Filip Cigánek

2008-09 Inbound from the Czech Republic

Hometown: Pisek, Bohemia, Czech Republic

Sponsor: Pisek Rotary Club, District 2240, Czech Republic

Host: Mandarin Rotary Club, District 6970, Florida, USA

School: Mandarin High School, Jacksonville, FL

Bio

Filip's Bio

Let me introduce myself…

My name is Filip Ciganek. I’m almost eighteen years old and I come from Czech Republic. This is my first time in U.S. I’m going to spend it such as an exchange student and of course I’m really looking forward to this adventure full of experiences.

I have got one brother and one sister. My brother is called Michal and he is ten years old. He attends elementary school and he loves to play sports. Some of his favorites are tennis, soccer and floorball. My sister is called Dominika and she is nineteen years old. She was an exchange student couple of years ago in Brazil so she was able to give me many advices and experiences. These days she is preparing to go to college. She loves music and also to be with her friends. My father is called Petr and he spends most of his free time in our weekend home. He always likes to play squash with his friends. My mother is called Zuzana. She is interested in traveling and history. Currently she is also arranging our new house.

Family and friends are the most important to me but I also love to do snowboarding (unfortunately) and to stay in the mountains, play tennis, squash, and soccer, and, last but not least, riding my bike. I’m also interested in most kinds of music.

And what I want to people describe me with three words?...Reliable, enterprising, and open…That is me!!!

September 21 Journal

I would like to commence with the first time in the airport hall. At once, it was truly exciting and stressful. I was really exhausted after 10 hours flight. I also wanted to meet my new host-family and all people around. After a nice welcome I went to new home and my exchange year began.

I had one week before school started and I spent it mostly with my host-brother Scott because my host-parents Lisa and Shane had to go work and my host-sister Rebbekah has already started school. It was nice week…of course out of school. I visited a couple of baseball and football games. It is really strange for me to see people taken with these sports. I also met some other exchange students of my district. We have had a nice weekend together with tubing on Ichetucknee river.

The school started on Monday August 18th. I suggest it was one of the most confusing days I have ever experienced. All the new stuff like longer classes, shorter breaks, lockers, and period lunches made me feel strange. Unfortunately I haven’t had a time to go through of all it because school get closed in consequence of hurricane warning for three days. More three days of holidays but also no chance to do anything because of unfavorable weather.

After this all I met the rest of exchange students at the 1st orientation meeting at Lake Yale and I really enjoyed the whole weekend and met people all around the world…pretty cool and interesting. After this nice time, the school started fully so the free days were reduced just to the weekends. I have been camping on the beach with my host-family and their friends in Hannah Park. Camping here is really different than I am used to but connecting with the beach is really cool. I’m looking forward to be able to try some water sports either surfing in the ocean or wakeboarding on the river. I have spent really nice time here and looking for time coming up. I’m also glad to feel to be part of family I live with…not just an “extraneous” exchange student. I do have actually nice time with them and hope to stay this way. Of course I feel sometime hard but if I didn’t I wouldn’t be an exchange student.