Yu-Kai "Ralph" Huang

2008-09 Inbound from Taiwan

Hometown: Banciao, Taiwan

Sponsor: Chung Ho Full May Rotary Club, District 3480, Taiwan

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

School: Stanton College Prep, Jacksonville, FL

Bio

Ralph's Bio

Hi! My name is Ralph Huang (Yu-Kai Huang 黃郁凱). I’m 15 years old, I will be 16 in December. Many exchange students are surprised why I don’t use my real name and use Ralph? My real name is hard to remember, Ralph is easy! I have another English name when I’m a child, Micky. Ha! It is very easy to remember, but my name is Ralph now. My hobby is read comic book, but the comic book I read and comic book in here is not the same. I also read other books, school students are surprised when I’m reading Chinese books, they think it is magical.

I come from Taiwan. Taiwan is a little island in Asia. It is near China, Japan and Philippines. Though China consider Taiwan a part of China, in fact Taiwan is not a part of China, is different country! It is important!

I live with Bill in Jacksonville and go to Stanton College Preparatory School now.

December 3 Journal

August

The day I arrive in Jacksonville, everything is confused. Because I miss a plane, so I have to take the next one to Jacksonville. I just scared, it is nothing in my mind. After twenty minutes, I told myself, I have to call someone tell him what happen, so I ask who work in the airport, where I can have a call, she just lend me her cell phone, so I try to call my host dad, Bill. But no one answer me. So I try to call my district counselor, tell her I will be late to Jacksonville. Finally, I arrive in Jacksonville. When I saw Bill, Jody and Cynde, I just want to cry, but I laugh, because I’m fine!!!

First week, Bill bring me to a lot of place, school, library, his office, market. And I go to the Rotary meeting on Monday. Jacksonville Rotary club is a huge club, the Rotarian are more than 300 people! I never seen so many people in Rotary meeting!! And I go to a baseball game with Al. It is my first baseball game!!

Second week, have a big thing, is the inbound orientation, all of the inbound students in Florida would be there. We had a lot of activity in the orientation, meet a lot of exchange student, and make a lot of friends!!

After the orientation, school is start, the first day I go to school, it is a new experience for me. In Taiwan, students stay in the same classroom, and teacher go to every class. In here, teachers stay in the same classroom, students go to different classroom. And the break time between two class just five minutes!! I have to walk fast to the next class, the time always not enough!!

September

The second month, school life is get better, don’t have big problem live in here. I go to the beach with Filip and Agnete. The beach is huge in here, but I can’t swim, so I just stay on the beach, and Bill has his kite, we have a great time there!! And I went to the Jaguars game with my club counselor, Allen. It my first time watch the real football game, I just watch cartoons before. But Jaguars lose the game, oh no! It too bad!

And I went to my school football game with Monika. We don’t at the same school, but we sit together, it’s strange!! But we win!! Stanton win!!

Kris, Monika and me went to play bowling at the last week in September. It not my first time play bowling, but I play it horrible!! And Kris is really good at bowling, he play very well!!

October

I have a lot of fun in October! Bill bring Kris, Filip, Agnete and me go to SeaWorld!! There have a ride, will make you get wet, but the first time we take the ride, we don’t get very wet! But the second time, what wrong with that ride? My clothes and jeans is wet! Very wet! I’m glad I bring clothes to change, I will got cold if I don’t change the wet cloth! And we take several ride, it looks scared before you take it, but it is very good when you on the ride. We also watch the dolphin show and the whale show! Both of two shows are wonder!

I go to Joonas’ birthday pool party!! There are a lot of people there, Arthur, Daisuke, Ivan, Marta, Jody…many people there! And Bill and me go to Kris’ concert! He play the euphonium, he is good! The concert is success!

All of the inbound students in 6970 will have a weekend in St. Augustine!!! Saturday, we take a little train (maybe is a car) go around in the town, the driver introduces the history, building in the town. We saw a lot of beautiful building and old building, and we have free time in noon and afternoon! It is fun to walk in the little street and shopping!

Sunday, we go to the alligator farm in the morning, there are a lot of alligators in the farm. The alligators are big and fat. They just lie on the flood, don’t move any step. There is a white alligator in the farm, it look strange! In the afternoon, we take a ship and have our lunch on the ship! The wind is strong, I just feel cold on the ship, but the view on the ship is really good! And we also see the dolphins! After the ship, we go to the beach!!! Our dinner is alligator tail, it good, just like a chicken!

Kris, Monika, Bill and me, went to play bowling again! That is crazy! We just play from 11 o’clock to 2 o’clock! That is amazing! What a perfect bowling Friday night!!!