Belen

2011-12 Inbound from Ecuador

Sponsor: Rotary Club of Yanuncay, District 4400, Ecuador

Host: Rotary Club of Ponte Vedra Beach, District 6970, Florida

Belen's Bio

Hola a todos!

My name is Belen Munoz. I’m 18 years old. I was born and raced in Cuenca Ecuador! Yes ECUADOR in the middle of the world! I have attended for all my life and graduated from Catalinas High School in June 2011 (Rosa de Jesus Cordero), it is a beautiful catholic school just for girls. I think the most important people that I meet, was in my school. All the memories that I have of this place will never go… Specially my “senior year” or (sexto curso in Spanish) I can say that my last year in high school was the best year until now!

I live with Wilson my dad, Lala my mom, Cristina and Claudia my sisters and also 2 dogs and a rabbit! The most important things for me are my family and friends. I spent much time with them and also I miss them a lot. I know that they will be waiting for me when I come back.

I love doing volunteer service, the last years of high school I have been involved in that. It makes me feel that I can give so much from me to people that really need it. Working with kids and the elderly really are one of the beautiful things in the world. They can teach you so many things about life you couldn’t realize.

But now I’m spending my year in PONTE VEDRA BEACH, FLORIDA! Living abroad has always been a dream to me. I think I’m following the steps of my dad and my sister they were exchange students also here in USA! They encouraged me to do it. So now it’s my turn! I saw that just one year apart from all the people that you love and your own country can change your whole life. And yes I definitely wanted a change! So that is what I decided to be an exchange student. But I didn’t realize that it will be so hard to leave the most important persons (cj) and an entire life for a while. But here I’m writing this from Florida! And enjoying every moment because it is MY year!

Thank you Rotary for being part of one most important year of my life. I don’t know what to expect about this year but I know it will be great!

November 7

Well, three months has just gone from my exchange, now I realize that good times go faster than anything else. I see all my pictures from when I was in Ecuador and the only thing that I can say is WOW how life can change so much if you want to… now I’m going to tell a little bit about all these time.

August was the moth that I was expecting for so long time, so now (AGUST 3) was the big day. I left a whole life for a while just waiting…

So everything stared when I landed at Jacksonville, I stared to get really nervous and is just minutes I saw many people with posters of my name and balloons that moment breath taking, all these people that i barely know in that moment I realize there were now my family… my American family. The Bernets had something so special that since the moment I arrive at that house make me feel already in my house, it’s a feeling that I never be able to explain and I think I’m a very lucky person that could feel that with them. Days passed quickly and one thing that I will never forget was one time while we were having dinner my mom said out loud, Belen I think you are a week in the US and I feel we meet you for a long time, in that moment I realized that this year was going to be the best year of my life.

I never though in my life to spend a year in a beach I think that is the best gift that a person can have. Ponte Vedra Beach is a very interesting place I think…

In this short time I have visited so many places I went to Orlando with my church, Halloween Horror Nights, Jacksonville Zoo, Wild Adventures, Ichetucknee Springs, concerts with my friends and family.

For the firsts time I had the chance to experience what is a school with boy and girls, and changing classes every period it’s a very interesting think and you are able to meet the double of people, but definitely I like. And also I had the chance to take some really interesting classes like Chinese, people ask me you are a foreign exchange student trying to learn Chinese while you are learning English? I responded YES I’m.

The typical questions in school are: Where are you from? Ecuador… ohhh that’s is soo cool, its really different from here? Do you really speak Spanish? How do you like Florida? And you with a big smile have to answer I love it… and the thing is that is true I love Florida, I can’t believe in a short time I feel it like my house.
The FOOD and SHOPPING my new hobby in Florida… I knew my exchange stared when I was week in my new house and I we were having dinner; parents brought to Chinese food, whit the little fortune cookies. Everybody stared opening their cookies and when I opened mine the little cookie said “Try to improve your exercise routine” in that moment I though ohh ohh…. I wasn’t even a month in there and I feel that I stared to gain weight already.

All this time has being what I was looking for my exchange I hope things keep being better every day.