Claude Galette

2010-11 Outbound to Denmark

Hometown: Eagle Lake, Florida

School: All Saints' Academy

Sponsor: College Park Rotary Club, District 6980, Florida

Host: Skovshoved Rotary Club, District 1470, Denmark

Bio

Claude's Bio

My name is Claude Denise Galette. I am 15 and I currently attend All Saints’ Academy, as a sophomore. I was born in Boston, Massachusetts. I have a Haitian background. I lived in New York when I was 5. I then moved to Florida when I turned 6. I live with my mom and little sister, Andie. Andie is 9, and strange. She is lots fun to be around when she is not bugging me.

I hardly ever go out with my friends. I stay home most of the time. At home I listen to music, write stories, take pictures, and hang with my family. At school, I have fun with my friends, before, during, and after school. I am also active in various clubs. I am part of Operation Smile, Cultural Diversity Club, the Recycle Club, the Book Club, National Honor Society, National French Honor Society, Photography Club, and Youth and Government. I put as much of my time as I can into all of the clubs that I am in. I also do volunteer work at my local animal shelter, when I am off from school.

After school, everyday, I practice tennis at school. I enjoy playing tennis a lot. I have tried playing other sports, but they don’t draw me in as much as tennis does. I also enjoy playing soccer, as a recreational activity with my friends. I also swim during the summer, everyday. I don’t like to play tennis during the summer, because it gets so hot. I was on the swim team this year, but I’m not very fast. I hope to be on the tennis team by the end of January.

I also play piano. I used to play the guitar, but didn’t love it as much as I do the piano. My mother is very music oriented. She has various CD’s from every part of the world. We have to play one instrument. My sister also plays, and so do some of my friends. My friends and I play at school, during our free time, when we find a piano. There are various ones at school, so sometimes we will go into the music room and play. I really enjoy hanging with my friends.

I have lived out of the country twice before, but I only remember the recent one. The summer of ’09, I spent July in Haiti. I went with my little sister, to spent time with my family. It was fun, but, as the youngest in the family, Andie and I didn’t have much to do. We spent some time at the beach, but most of it in my uncle’s office, eating mangos.

I can’t wait to go to Denmark. I must admit, my first choice was Japan, but I don’t mind. I don’t really know much about Denmark, and that’s why I chose it. I am so ready to be out of this humid Florida weather. As a Haitian, I speak French, naturally. English is my second language. The French language is soft and flows, so I am having a difficult time learning Danish. The language is so rough and I instinctively want to make the letters flow together, but then I would be saying it wrong. It so complicated, I feel like I’m going against my nature. Ohh well. My mom speaks a few languages. She speaks, French, Spanish, Creole, English, and a little Portuguese. Note that they are all romance languages. She wants to learn Danish with me; she’s having the same problems I have.

I can tell that, this year, and next year are going to be the best so far, and I can’t wait.

September 5

In the beginning…..this will be an epic tale if you didn’t realize……In the beginning there was a flight. A flight that did not feel like departing from Orlando, no matter how much the pilot wanted it to. So, in the late future after the beginning, there was another flight on the next day. This flight took me from Washington DC, to Copenhagen.  I arrived in Denmark. Stayed with a random family for 2 days, and then went with my host family at their summer. It was awkward. I didn’t talk to them unless they asked me something. I tried to stay out of the way, but still be as helpful as I could.

You will adjust to your family, but it will take time. I didn’t say in my room, I was with my family, but I just didn’t talk. After about a week with them I was pretty comfy. I am really lucky because my host family is not that different from my actual family. I love my host siblings. They are the best, and we just sit in my host brother’s room and listen to music most nights.

Heads up, everyone smokes in Denmark. Even the people you wouldn’t expect to smoke. My school has, no joke, a smoking pavilion. It seems whenever there is the slightest opportunity to smoke, Danish teens will take it. Even through the rain. Danish kids drink too. Although the law says 16 is the drinking age, most Danish teens have been drinking since 14. On the first day of school, no joke, the entire school, that’s around 700 kids made a procession to a store, and bought out the beer isle. By this time it’s around 1pm. Then we headed to the beach to drink, and party. I left after about 5 minutes. It was just too much for the first day.

The next week was better. School was really boring. The only classes I honestly paid attention in were English, French, and Math. Danish class is like pulling teeth. Every couple of minutes I ask one of my friends what’s going on, they answer, and I go back to reading my book.

The majority of teens in Denmark won’t go out of their way to meet you. In America we flock around foreigners, and try our best to make them feel awesome. It’s not that they won’t talk to you, but as an exchange student, you have to put a lot of effort to get to know people. That includes going up to random people and introducing yourself as the exchange student that doesn’t speak Danish. Very awkward. When I tell kids I’m an exchange student, the 3^rd question they ask me is why I chose Denmark. The kids here know it’s a small country, and many of them want to move to America because it’s so big. Yes, they do think that all Americans eat hamburgers and fries every day that all Americans are fat, and everyone has a gun. No amount of debate will put those stereotypes to rest.

Oh, the most popular shows here are Friends, (yes that show from the 90’s), and the old Beverly Hills 90210. In Denmark they listen to American music, but they are about a month behind. That includes music, movies, and any type of American media. That’s my first moth. Haj Haj!

My host brother is the one in the middle. It was a very cold sun set, but they were dared.	Underground lounge at Gammel Hellerhup Gymnaium. (aka School)	Arhus Museum (i saw some crazy things that day.….)