Johanna

2011-12 Inbound from Finland

Sponsor: Rotary Club of Tampere Hervanta, District 1390, Finland

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

Johanna's Bio

It's hard to believe that I've lived here in Florida almost three months now. Time has gone incredibly fast but at the same time I feel like I have lived here my whole life. Before I came here I thought I knew pretty well what American culture was. I had formed an American stereotype based on what I had seen in the movies and television shows. I'm embarrassed to admit how wrong I was.

I can still remember my first day here. I had just had a four-day-long orientation in New York with other Finnish exchange students before my arrival. It's easy to understand that I was exhausted. I found it very hard to speak any English to my host family or club counselor when they picked me up at the airport. The confusion and jet lag went both over very fast. My host family took me to many interesting places during my first week here. It was a surprise for me that my host family goes to church every Sunday, and I really enjoy it. I experienced the Southern food and so far, everything I've tasted has been delicious and different!

I remember I was a little nervous to go to my first Rotary Club meeting. Now I can't understand how lucky I was. Rotary Club Ponte Vedra Beach Sunset is a small club, where all the Rotarians are good friends with each other. The meetings are always very interesting, and I am looking forward to them. I can honestly say that Rotary meetings are one of the things I enjoy the most here. My club has always something going on. During my first weeks here I was with my host club in Hastings doing community service. We gave backpacks and school supplies to children who were too poor to afford them. Next month they are going to arrange a Pancake Feast and they will give part of the money they get to charity. My club has also invited me to go with them to watch a Jacksonville Jaguars football game, and I am excited about it. I really enjoy spending time with my club counselor Carol Maurer. She is a very good friend of mine, almost like my other host mom. I meet her regularly. I’ve eaten dinner with her a couple of times and yesterday we went to a Halloween party together.

The public school system here is totally different than in Finland. The schools are much bigger. My school has almost 1500 students. In spite of all the differences, I think I’ve adjusted to my school well. The first day was little hard. I got late a couple of times when I tried to find my classes and I had to use the map all the time. My host sister was the only person I knew from my school. Now, I have got friends and other students are very interested in where I come from. Teachers have been very understandable, too, and they allow me to use dictionary during tests and sometimes give me extra time. I am passing all my classes and I find my school work pretty easy. I am doing many school clubs here, and I think they are a good way to make friends for exchange students.

One of my best weekends so far was a week ago when I was visiting Alabama with my host family. My host sister goes to Auburn University so I was able to see American College life. I loved it! The school spirit and the beautiful campus area really impressed me. I had no clue that Alabama could be so different compared to Florida, even if they are located so close to each other. I am looking forward to visit other states too!

I have got many friends while I’ve been here. Some of them are American, but a big number of them are other exchange students. Florida inbound students’ orientation camp was unforgettable. I had never met so many different people from different cultures. What surprised me was that we all had so much in common. We all keep in touch a lot and the inbound students of my Rotary district meet very often. We always have so much fun together. I am really looking forward to the Disney World trip that we have on December!

One fourth of my year is over, and I’ve noticed that I’ve already changed a lot as a person. I am more responsible and understand different people and cultures better. Best of all, I have learned how to think “outside the box” in a way I wouldn’t be able to do it if I had only experienced one culture, family and environment. I am very thankful to all the Rotarians about this great opportunity. I am sure that this year will be the most challenging but also the most experimentally rich year I’ve ever had.