Hi everybody!

I hope all of you had a great Christmas and you could enjoy the time with your families, host families, friends etc. I feel really sorry you did not get a real report from me until now. But you see: I have such a great time that I even forgot keeping you on track about that…

However, I am Julia and I came from on August 5^th 2004. I have never been to the United States before and I will never forget the carnival of feelings inside me. I was a little sad to leave home,  enormously excited to see my ‘new world’, kind of scared as well, stunned by all the new places and people that were welcoming me so warmly and in a little bit of a ‘what-am-doing-here-again’ mood. As soon as I got to know my host family, my Rotary Club, all the other exchange students and so many new friends I certainly knew that I was NOT lost. I can not even find words to describe the warmth and openness they evinced me. That is definitely one of the most amazing experiences I have ever made: People, that I met for the first time, who made me feel like a friend or a family member from the first moment, who cared for me and let me know “Feel free to come to me, whenever you have a problem”. I am so thankful for what you did and do for me and I will never ever forget that.

My first host family was a big part of me feeling home. Some people think it is weird to move in with ‘strangers’. But they how much love and help they can give you just as my host parents – Joe & Irina Altschul- did. I feel so much at home with them that I am actually sad to know I will soon not live with these ‘strangers’ anymore. We had an awesome time together, I learned so much from them and you can not imagine how much I appreciate everything they allowed me to share with them. Knowing how nice my next host families are is the only thing that makes it easier for me to actually be able to leave.

My awesome Rotary Club is another example. I did not expect that before but I am really looking forward that I can go to so much. I can just describe it like having over 100 lovely and thoughtful mommies, daddies, uncles, aunts, grandmas, grandpas, friends and so on. These people are so amazing in what they do. I learned so much about Rotary that I can take home.

And of course there are so many other great things, like all the famous places I already visited. I can tell you: Florida is really the greatest state to live in! I made a tour through the Everglades, went to Orlando twice, have been to a German Oktoberfest in Miami, went to Football games of the Miami Dolphins and the Miami Hurricanes (which was absolutely amazing, even for a non-sport fan like me), went to the beautiful ocean so many times and even to North and South Carolina. It would take hours to list all the other wonderful places I have been to and all the unforgettable impressions I got…(I’m very happy I wrote down everything –Sometimes it is just sooo much that you don’t want to forget any little detail. Writing a diary is very recommendable.)

Meeting other exchange students is also one of the most amazing things that happened to me. I would never have imagined having friends from all over the world. Although you don’t know them, there is something that connects you right away. We became friends so fast and the least thing I want to think about right now or every time I meet new exchange students is saying “Good Bye”.  The exchange students in my district soon became my best friends here. Every time we meet we’re just having such a blast and I am really lucky living very close to some of them.

However, the decision of doing the exchange is definitely the best I ever did. I feel so blessed that I got the opportunity to come here, to learn so much about another culture, to meet so amazing people and to see so wonderful places. I am so thrilled by the RYE that I can just tell everybody: JUST DO IT!!! There is no word to describe how special it feels to be an exchange student. It is the greatest experience of my life and right now I do not even want to think about going home.  I enjoy every moment of living in the most beautiful state of this great country so much.

Last but not least I want to thank everybody who made this exchange possible and so special for me. That means “Thank you” to my family and friends, but most of all “THANK YOU” to ROTATY!!!! You are doing such an awesome job with the Youth Exchange and you can not imagine how much we appreciate and how much it means to us to be a part of you! Thank you so much!

I wish everybody a great time, a happy and lucky new year and fun and success in working with Rotary!

                                    Thanks

                                                Julia