Florian Alise

2008-09 Inbound from France

Hometown: Pluvigner, France

Sponsor: Auray Pays d'Auray Rotary Club, District 1650, France

Host: Stuart Rotary Club, District 6930, Florida, USA

School: Jensen Beach High School, Jensen Beach, FL

Bio

Florian's Bio

Hi everybody! My name is Florian Alise, I'm 17 years old and I come from France. I live in a little village called Pluvigner (7,000 inhabitants) in Brittany, in the north-west of France. I live with my father, Gildas, my Mother, Patricia, and my sister Charlene who is 14 years old. The Brittany is a Celtic Country like Ireland, Scotland or Wales and we are very proud of these origins!

Since I was 13 years old, I wanted to become an exchange student but one year with a commercial program was too expensive for my parents, but last year a YEO came in my school to speak about the Rotary Youth Exchange Program and to select a pupil to become an exchange student. I have take part in the contest and I have won the right to become an exchange student. I was so happy because I was the only exchange student in my school (1,000 students).

I love playing and trying new sports, in France I play rugby in a club and I play tennis often or soccer with my friends. During my free time I enjoy being with my family or my friends, listen music, go to the cinema or play bowling.

My different objectives for this year are to be fluent in English but especially to discover new people and share our various cultures, learn about my new country, and also be a good Rotary Exchange Student.

I think that this year will be the best of my life, the most exciting and interesting. I'm so glad to spend my year in Florida, everything is super! I'm very impatient to see the other students in Disney and 'Thank You' RYE Florida to make this real!

October 11 Journal

Hey! My new life in Florida is absolutely wonderful, everyday I meet new people and make new friends, everybody is so nice. I'm so glad to be in Florida.

Every time I say that I'm French at school the kids start to talk me about the Eiffel Tower and then, almost every time, they talk me about the "nude beaches" in France, I think that it's really amazing for the American Kids.

Two weeks ago I went to The NASA Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, with seven other Rotary exchange students, it was a very interesting day. For the first time I saw a real rocket, 110m of length with a weight of hundreds and hundreds of tons, really amazing. And two rockets that I saw will blast off very soon. Recently I and my date went to the Homecoming Dance at school and I spent a really good evening. One of my friends was trying to teach me how to dance Hip-Hop, it was so funny and I wasn't too bad. Then I went to an "After Party " at the house of one of my friends, we were about ten and I tried a cake called Peach Cobbler, it was so good. Also I went with my host father to the rifle range where he taught how to shoot with a rifle. He told me that I was good for a beginning but I need to practice.

I'm in Florida for two months and I improve my English everyday. Now I understand almost everything and I can have some real conversations but I need to widen my vocabulary. Before I came here my biggest fear was the foreign language, but today I really enjoy speaking English and I start to forget my French.

At school I have lots of friends, maybe more than in France, all the kids are so nice and friendly in Florida. Truly I like my school and I love go to school. It's so different from France and I think it's better because in France there is no club or team at school, it's only work and no fun, so you can understand why I love the school in America.

I realize that the time goes too fast in Florida, already two months - but I enjoy every second of my exchange because it's a unique opportunity in my life and I can already tell you that the return in France won't be easy...

Finally I would say thank you to my Rotary host club, my Rotary sponsor club, my host family and all the people involved in the Rotary Youth Exchange Program. A la Prochaine!