Mónika Ignácz

2008-09 Inbound from Hungary

Hometown: Györujbarát, Hungary

Sponsor: Györujbarát Rotary Club, District 1911, Hungary

Host: West Jacksonville Rotary Club, District 6970, Florida, USA

School: Paxon School of Advanced Studies, Jacksonville, FL

Bio

Mónika's Bio

Hello Everybody!

My name is Monika Ignacz. My friends call me Moni. I have come to Jacksonville, Florida, to spend a beautiful year. I hope I can. I'm from a big village in the north-west part of Hungary. The village name is Gyorujbarat. This is very close to a bigger city, Gyor. Gyor is in the middle of Vienna and the capital city, Budapest.

I lived there with my lovely family. My mom, dad, and my older brother, Tamas. I really liked Gyorujbarat, and Gyor too. I studied in Gyor, in a very good high school, where I have lots of good friends. But even though I have all these things, I decided to come to the other country, for ONE year! Why? Because I would like to meet with different people, I'm interested about a different culture, and I would like to show my culture to these people. I would like for everybody to know that Hungary is a very good place! We have got very good foods, nice and old culture, customs, and a very nice language! Hungarian.

I didn't have a host family for a long time and just one week before I came here, I learned who is my first host family was. And now I love my new "mother", "father", "sister" and "brother". The first hard time started in the school. The first days I was always lost in the big Paxon High School building. Now I started making friends, and I can find my classrooms.

I think this year will be a lot of fun. Everything is so different than at home. My host family's house is wonderful, and I love the big trees around the house, and a beautiful big river. We live about 20-30 minutes from Jacksonville Beach, and I went there. I love it.

In the evenings I'm so tired, everything is new. I always study new things, and I have to learn a lot after the school. Paxon is the third best school in all Florida, so it's a hard school for everybody. But every day, it will be better and better.

I think I can learn a lot in this year, and my English will be perfect... I hope.

October 27 Journal

Hello Everyone!

The time has come for me to start my journal! So, the first time I would like to write about a usual day at my school... My school started at 8:15, and the first 10 minutes we always just watch the school news on the TV. So the first period starts at 8:25! School is finished at 3:25. Every day we have 4 periods, so the classes last a pretty long time, but we have 45 minutes at lunch time! You can spend this time with your friends! That's cool. In Hungary these are very different.... So, for me, the first time at lunch there was interesting, with many different things sometimes it was too much!! Now everything is pretty normal. This is my new life!

I have a new host family! They are so kind too!! I really enjoy my 3 host sisters!! :) I live with Lee (host dad), Bizzy (host mom), Betsy (20 years old), Mary Katherine (17 years old) and Lee Harden (12, almost 13 years old :).. and two cats Weeza and Rufus, and a dog Walker! I just love them!!! :) Very kind and nice people! I think I'm really lucky I can stay here! :)

Let's start with the unusual things: One week ago (2008 October 17-19), I had a wonderful weekend with the other exchange students, and some Rotary people in St. Augustine! This was amazing!!! We arrived on Friday evening, and we met with the host family who hosted us for the weekend!! Two exchange students got one family. I was with Marta, from Italy! I really enjoyed! Our house was on the beach!! The sunrise was amazing and they were a wonderful family. Saturday I met with all district exchange students! We went on a tour on the trolley around St. Augustine, and we could see every interesting things in the Oldest city in the USA!! Nice! All that day we had fun! A lot of pictures, a lot of jokes! I loved it!!! The last activity that day, was the beach! We played volleyball, swimming, laugh, whatever you want! :) Dinner was a fried chicken.. and after dinner.. they tell the secret about the fried chicken, it was fried ALLIGATOR!! Wow! :) Thank you so much I could try it!! The evening came... I went back with Marta to the Marilyn and David Wiles beach house! Walking in the dark on the beach... spoke with the very kind host parents, and went to bed! Sunday morning said good bye! And again have fun with the children from different country, and of course wonderful people from the Rotary! We went to see, what we ate the before day! :) Alligator Farm! :) The very last program was a sailing. I have to repeat myself! AMAZING!! I really enjoyed! So that was an exchange student meeting! I really miss everyone, and everything about from this weekend! Thank you very much for the Rotary, for everything!!!

On this weekend (2008. Oct. 24-26) I was at home...  :) Friday it was pretty quiet, just hang out with Mary-Kat, and her friend... Just go shopping. In the evening I went to bowling with other exchange students, Ralph (from Taiwan) and Kris (from Lithuania) . That was amazing from at 11 to 2.. in the evening!! Bill (from the Rotary) took us! I really enjoyed. Saturday I left with Bizzy and Lee Harden. We went to the neighbor, who's got a boat. So left with the boat, and watched the Blue Angels Airshow! Wow!! :) End of the day, I went my first Homecoming. It was really interesting. In Hungary the parties are very different. Everybody wore a nice dress. It was good! And Sunday, amazing day again! Andy (from the Rotary) and his wonderful family, took me to the Blue Angels Airshow! This was the first time when I met famous people! I have pictures and signature from the pilots! Thank you so much!!

So this is the exchange student life! This is my new life in America! I just can't believe it!! Thank you so much for everybody! I will write soon again! Bye Everybody!

