Guro Bø

2009-10 Inbound from Norway

Hometown: Nesoddtangen, Norway

Sponsor: Bundefjorden Rotary Club, District 2260, Norway

Host: Fernandina Beach Rotary Club, District 6970, Florida, USA

School: Fernandina Beach High School, Fernandina Beach, Florida

Bio

Guro's Bio

Hi everyone, I am Guro Martine Sandholt Bø, the exchange student from Norway!

I live with my family on a peninsula, right outside of Oslo, called Nesodden. My family consists of my mom Anne-Beth, my dad Leif, my sister Ida (20) and my cat Mio. In Norway, I am studying media and communication at my local high school, and this is also an important hobby for me: photography, making movies etc. In my spare time I also love playing the flute, singing and spending time with my boyfriend and my friends.

It was my sister who encouraged me to become an exchange student; she went to Minnesota with Rotary 3 years ago and really enjoyed it.

I am very happy for this wonderful opportunity, and I want to thank everyone who made this possible: RYE Florida and all my host families, Bundefjorden Rotaryklubb in Norway, my family and friends: thank you so much, this is amazing!

Go Pirates!

October 28 Journal

I can’t believe I’ve been here in Fernandina Beach, FL for several months – it only feels like a couple of weeks! I have done things every day, so I don’t know where to start.

I got here August 9th, and my host family made me feel at home right away. I love them, they have the same sense of humor as me and I can ask them and talk to them about anything. I have a mom and two siblings living at home, Emily is 16 (and was an outbound to Croatia last year) and Patrick is 17. I think Rotary Florida does an incredible job finding host families – every exchange student I have talked to sincerely love their host family!

My school is called Fernandina Beach High School, and is walking distance from my home now. I study mostly electives at school, and I enjoy it very much! I am in the yearbook staff, as well as in TV production that makes the announcements at school every day. Weight training and symphonic band are my other electives. Symphonic band is going to start having practices after school as well as concerts, so I am very excited! I also study American History and American Government to learn as much as possible about America. I love the teachers and students at the school; they are all very interested in Norway and me. My Norwegian school is very different from the school here. I don’t change classroom and class every period (like I do here) and I don’t have the same schedule every day. I used to like the Norwegian way of school better, but this school system is growing on me.

After school I have joined the marching band. I cant describe how happy I was that they let me join in August, even though they had already been practicing for months, and I had no experience in show marching. It is amazing – I get to experience so much with them. I also think that being a part of this group has made my adjustments from Norway to here much easier. All the practices, games, competitions, parades, pep rallies – it is just indescribable! Like I said, I think joining the “Mighty Marching Pirates” helped me a lot – I haven’t had time to feel homesick, and I am always doing something! I have also joined the Interact Club at school. They haven’t had too many meetings yet, but so far it seems good!

Before I got here, I didn’t like football very well (it was just a game where people hurt each other?) but now I have to admit I love it. I went to a professional football game with Zee (the Indian exchange student) watching the Jacksonville Jaguars v. Arizona Cardinals. It was an amazing experience. I have also been to all the home and away games for my school (after all – I am in the marching band). My favorite game is (of course) the homecoming game. The homecoming Friday was crazy for me – playing and having fun all day: in school, at the pep rally, in the homecoming parade and then I had my senior night for band (going out on the football field, getting recognized as a band senior) before the actual game where we played while the homecoming court walked on the field during intermission. At the pep rally I also had a fun experience – they picked my name out of a bag of all the names in school, so I had my chance at throwing a football through a tire (if you did it you got $100!). I had to admit I had never touched a football before, and (as you can imagine) I would say I was closer to hitting a guy in the audience than actually hitting the tire. But it was really fun!

I’ve never really known what homecoming week is, it overcome all of my expectations! I loved dressing up every day (occupation day, farm day, class color day, tacky tourist day and spirit day) and experiencing escapades, homecoming court and the overall competition between seniors, juniors, sophomores and freshmen. I really enjoy being a senior, I feel like a part of the senior group and everyone are really nice to me.

