 Hi all.
I am Kristijonas Vasiliauskas from real Europe's
geographical center that is Lithuania. If you are reading this bio that means
that you are or gonna be my friend, Rotarian, past exchange student, or perhaps
future Rotary Youth Exchange student. Believe me and my words. To become a Rotary
Youth Exchange student is best thing that could possibly happen for you! So
don't be afraid to risk and take from life as much as you can! Believe me, you
wont regret! And I am saying this not only to future RYE (Rotary Youth Exchange)
students but to past, present, or future Rotarians and host families!
And now something about me. As I said in beginning I am
Kristijonas Vasiliauskas from the most coziest country in Europe called
Lithuania. Lithuania is one of the Baltic states between Poland and Latvia.
I was born in 1992 June 25 so that makes me 16 years old. I was born in
Lithuania's capital Vilnius. In 2009 Vilnius is Europe's capital of culture.
Back home I have a beautiful family witch contains 5
persons. My father Saulius, My mother Rita, my first brother Mikalojus (10
years old) and second brother Aistis/Salvijus (he is only 3 years old) . I
really miss them very much because I love my family very very much. But they
are doing good because they also have
Michelle, an exchange student
from Miami.
My hobbies are various kinds of arts like music,
paintings, theatre and dances. In Lithuania I often go with my family to
various kind of cultural events, concerts and performances.
My father Saulius is Rotarian from Saint Kristofer Rotary
club in Vilnius. He was the one that told me about RYE program. Big thanks
to him and all Saint Kristaforas Rotary club that are sponsoring me. I won't
disappoint you.
My mother is a part of another Charity club called Warm
Hearts Club. She with all other participants in that club makes events for
kids which don't have parents or are sick. I always was surrounded by very
good and kind people and there is old saying that you can say about person
from people that surrounds him.
The other important thing is that I am first exchange
student from Lithuania in Florida. So I am doing my best to make good
impression and relationships between Lithuania and Florida that other kids
from Lithuania could have same experience and emotions like me. And of
course Lithuania will always welcome inbound students from all world.
And for the last I wanted to thank to everyone for such a
opportunity to be here in America, in Florida. There is no such a word that
I can express my gratitude for all Rotarians for everything they have done
and are doing for me. For Webs family that are hosting me - I really love
them as my real parents. For Douglas Anderson School Of The Arts that they
let me study in their amazing school. This year Rotary's theme is to make
dreams real. They have already made all of my dreams and more to become
reality. Every day here is full of new experience, new emotions. Smile never
goes off my face. And that is only because of you all.
Thank you for your attention.
Sincerely,
Kristijonas Vasiliauskas from Lithuania |
|
Hi to all my beloved Readers. Here is my new journal! And get
ready cuz it’s gonna be very very long and still I won’t be able to describe all
the amazing things that happened to me during this long period of time! Isn't
this crazy? I am living in America for almost 6 months now and everything is
getting better and better! I want to invite you all to join going through my
experiences as Rotary International Youth Exchange Student!
OK let’s start from:
DISNEY TRIP!
The only place where you can feel that you are 5 years old
again is Disney World in Orlando! Disney is amazing by itself but try to put
all the exchange students from all over the world and you will get the best
place in the world! The real fairytale that wouldn't be able to become
reality without Rotarians that put so much time, effort, love, and passion!
But as always they made it perfect! We visited all the four parks of Disney
World: Hollywood Studios, Epcot, Animal Kingdom, Magic Kingdom! Besides that
we had very fancy dinner at Epcot park where we all were stunned by
unforgettable fireworks and laser performance. At that moment during
fireworks show in Italian VIP place for all RYE exchange students everybody
felt excitement, and happiness in the air. It was so amazing that there are
no words in all the languages (believe me I know a lot of languages) that
would describe what I and my all important people for me felt. It was time
of miracles - after moments and times like that you really start to believe
that miracles exist! Wait there is more!
CHRISTMAS AND NEW YEAR’S PARTY!
After amazing time in Disney another time of magic and
miracles came! It’s CHRISTMAS AND NEW YEAR IN FLORIDA JACKSONVILLE! I was so
excited about all the decorations that were put on the houses, I loved that
cozy atmosphere that was floating in the air , the x-mas lights in sunny
Florida are so adorable. Christmas morning started very early, my host
brothers Logan and Austin woke me up early in the morning and we were all
excited to see what Santa brought to us! And as always Santa knew what all
(even foreign) kids want! After unwrapping presents we had whole day to
enjoy our presents! And in the evening me and my host family had a very very
delicious Christmas dinner with all the family. I am really thankful for
their love that wrapped me as most beautiful Christmas present paper best
gift. Thank you for those amazing moments of my Christmas in your family, in
Florida, in America!
After few days to enjoy our presents I left for
Jacksonville’s new year parade. There I met my all best friends - other RYE
students! We had our own huge and best looking parade float where we all
stood and showed to Jacksonville how amazing we all are! We showed our
pride, our country flags, our smiles and of course we give some candy for
kids and adults. And after exciting time in parade we had the main event of
the 2008 year was New Year’s Party! It was so much fun! All night we played
pool, table tennis, went to huge swimming pool and hot tub! Super Massage
chair and garbage prince Wall-e in Blue Ray, Isn't that cool?! Admired
Jacksonville's Fireworks, drank soda! And wished to each other Happy New
Years! And there is a saying your new year will be as good as your last year
new year’s party. After party like the one we all had we can easily say that
this year is and will be the best in our life!
