Maria Alejandra "Maji" Espinoza S.

2008-09 Inbound from Peru

Hometown: Cayma, Arequipa, Peru

Sponsor: Arequipa Sur Rotary Club, District 4300, Peru

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

School: Ponte Vedra High School, Ponte Vedra, FL

Bio

Maji's Bio

Hola! My name is Maria Alejandra Espinoza Salazar and my friends and family call me Maji. I'm 17 years old, I'm from Arequipa, Peru, which is known for Machu Picchu and llamas but is so much more than that. I live with my two parents, one of my sisters, my brother in law, and one of my nieces. Both of my sisters are married and each one has a daughter. I lovemy nieces, one is 1 year old and the other one 3 months old.

I love my family, and in case you don't know, in Peru families are the most important thing in our society, so imagine how much I love them and miss them as well.

I used to go to a Catholic school in Peru just for girls, but I've already graduated in December 2007. In Peru we only have 11 years of school, so I'm ready to come back and study international business management, if I don't change my mind in this awesome year that will help me to rediscover myself.

I like sports, especially basketball(L), soccer, volleyball, mmm everything!! I like to read too, surf the web, watch TV and...talk.

I still cant' believe that I'm here as an exchange student. I remember that a year ago I decided to do this, but it seemed so unreal back then. But now I'm in Ponte Vedra Beach, and I can't do anything but thank my parents and Rotary, and of course enjoy this terrific experience! Thank you for all!

August 30 Journal

Hello. I've been here for almost a month, and I remember when I came I felt sad and thrilled at the same time. In the airport in Lima I cried when I said goodbye to my family but I knew that this year was going to be the best year of my life.

I arrived at JAX Airport and I saw a banner with my name on it and I was embarrassed because there were a lot of people I didn't know yet.

But well I arrived to my NEW home, and the first week was hectic. I had a lot of things to do, I went out to the movies, shopping with Ida (an exchange student of Denmark 2 years ago), and I met new people that invited me over to their houses. I was busy every day, which was good because I didn't have time to get homesick.

The second week I traveled with my host parents to North Carolina and South Carolina, and I had the chance to know a lot of places like the Biltmore Estate (amazing!) but even better I had the chance to know my host parents a little bit more.

I came back to Ponte Vedra and two days later we had our inbound orientation and even though we had a tornado behind us we made it! And the inbound orientation was awesome! I now know amazing people that have a lot of things in common with me. But even more exciting is that I know people from all around the world, and I know as well some things about their cultures.

The inbound orientation finished on Sunday and next day was my first day of school and I have to admit it, I hated it!! Because people here are different in certain ways than the people back home - that's why it was hard the first day. I even had homesickness and I cried a lot that night, but the next 4 days were better. I met new people and one of the girls took me to my first football game, Nease vs. Fletcher, and that was pretty much it...so far....

My family

At the airport

North Carolina

Inbound orientation

October 23 Journal

Hola!:

It is almost three months since I arrived to the JAX airport and it seems like it was only a month ago. Time goes really fast so I'm trying to live intensively every single day of this whole experience. It is amazing how the fact that I am away from home can make me learn so many things and grow up so much. I can't wait to see the different person that will arrive to the International airport of Lima-Peru next year.

But putting that on a side I wanna talk about the things I've done in the past few weeks.

A month ago I went with Paula Roderick and her family to a wild animal reserve, it was amazing! I had the chance to see lions, tigers, wolves, all sort of wild animals - it was sooo cool! In the past 3 weeks I made a few presentations about the exchange program with Raffaela and Amelie from Germany - we were so happy to see that a lot of people were interested in this program and that they understood that is an opportunity that no one should let go.

I also had the chance to be an interpreter with Al Kalter's friends from Ecuador, it was amazing to be able to do this because is something I always wonder if I could do or not, I also went with them to St. Augustine and we did a GPS ghost tour that was so cool! I had a really nice weekend and I got the chance to know Al and his wife, both of them are amazing!

I'm a tutor too!, I'm helping two kids with Spanish and I think I'm doing a good job, I hope.... haha

But in this time the most amazing thing I've done so far is going to St. Augustine with the exchange students from district 6970! I had a lot of fun with them and is so good to see them once in a while because we are all going through the same things, feelings, maybe experiences, and we can support and understand each other.

We arrived on Friday, I went with some girls to see Laura's play in her high school, then I slept in Sara's house and Ezgi did too, we talk a lot about what is going on. On Saturday we went to the Fountain of Youth, we made a little tour in a big trolley, we ate lunch and then! we went to the beach! it was amazing we played soccer, volleyball, etc.