During some weeks, I have also done volunteer work at a local theatre – I did the sound for the plays. My English has become much better because of this, I think, because I hear the same lines and pronunciation over and over again. I’ve also taken my first scuba diving lesson, and I am taking the certificate before I get home.

My main problem here is not having enough hours each day – I hate when it is 4 different things I have been invited to, and I have to choose. And sometimes I can’t even choose the things I want to do the most! For example, I am really sad I missed the district 6970 trip to St. Augustine. I am also going to miss the Florida v. Georgia football game next weekend – but I just have to realize that you can’t experience everything at once, I guess. I was very lucky, though, my sister, my “third host aunt” and my third host sister took me on a road trip to St. Augustine because I missed the Rotary one. It was a good compensation, and I got to experience a haunted house, the trolley tour, Ripley's, the fort and a lot of other places!

I think I can just write forever about my fairy tale life here, but I guess I will tell you more later. Go Pirates!

Meeting me at the airport: l-r: Me, Bella (3rd family's daughter), Alison (3rd host aunt / 1st host mom's best friend) and Martha (1st host mom)	Me performing in the Mighty Marching Pirates	Playing in the stands at one of the home games	Zee (Indian exchange student) and me at the Jacksonville Jaguars game
Me with the trophies we (the marching band) won at our first competition of the year - in Middleburg	My brother Pat, me and my sister Emily dressed up for Occupation Day at homecoming week	First scuba diving lesson with Zee

January 14 Journal

Wow – time passes so fast, I can't believe I've almost been here for half of my exchange!

I don’t know where to begin... I just changed my host family (on January 3rd) and they are very nice and take good care of me. I am going to be with them until the end of March / beginning of April, and I am very excited. My mom’s name is Julie and my dad is Joe. I also have two siblings, Michael (14) and Caroline (11).

The marching band season is over, now we just play in parades now and then. I’m happy and sad it’s over – I’m happy because now I can actually do other stuff, but sad because I liked it a lot. Before it ended I experienced going to state competition, and it was nerve wracking. We are going on a trip to Tennessee in April, though, I can’t wait! Even though marching band is over, that doesn’t mean I’m not playing for the school anymore. The symphonic band just started with after school rehearsals, and we had our first concert in December. Now we are working on the music we are going to play at evaluation in February.

Rotary has done a lot for me the last months. As well as the meetings, I’ve been to Disney World and the exchange student new year’s eve party, as well as doing the volunteer work at the homeless shelter in Jacksonville. Since last time I wrote I have held a presentation about Norway in my club and they were a great audience and asked me a lot of questions. I love when people ask me about my country and show that they care to listen! A few weeks later I also held the same presentation in my American History class. They showed a lot of interest too, and many of them said they wanted to go to Norway now!

December 10th-13th was one of the best times in my exchange so far – all the exchange students in Florida and some exchange students from South Carolina and Tennessee went to Disney World for four days! We got to meet Mickey Mouse, see the castle, experience amazing fireworks and incredible shows, and of course we got to ride a bunch of awesome roller coasters! We saw one park each day, and slept at the Disney hotel “All Star Movies”. The trip was all paid for by my host club, I thank them so much for that. The favorite memory is of course when I got to “Norway” in Epcot, talked Norwegian to all the people working there and took the Viking attraction. I was just filled with joy for the rest of the day – it was the first time I spoke Norwegian face-to-face with someone for four months!

December 31st, many of the exchange students met again, this time we made and served food at I. M. Sulzbacher Center, and then we went to a new year’s party that was just awesome. We did everything you can imagine: pool + ping-pong, karaoke, enjoying the hot tub and massage chair, we danced, sat around the fire, celebrated Manon’s 18th birthday, watched the fireworks in Jacksonville from the dock, and of course we all saw Ana falling in the river! It was a great start of the New Year, thank you so much to the hosts! You are fantastic.

I’ve also done projects with the interact club at school. We each filled a shoebox with stuff to send to a foster care in Russia, and we are planning an annual carnival in March for the kids around town as well as other projects.

