers are really great with me. They are always there for me when I have a question, to repeat something, or to help me. In the beginning, it was a little bit difficult for the homework because they don’t write everything, and sometimes I didn’t do it because I didn’t know! Now I ask always what we must do for the following day. The school is new, it’s really beautiful!!! Every teacher has his own computer with a projector… And on the third floor, we have a WONDERFUL ocean’s view! It’s amazing.

With my host family, everything is ok too! They are great with me! When I have a question, when I need some advice, … they are always there for me! On Sunday, in the canal behind the house, we saw a manatee. I was so excited!!! We give to him some water and lettuce, he loved that!

My English is going well. Now I can have a good discussion with somebody! I often understand what somebody says to me and everybody can now more or less understand me. People say me that I make a lot of progress to speak. It’s very encouraging for me!

Now I have some friends, every Thursday I go with them to do a beach volley! J I like to go on the beach and in the ocean… The water is warm blue and very clear! Also the beautiful pictures that I saw in Belgium about the Keys. It’s so beautiful!!!

I had my second Rotary weekend with all my district! Everybody was happy to see everybody! We went to the Everglades... After that we went to an alligator farm. And the second day, we went on a boat to go to Miami. So great!!! We had a beautiful weather, a lot of sun and a lot of fun with the other exchange students!!! We swam in the ocean with a view on Miami downtown... Yeah! :D I saw for the first time dolphins in the ocean! It was a wonderful weekend!

I have already had the homecoming. The week before the homecoming dance was crazy! Every day, there was one theme and a lot a people were disguised. It was so funny. We had the parade too, so every grade of the high school does floats. The senior float was over movies, Hollywood, … I didn't see the parade - I was IN the parade. We throw candies to people. I had a lot of fun but it was so hot!!! After the homecoming week, there was the homecoming dance… Ricardo invites me and we went together to the dance. When I came into the dance room it was also like in the American’s movies! The same! It was amazing! A lot of decoration… Wonderful! It was a good party but very different of Belgium’s party.

Thursday, October 14th, it was the Ashley’s birthday. She was 18 also like me. She is really great! She went last year also Rotary exchange student in Germany. I met her friends. I like a lot to be with them because they are open minded, smiling, warm and nice!

Me and Ashley at a football match	Florida Sunshine	Me touching a manatee	Me before the Homecoming dance
Senior float for the Homecoming parade	With a baby alligator!	Me and the president of my club	My district during our Rotary weekend

February 16 Journal

Hey! A lot of things to tell you!

-November:

I had a weekend in Miami with a youth group. We did camping. We played some football, frisbee,... And shopping too. But we did this weekend to watch a football game in real!!! It was so great! So big! It was the first time that I went in a stadium in Florida. It was amazing! There I saw Jeppe, another exchange student (from Denmark).

-December:

Haaa! December... A big month! First, I spent a few days in Naples to see another exchange student. I went to her school, a little bit different of mine. After that we went together to our second weekend with all exchange students in Disney!!! Yes, in Orlando, the biggest Disney land of the world!!! Four crazy days that I will never forget! 4 big parks. If you want to see everything... Walk fast! I really loved Epcot. A lot of countries were there... France too! So we went there for the lunch. We talked with all the people from France, we laugh a lot... We had a really great time. One of the exchange students (from France) said that it was her birthday (it was not!), so they came with a dessert and sang "happy birthday" in French! It was awesome!!! :D For the dinner, we ate in Italy, with a beautiful view of the fireworks. So big!!! The 4 parks were really great!

It was Christmas time. Christmas is very big and warm here! The house was all decorated. Also the dinner's chair had a Christmas hat! In the beginning I was a little bit scared about Christmas because it is a family time, and for me, this year, it was different, I was not with my Belgian family. But in fact, I really loved Christmas here!!! The Christmas morning we needed about 2 hours to open all the presents. So much presents! Thanks Santa!!! :D It was a warm Christmas. I didn't really feel that it was Christmas time. Normally I had cold and snow. Here not! The sun and the heat, shorts and t-shirt! My host grand mother come here for the winter. She came down with her boat so I spent some time with her. I saw free dolphins in the ocean that follow the boat!

-January:

I had my exams. We had only three days so about 2 exams per day. It was not too hard... I had really good news... My sister in Belgium told me that she will be married in October. I was so glad and excited!!! Laura, an exchange student came in my house a few days before our Seacamp. I showed her my school, the beach, and the bird center were I am a volunteer. She fed pelicans, I think she loved it. After that we went to Seacamp with all exchange students in Big Pine Key, about 45 minutes from my house. I was so glad to live so close, some exchange students did 20 hours to come down here! We ate dinner together in Marathon, ride down to Big Pine Key, and did a party around a fire. We sang in our own language. That was for Thursday. Friday we visited the place and we did a swim test in the morning. And during the afternoon we snorkeled!!! The water was so cold. But what we saw was amazing!!! I saw 2 sharks (they are not dangerous here), 2 big rays, fish, corals, ... It was beautiful! You need to do it if you come to the Keys! For the evening we had a party... it was too short! Saturday morning we snorkeled again. In the afternoon, we prepared with our group a presentation for the evening about "corals degradation". Sunday we left Big Pine Key to go shopping in Key West. We stayed there a few hours. After that the "big good bye". It was the last time with ALL exchange student... So sad!

- February:

I change Spanish with band at school so I had my first concert. I saw again there a lot of girls who were at Seacamp. We had a lot of fun! St Valentine day was Friday 13th at school. It was a little bit special... All the boys had a necklace with a big red paper heart. To keep it all the day they can't talk to the girls. But the goal of the girls was to talk to the boys and to have a maximum of heart. :D

I will maybe move to my second host family next weekend... The time is going too fast!!! We are already in February!!! :(