Later that day we ate supper and we ate something that look like chicken and tasted like chicken as well, but when we were all done they told us that was alligator! so.. mm... something new! On Sunday we went to the Alligator Farm - it was so interesting and fun, after that to finish our weekend we sailed in a really nice boat... we all had fun, we were relaxed listening to music, spending a nice sunny day. But 2:00 arrived and it was time to say bye, it was sad, sometimes we all wish we could live in the same city and we could go to the same school, but well at least we are going to see each other in Disney!! it will be so fun, I cant wait to see everyone!

Oh by the way, in my last journal I said that school wasn't going so good because it was different but now is soo much better! I have friends, I see people in the hallways, and I have people to say hi to - everything is going really well and I guess it was just matter of time until I will adapt to the whole process.

I won't ever get tired of saying thank you to all the people that makes this possible.. I mean ROTARY.. ......Rotary is amazing! I can't tell you how much I enjoy going to my meetings every Tuesday! Bye..! Thanks again

January 10 Journal

Hellooo!!!:

It's been a long time since my last journal, a lot of things have happened in that time, now everything is sort of a routine and I guess is because I'm fitting in, but there's always Rotary activities that help us to break the monotony and not to be homesick.

I'll start with my experiences at school, in my last journal I said that I had 2 kids as a Spanish tutor, well now I have like 5! I tutor on Mondays and Wednesdays and I like it because I feel that I help them a lot.

I also tried out for the basketball team and I didn't only make the varsity, I was chosen as captain! and I gotta say I loved it. When I started it was difficult because basketball terminology or sports terminologies are a different language! For example a lay up in Spanish is "doble ritmo" totally different meanings, but I learned!

When school was starting I just had a few number of friends, now I walk down the hallways and I have a lot of people to smile and say hi to, also I had lousy grades when I started, now is not bad at all. Step by step I am improving! and even though I've already graduated and I'm supposed to be at college, is awesome how it feels when you succeed in other country with other language.

As I said before we always have Rotary activities that make our exchange even more interesting and the last one was DISNEY!!! it was my dream to go there since I was 4 years old! I guess...and I finally had the chance to do it and it was AMAZING! We went December 4th to December 7th. On Thursday we went to Hollywood Studios (we met other exchange students from other states), Friday>Magic Kingdom (LOVED IT!, felt like a kid again), on Saturday we went to Epcot (nice fireworks!) and on Sunday Animal Kingdom (coool rollercoasters) and in that day at 4 pm we were going back home (yes... home!) and I'm not the only one who wish we could all live together in Disney, but we had to move on and just wait for our Seacamp trip in the Keys so we could see each other again.

Since those Disney days, the month passed flying! and our break and Christmas arrived..... I have to say that Christmas was not easy at all, it was my very first Christmas without my family.. it was very hard not to cry and be homesick, it was confusing because part of me wanted to be with the people I spend Christmas for the last 16 years but the other part wanted nothing less than enjoy the dinner with my host family and enjoy the experience. Then New Year's arrive and it was quite different - we had a nice parade in Jacksonville with my district 6970 (the best haha) and after that we had a gathering in a really nice house where we had a lot to do for fun and we saw each other, catch up about what is going on with our exchange, we went to sleep at 3 am (different for all of us!)

Today is January 10th, and in 10 days my friend Amelie, exchange student form Germany, is going back home, is unbelievable how days pass so fast. I clearly remember the day that I met her 5 months and a half ago and now she is leaving and I think sometimes about the days that I didn't take advantage of.

It's weird! because half of my heart wants to stay here in PVB being an exchange student for 4 or 5 years haha but the other one wants to go home with my family, and I know that when I'll go back I won't be the same, my whole life won't be the same.

I also feel jealous, in a good way, because I know 4 of 76 outbounds for the 09-10 year and I cant believe that they are experiencing the same anxiety and fear that I felt more than a year ago. But why jealous? Because I feel that I arrived 3 months ago and Rotarians are already making arrangements for the next inbounds and outbounds of 09-10, but I also know that my Rotary club wont forget about her exchange student 08-09 as I won't ever forget them!!

I'll write sooon

Adios,

Maji

With Ezgi, Agnete, Amelie & Raffaela, football game	Pep rally	Hollywood studios with Erika, Belen, & Riho	With Belen
Epcot	PV Sunset Rotary Foster Family Christmas party	New Year's Parade	With Ivan & Marta at New Year's