For Thanksgiving, I went to New York City with my third host family. I saw the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, and my host sister was in it! I also saw all the famous attractions: the Statue of Liberty, Empire State Building, Times Square at night, the yellow cabs, Ground Zero Museum, Rockefeller Center + Top of the Rock and a show at Broadway. I had the most wonderful time.

Christmas was of course a little weird, without snow and my Norwegian family traditions. I celebrated with my first host family, and we went to see our extended family in Lakeland. I had fun experiencing “Christmas morning” the way it is celebrated here, and I had a very good Christmas overall. It was a new and good experience.

It’s basketball season at school and my basketball team is very good. They won district last year and are on good way to win it this year too! My brother plays on the team and I have been to a lot of games, cheering for him. I love basketball! I have no clue how many games I’ve been to, both home and away. I even went to see a tournament in Georgia, and they won the whole tournament! My dear Pirates were undefeated (14-0) until last week – were they lost by 11 points to one of the best teams in the state. I’m so proud of them!

I wrote about me doing the lights and sound at the local theatre in my last journal. Now, a group of high school students have started a group called “Stage Fright”, and we rehearse plays that are shown in the theatre after some time. I was the stage manager and techie for the last play, which was shown in the beginning of December and was sold out. It is a lot of fun! I still do lights and sound for the adult plays also. I love learning new things, and I love the people there!

Not long ago, I found out that one boy from Fernandina Beach (where I live) is going as an exchange student to Norway next year! He’s my friend, and I am so excited for him. Can’t wait to hear about his views on Norway when he moves and I hope he’ll live close to where I live so I can show him around and he can meet my friends.

I just started scuba diving lessons to get the open water certificate. It is very scary and exciting, and I will go on four check-out dives with my class, as well as lessons in the pool etc.

I can’t wait to go on more Rotary trips to the Florida Keys in the end of January, and to Hawaii in the end of February (where I’m going to have my 18th birthday!). Thanks again for making this possible for me. This life has made me look different on the world and my future, and it has made me more responsible.		Our beautiful gingerbread house, that we used 3 days making	Me in Norway, Epcot!
New exchange student friends from South Carolina and me	Bicycling under water isn't easy!	My counselor and me at my band senior night in school	At Alvin's Halloween party
My third host mom and me in New York, waiting in the grandstand to see the parade	The view from the upper level on top of the rock - amazing	Our Christmas tree, with the Grinch at the top!	At the New Years Eve party

March 25 Journal

I am freaking out; I’m soon going back to Norway?! I just bought a shirt that says “50% Norwegian + 50% American = 100% me.” That’s how I feel right now. I can not believe that I only have three months left. My friends and I are starting to make lists of things we have to do before I leave, and I’m starting to realize that I won’t have time for it all. I guess I just have to take it as it comes, and become a millionaire (I wish) so I can visit Florida a lot even though I won’t live here anymore. I am actually planning to come back for a summer and work in Norway (Epcot) in Disney World. I hope I will get to do that!

I lived with my second host family from the beginning of January to March 24th. They have been a wonderful family for me and I really felt at home. My siblings and I have great relationship and I’m going to miss both them and my parents a lot. Fortunately, I can still see them even though I don’t live there. I really want to thank my counselor for working so hard to find great host families for me, he succeeded! I already knew my 3rd host family, and I love living with them too. I just wish I could live with all my three families all the time!

January 19th through 21st we had written final exams in all classes to end the first semester. This is when I started to realize that I was half way through my school year, and that was so weird! Basketball season at school is over, and I have to say it was the sport I enjoyed the most. We had homecoming as well as making it to regionals! I volunteered in the concession stand and I videotaped and took pictures at most games (as well as just sitting and watching of course). Other than this my symphonic band at school went to district evaluation after practicing three songs over and over again for three months. I was so nervous. All the girls dressed up in special performance dresses and the boys were wearing suits and bowties, and it was a really big deal! We went on stage and performed our pieces, and then we went into the “sight-reading room” where they give you songs you have never seen or played before and you have five minutes to learn them as good as you can. When we were done we had to wait for a while, and then we got our ranking: We got superior rating, and made it to state! I couldn’t believe it, everyone was so happy. So we went to Golden Corral and celebrated, and we are playing at state evaluation in the end of April!

