Bio

Nadja's Bio

Hi! I am Nadja Häfliger, I am from the beautiful country Switzerland, no, it's not the whole year cold. I live in a little town called Grosswangen it is near to Luzern. I am 16 years old and I have one brother, he is 13 years old. I live with my mom, my dad, my brother in a house. My aunt, my uncle and my two cousins live in the same house, that is beautiful.

I used to play handball. I also like other team sports and swimming. I would like to learn surfing - who knows, perhaps here I get the chance. And for sure, I like snowboarding - the Swiss Alps are beautiful to do this. I also like listening to music, or reading and I love shopping. And of course I like to do something with my friends. Here in Florida I also like to lie on the pool or on the beach, or just see something new from the country and learn new things.

When I heard I will pass my exchange year in Florida I was just happy. When I was young I always wanted to go to Florida and swim with dolphins. I really like this weather here, it's so nice warm. I really like it here, it looks very different then at home but whatever, I love it, the other nature fascinated me really. Since the 4th of August I am living in Coral Springs, near to Fort Lauderdale. It is a nice village, I really like it here.

Now I wanna say thank you, thank my parents for giving me this chance, thank my sponsor club for all they did, thank my host club for all they already did and will do. And last but not least I wanna thank my host family, they took me so nice and gave me a really welcome feeling. I really like them, they are all so nice. They already showed me a lot of different things from America so I know a little more about the American culture.

October 26 Journal

I can't believe it, I am here for almost three months, time is going by so fast but it's a good time. My first school day wasn't so exciting, you have every class with all other people but now it's getting better and better. The school here is very different from Switzerland - you can choose all your classes, you have every day exactly the same schedule, sometimes a little boring, and we have every day off at 2.40, that's actually pretty cool. After school I have swim practice.

Then we had the inbound orientation, that was an amazing weekend, it was so cool to meet all the exchange student who are in Florida, but the time was too short, but it was so cool to see all these different cultures. You could tell that everybody feels the same like you, that's so amazing between exchange students, they all know exactly how you feel, and it's good to see that you are not crazy and that there are other people who feel the same like you.

My family is so nice, they are always here for me and show me new things. Once I went for example golfing with them, it was really fun. And I know when I need something or when I have a problem they will help me, that's pretty cool. They also took me to the beach, just after I got here, that was so cool, I mean for me the beach is vacation, always when I saw the beach I had to drive for at least five hours and then I was there for two weeks and then I had to say goodbye for a least one year, now I live 20 minutes away from the beach. But because they live so close to the beach it's nothing so exciting for them like for me, so they don't go so often.

We had a district weekend, that was so awesome. We learned a little bit more about the region around Miami. We went to the everglades and we saw alligators. Then we also made a boat trip and we had time to swim and we saw dolphins, that was so cool, when I was little I always wanted to see dolphins, now I actually saw, was pretty cool. When I saw all these things I had to say to me, you are actually here, sometimes I still can't believe it, I saw all these places before on pictures or TV and now I am actually here, that's so cool.

I went the first time in my life bowling. It was so much fun! It was a bowl-a-thon from my host club, yes, I really had fun.

It's the time around Halloween and Americans getting crazy, they're decorating their houses with Halloween stuff. In the Universal Studios in Orlando are the Halloween Horror Nights, I went there on last Friday with Yuki, it was so much fun and scary. There were people dressed like characters from scary movies on the streets and they scared you. Even though they weren't allowed to touch you I got scared. They would stand in front of you with their sometimes ugly or scary face, and just stare at you, and if you got the best, they would make noises, I really got scared sometimes.

I see here so many new things and I am pretty busy all the time, but that's good, so I can see more and learn more about the country. Because I can already tell how fast the time goes by, I don't feel like I am here for almost three months.

December 30 Journal

Hello everybody. It has been a while since I wrote the last time, and many interesting things happened.

I went to my first homecoming dance. It was a very good experience. I don’t remember any other time when it took me so long to get ready, but I liked that. We went there with a limo, that was pretty cool. At the dance we danced and had fun. It was a very great experience. The next morning we went with Rotary to a Dolphins game, before the game we tailgated. I found it very interesting to see the game, even though I didn’t understand all the rules, and I still don’t get all of them.