February 9 Journal

Okayyy Everybody!!! I know I didn't write anything for a long time..... The truth is before Disney, I wrote a long journal, and when I would like to send it, I made a mistake... and I deleted it..:S:S :( Yeah I know.. It's bad!!!!...) After that I just didn't write... but now the time has come to finally write my amazing experiences in the United States!!!!

Soo... Let's start with what happened with me in November! November I lived with my second host family (Wimberly family), and they took me a wonderful trip, to South Carolina! :) It was so nice!! I saw a lot of deer, and I went fishing!! :) In November I had my first Thanksgiving holiday! I love that celebration, we don't celebrate thanksgiving in Hungary, so that was very interesting for me! :)... We had a school break.. yee... and we had a lot of food, but I tried to eat not too much! Exchange student's problem is we have a lot of good new food, which makes us gain weight.. :S.. So in the school break I went to my host aunt's, Ready's farm, with my big host family! My oldest host sister, Betsy, came home, and also my host cousins. I could meet with my host mother's sisters. She has 3 sisters, and I met with their children. That was really nice! I enjoyed for 3 days.

The last day in the break, I went to cook Hungarian food in Bill's house, with Ralph and Filip! :) I cooked Gulyas in here the people says Goulash, but the correct name Gulyas. This is a kind of soup! It was very good!.. I made it.. of course it was good.. :)

After the break it was school again... and I couldn't stop thinking about the coming Disney trip, with almost 100 exchange students!! The huge meeting.... It was amazing! I really would like to do again! I met with more exchange students, from all over the world, and I found my friend from Hungary!! ( I met with her in the Hungarian orientation.. and now we met in Florida!! ) I was really happy! Disney World is so much fun. Thank you so much we could do that! I met with Tennessee exchange students, and Wisconsin, and of course, with all Florida exchange students. Not bad! Isn't it?!

After the unbelievable 4 days, it was hard to came back to Jacksonville. But I didn't get bored here either. Just a few days later I got my 3rd host family! So I moved very quickly, to the Frechette family! Where I have Mom Steph, Dad Ron, little 9 years old brother Sean, lovely 15 years old sister Nikki, and just 1 month older Kenny!! A lot of kids! :) I love in here.... My sister, my best friend, we do everything together, we love each other, and I love my all family! I can't say enough time how good is it. Nikki goes to Spain for an exchange student the next year! So I can help to be ready for her, and her family. I spent with this lovely , wonderful family the Christmas holiday, but I got a little homesick, on this time. You know, this is very family celebration, and I missed my family a little bit. It was okay... I got better, and I was ready to spend the New Year Eve with some exchange students! :) Of course I brought with me Nikki, and we went to Jacksonville downtown to the parade... And we walked around the streets, with the Rotary car! :) After that we went to the house party, where we could use hot tub, and we could sit around a fire, and talked a lot. It was too quiet for me... But it was okay.

I went to school, and I wrote the big tests, because it was the first semester end. I did it pretty well. Beginning of January I went with the all Florida exchange students to the Florida Keys!!!! Ohhh My God! That was also! And it was really sad too! The last meeting with the all group! After that I will meet just with my district! :( ..... The weather was kind of cold... Sometimes I felt I am freezing. We got everything so we can scuba dive, and they took us with little boats to the Ocean, and we jumped into the cold water, and we saw wonderful fish and corals, and very nice stuff! :) We also learned a lot about the ocean. The last night every team made a little projects, and we could study more. The last day we went to Key West, I liked that city. It was really warm, and busy. Saying good bye, to lot of friends, it was very very hard!!!!!!!!!!!!! I don't know when can I meet with them again, I really hope I will see them sometime. I already miss you all, guys!!! I love you, guys! I will never forget anyone!!

A HUGEEE HUUGG for EVERYBODY!!!

lova ya: Monika

March 31 Journal

Hi Everybody! ... Finally I have time to write... because I don't have school... Spring Break. :) ...

Last weekend I went to Palatka, and I met with outbound and inbound exchange students. The outbound exchange students made speeches. Most of them were really good. :) April (who is going to Hungary next year) was awesome. She spoke in Hungarian and I was impressed by her speech. I also loved Nikki's speech. Everybody did well, so congratulations Outbound students!

The last few months have been pretty boring... too long.. all the time just school.. and school. But I had some fun on the weekends. For example, I went to my friend, Fernada's, sweet sixteen birthday party. It was really nice. I went to Tallahassee to my sister's cheerleading competition.... Nikki and I met with Bill and some exchange students and went bowling.

In Orlando, my host family has a condominium, so we went there when Nikki had another cheerleading competition there. The weather was so nice, and I tanned a lot.

Every Sunday I go to the youth group in our church with my sister and brother. Sometimes this is fun too. I meet new friends, and learn about God. I always have fun with my host family. I am never bored. I go to the gym when I can, and I have a new hobby... :D (It's really American)... watching movies.. :D.. aaand of corse I hang out all the time with my sister...

So that’s all.. now everything is pretty quiet. I feel great, and I can't think about the fact that only 4 months are left until I go back home... Because I love it here!!!!!!

I will write again soon.

*KISS*, Monika