After school and during weekends in January, Zeeshan and I also took scuba diving lessons. I am now a certified open water diver, and it’s so exciting! We practiced in the pool, we had theoretical classes and we went to several diving places in Florida (Blue Grotto, Devil's Den and Alexander Springs) and it is just a weird feeling being underwater, swimming with fish and turtles. At Alexander Springs, I even scuba dived with an alligator! It was huge and swimming through the water. I was 30 feet under water, trying not to freak out because you have to breathe constant long breaths. I will never forget this!

In the end of January, all the exchange students in Florida went to Seacamp in the Florida Keys. This was the last trip we were all going on, so you can imagine it was sad saying goodbye after the most amazing four days! We went to the Dolphin Care, we went snorkeling, we learned about the ocean and we played a lot of fun games. One day we also experienced Key West and went shopping. I can not describe how much I love exchange students. Everyone is positive to everything and we always make everything as fun as it can be. I don’t think a lot of people can make a 12 hours bus ride as fun as it was! Zeeshan and I have started making a presentation to thank our Rotary club for this year. We are going to hold it in April, and show pictures from all our trips and activities we have done. Every month we also talk a little bit and tell them what we have been doing.

I was also one of the people from Florida who went on the Hawaii trip in the end of February. Honestly, it’s the best trip I have ever been on. It felt as if I went back the day after I came, it went by so fast! We were 39 kids total, and 19 was from Florida. I could write forever about Hawaii but I’ll just mention everything we did: Catamaran Tour, surfing, climbing the volcano Diamond Head, Pearl Harbor (saw USS Arizona Memorial as well as volunteering at USS Missouri and get a guided tour, seeing rooms that tourists usually don’t see), Pipeline, kayaking, “the worlds best beach”, Polynesian Cultural Center, Dole Pineapple plantation, and of course shopping and beaches all over the island. I was so lucky I got to celebrate my 18th birthday on Hawaii. On my birthday I got birthday songs in many languages, we went snorkeling and we went to a luau (a traditional Hawaiian party) where we learned Hula-dancing, ate traditional food and played Hawaiian bowling and got (fake) Polynesian tattoos. The trip was so organized and well done, I can’t wait to go on the West Coast tour with BELO, because they really know what kids want to experience. You get what you want!

Recently, I’ve been working with Michael (who’s gong to Norway next year) to teach him Norwegian. He is actually pretty good now! I text him one Norwegian sentence every day and he sends me what it means when he figures it out. Of course, it is just easy sentences like “how are you doing” and so on, but I’m really proud of him because he actually wants to learn as much as possible. A couple of weekends ago, I spent the day with Jamie (who went to Norway) and Michael and we had a lot of fun talking about Norway, how it is to be an exchange student in different countries and I really had fun hearing about how it is to be an exchange student in Norway!

Interact at school recently had their biggest event of the year: a free kids carnival. We had worked several weeks to get enough money for games and prices, and over 200 kids showed up! I worked at the art center and helped them draw, I worked at the tattoo center and gave them face water tattoos and I worked at a game called “Spongebob’s krabby patties” were the kids threw “hamburgers” on plates. It was good seeing how fun it was for the kids – they couldn’t stop smiling!

Next week it’s the end of the third quarter at school, and spring break is at the beginning of April. I can’t wait for spring break, because I am going to Kansas City, St. Louis and Chicago!

After I write my Rotary journal I always feel like I sound too happy so it sounds fake, and I read through what I wrote to try to change it. Now I have just realized that this doesn’t work, because everything is true and I can’t make anything worse than it is!

Me scuba diving 40 feet under water!	Tatiana from Sweden and me at Pipeline in Hawaii	Me getting a Polynesian warrior tattoo in Hawaii	Doroty from Brazil and me at Seacamp
Tatiana from Sweden and me at Seacamp	Surprise party for Ana from Brazil	Me in Seattle	Me doing the lights at Fernandina Little Theatre
TEAM NORWAY - Michael (going to Norway next year), me and Jamie (went to Norway this year!)	Michael and I