Then the first holiday came – Thanksgiving. I didn’t really know what to expect, because we don’t celebrate that, but I saw it on TV shows before, but it’s always different to experience it by yourself. We went to the church to do volunteer work, but we got to eat the traditional Thanksgiving dish too. I liked it. After Thanksgiving, Christmas tendency already started, many people started to put their Christmas lights on their houses. I didn’t feel like Christmas at all – it was too hot and there is no snow, but I don’t mind it, not at all I like it.

Then I could finally see all the other exchange students again, I was so excited! We went with all the exchange students which are in Florida to Walt Disney World for four days. It was so much fun, I enjoyed this four days so much. We saw all the four parks and could just enjoy the time together and get to know each other better and get closer. I went the first time in my life on an up side down rollercoaster. It was so much fun. I’ll never forget those four days, they were so amazing. Thanks to everybody who helped to make that trip possible!

Then Christmas came closer and closer, and I didn’t really feel like it is Christmas, on one side I felt like, but on the other side I didn’t feel like. When we put out our lights and when we got the tree, I started to feel a little more like it is close around Christmas. I was excited to experience Christmas other than I am used to and at the same time I was a little worried because it is my first Christmas away from my family. But mostly all of my worries weren’t really necessary. My host family made my first American Christmas very nice and unforgettable, I really had a very good Christmas. On the 24th we first unwrapped the presents, after that we cooked dinner, we had Perogies, it was very good. On the 25th I had my first Stocking in my life, we looked through them and unwrapped the presents which Santa Claus brought. I really like this tradition. The rest of the day we just enjoyed and had some time together, what was very nice.

Now, New Year is coming up and I am sure that is going to be interesting too, I am sure I will remember this New Year forever too. I wish to everybody a Happy New Year.

April 9 Journal

It is already April, and I didn't write for a while so I have to take you all back, to New Years. I can't believe that that's 3 months ago, it feels like it just was.. New Years was really a great experience here, first we were enjoying family time and then, after 12, we jumped in the pool! Can you believe, on New Years Eve jump in the pool, at night, at 12 o'clock?? that was pretty cool. That was another experience I will never forget, I make so many of those experiences throughout the year, it's unbelievable. This whole experience is just amazing and I am so happy that I got the opportunity to experience all those things.

Another highlight came, Seacamp, with all the exchange students! We drove down to the Keys, and on our way we went to a dolphin care center, I love dolphins, they're just so pretty animals (: I was so happy to stay so close to them and just watch them. Then at Seacamp we got split up in groups and we got to work on a theme, and we got to snorkel. But of course, it was a pretty cold weekend, so after about 20min in the water, I started to freeze. But it was so amazing, we also saw a nursing shark, I was always a little terrified of sharks, but this one was just lying on the ground and it didn't even move, I was pretty happy about that. Then we had a round table discussion about our themes. And we also had a dance one night, that was so cool. All exchange students, and some local students from the high schools around, were just having fun, dancing, making party. Sunday the big-saying-goodbye was here, it was the last time when we officially all met, some tears couldn't get avoided. it is amazing how close you can get with people even if you only see them 3 times, but those are friendships that you'll have forever, and now I have places all over the world that I can stay at.

Over the winter, I was shocked how cold it can get in Florida, I didn't think I would ever be that cold. One day when I was walking to school, I had on two sweaters and a hat, and I was still cold. But it didn't snow at least (: and it never stays cold for a long time.

Then I heard that I will change host family, this change also brought a school change along. Since my new family lives so close to Taravella, my new school (: I was pretty excited to see something else too. After Yuki's birthday party, I moved out of my old house into my new house. Even though I was really excited to see something else, it wasn't only easy to move out of a house where I stayed at for 6 months. My new host family has one daughter, Sarah, and two dogs and three cats and my host dad Terry and my host mom Mary. Terry picked me up and brought me to my new home. I felt really welcomed. I got showed everything and then I started to unpack a little bit. I was shocked how much stuff I have, I have no idea how I'm gonna manage it to bring that somehow to Switzerland. Monday I started at my new school, I got pretty much the same courses, but there was one, TV production, I didn't want anymore, so I switched out of it, and I had some luck and the one I wanted, couldn't get started in the middle of the year, and that happened after again. The first weekend after I arrived, my host family went to St. Augustine, I was really excited, to see something else, more up north, and an older town, cause here in South Florida so much is really new. It is such a pretty town! We stayed at an Inn and that was so cute! All the rooms were really pretty, and the whole atmosphere was so nice, I loved it there. I am so glad my host family got me the opportunity to see that.