Here are some events from my family life!
During all this time I had so much fun in
Chihiro’s B-day party, huge thanks for her!
Another Amazing Ralph's sweet-sixteen B-day party!
That wouldn't be possible without his amazing Host dad and Rotarian Bill
Learn, Huge thanks to him. Another major event in my life here Rotary Youth
Exchange student was changing between host families! There is no words to
express my gratitude for Webb family. For Paul Webb that always entertained
me with his amazing and always interesting stories from his life, for
Kimberly Webb that I still love her she is My American Mother Nr.1, huge
thanks for her love, for her time, for all the chats that we had, for all
the good things that she taught me! For my younger brother Logan Webb, for
all the times he made me feel like his real brother, for all the times he
made me laugh, for all his sincerity, for my soul brother Austin Webb, for
his time, for amazing chess matches, for all the times he made me laugh till
I started to cry, for all the good movies we watched, for all the good video
game matches we played, for Sarah and Spencer Webb , for their hospitality
and smiles, for their love and time. Biggest and most sincere THANK YOU
Webbs house for letting me become part of your family! You all are very
special people to me. You made this year TIME OF MY LIFE for me! Thank you
for letting me feel the warmth of your family’s fireplace fire.
And here I am at the new host family, the Bartholomew
family. It contains 5 members. Head of family Scott, Mother of family
Laurie, and their three adorable daughters: Kalie, Shannon, and Larsen. Here
my life starts again from beginning and everything is so perfect I fall in
love with them very fast. They all are amazing people. Every day is full of
new discoveries and I am felling how I am improving and learning the best
from them. I am very grateful for them that they became my second host
family.
Last but not least SEACAMP IN FLORIDA'S KEYS!!
This is was the last official trip with Rotarians and
other RYE students from all Florida. And it was Blast! We all went on bus
trip from Jacksonville to Keys that took 11-hour bus ride but with best
friends from all over the world and full of love Rotarians, time passed
faster than you can imagine. Our first stop was at the Dolphins center where
dolphins and their trainers were making therapies for special kids. We all
were impressed by the results of dolphins therapies. The people that work
there are amazing, so passionate about what they are doing, it’s just
because of people like that that the world is becoming better place for
living.
After dolphin center we went to Seacamp. The first event
was cultural night near bonfire. It was really very fun because exchange
students were singing their anthems and other songs in their native language
on the stage, it was so interesting to hear the variety and difference in
different countries and cultures. First day of the Sea Camp we all got our
groups and went to start our unforgettable weekend in Florida's Keys by
going snorkeling. We all saw lots of sea creatures that instantly made us
fall in love with world of underwater. Later that day we had dance that had
best atmosphere from the second the DJ started to play music. There is
nothing more fun than to see how all the different kids, from different
countries and cultures are having time of their life, the biggest adventure
of their life, that all those kids are growing, learning, evolving to
something new, something majestic and that’s only because of people like
Rotarians and Seacamp trainers!
Day after dance we spend learning as much as we can about
sea creatures and environment and how we can save it for future generations!
That was a lot of fun! Other really interesting city that we visited was the
Key West, it’s like paradise on earth, it’s like pictures from the prettiest
movies.
And here comes the sad part. After hanging out in Key West
we knew that is time to say goodbye to our international friends. There were
a lot of tears, but there were tears not of sadness, it was tears of
happiness, happiness that we all met each other, that we all spent
unforgettable time. After seeing that I realized it doesn't matter how
different we are, it doesn't matter that we speak in different languages, at
that point I realized that we weren't just exchange students from one or
another country of Europe or Asia, at that point we were family, one huge
family that lived through the same feelings, like joy of new discoveries,
joy of new friends, joy of new families, joy of new life.
In the end I want to remember one thing. One person asked
me did I grow? And I answered Yes I did, but I didn't grow as a growing boy,
I grew up as person and I grew very much. Now I am a different person, now I
love the world and all its people more than ever before. Now I know the
world and its people, its culture, more than ever before. Now I can express
my emotions better than ever before. Now I am living more than ever before!
And I wouldn't be who I am and where I am without my Mother Rita, my Father
Saulius, my brothers Mikalojus and Aistis, without all Saint Christopher
Rotary Club members, without South Jacksonville Rotary Club, without my
first Host family the Webbs, without my second host family the Bartholomews,
without Rotarians of all Florida, without Al Kalter, without Bill Learn,
without Jody Davis, without Roy Joseph, without Lawrene Bishop, without
Louse Anderson, without Marcelle Debande, without Vicky-Lynne Gloger, and
without all other Rotarians, without all my friends from here and Lithuania.
Without all my friends from all over the world and let’s hope I will see you
all soon. As one very smart exchange student once said : “The world is
small, we gonna meet each other right behind the corner."
For some emotions, especially emotions that express
gratefulness there are no words... let this journal be a small form of
gratitude for you all, my friends!
For the end, the best way to understand how it really does
feel to be exchange student or part of exchange program is to become one, or
become a host family. Let’s make dreams come true together. Let’s all have
time of our life!
Sincerely,
Kristijonas Vasiliauskas Lithuania |
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