I went to the beach in February, I couldn't believe it, all my family and friends in Switzerland were freezing, they still got snow, and I was lying on the beach and enjoying the sun.

And then a big highlight came, I got to go a cruise, to Key West and Mexico. It was the 6990 District cruise, and Yuki, Lukas, Jeppe, and me got to go. I was so excited, it was gonna be my first cruise. My host mom gave me all those tips what I should bring, and how it is on a cruise, that helped a lot, because that way I knew a little bit better what to expect. We left Thursday, I got dropped off at Yuki's house, then Lukas came, and John picked us up from there. We came to the port and saw the ship, oh my god, it was huge! I got so much more excited! And I heard that there's a lot of food on a cruise ship, so we went up on the ship, and we went to eat lunch, a lot of food? I'm not really sure if that's the right word, it needs something more then a lot (: we all took too much food, it all looked so good, and we just couldn't resist. Then we left the port Miami, and we sailed to Key West, we stopped there Friday morning, and we got about 4 hours to walk around Key West, which is only 90 miles away from Cuba. This evening we had the formal dinner, I was really excited. We all dressed up and ate dressed up in the dinning hall (: The next day we stopped in Cozumel, Mexico. I couldn't believe the water color from the Ocean. It was so beautiful! I never saw water colored like that, I just wanted to take it in a bottle and take some home. When I stepped on land, I really felt like I was in a different country, the whole atmosphere appeared so different than in Florida. In Cozumel we brought school supplies to a school, the kids were really cute. Then we went to a hotel that offered snorkeling, and they even told us that there's a plane in the ocean where they filmed a few years ago a James Bond movie. The ocean was so beautiful, it was amazing to see those fish, and to swim in that color (: After a while we left the hotel to go downtown and to see some shops. There we heard that there is a carnival tonight, I got all excited. The parade started in the evening, we were standing at the street and watching the float go by, it was so cool! And one thing they do here, is collecting beads, I had a whole bunch around my neck, and I had a sombrero, it was just a really great time. Sunday was a boat day and then on Monday in the morning we arrived back in Miami. I really had so much fun! I'm definitely gonna do an other cruise someday in my life!

My host family took me to butterfly world, that was so awesome! To see all those butterflies flying around, and the hummingbirds, and those pretty orchids. And we could hold birds, in a cage, they were really colorful, but I was a little bit scared that they're gonna poop on me, but luckily they didn't (:

At the beginning of March I went to New Jersey, I visited my friend. It was really amazing to see her! On Thursday her host family took us to New York City, I couldn't believe that I was actually there, it was so, so amazing. You always see that on TV or in pictures, and now I was actually there. We went up on the top of the rock, and I saw how big it is, it is just endless. But I felt in love with that city. (: Because it was my friends birthday, we went out for dinner to a German restaurant. I really had a great time, and her host family took me like I was there forever, I had a great time. And I saw a little bit snow, Monday before I came it snowed like crazy, but in the middle of the week it started to warm up, so I didn't really see too much snow, but I wasn't really sad about that (:

I really realized how much from the whole year is already passed, I can't believe it's APRIL. I just enjoy every moment as much as possible. On Monday my host club had a golf tournament where we got to sell raffle tickets, it was fun (: Over the weekend the weather got so perfect! It started to get really warm, I just love it. Yesterday I went to a Chicago concert with my family, I didn't recall to hear the band name, but I was excited. The concert was in the Hard Rock Cafe, I had a great time, and I actually knew like 3 songs from them. (:

I like it at my new house, I'm having a great time. My family is really nice! Thank you for welcoming me so much and be such a great home! And thank you again Rotary, for giving me this chance, that I got to do the exchange year, I am just happy about it that I got to do it. I'm sure in 10 years, and even only in 6 months, I will look back on it and tell myself, those were all such great experiences, and I will realize how much it changed me and helped me on my way. Thank you!!