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September 4, 2008     October 25, 2008     December 30, 2008    April 8, 2009     May 9, 2009

UPDATED MAY 9, 2009

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It is already April, and I didn't write for a while so I have to take you all back, to New Years. I can't believe that that's 3 months ago, it feels like it just was.. New Years was really a great experience here, first we were enjoying family time and then, after 12, we jumped in the pool!! Can you believe, on New Years Eve jump in the pool, at night, at 12 o'clock?? that was pretty cool. That was an other experience I will never forget, I make so many of those experiences throughout the year, it's unbelievable. This whole experience is just amazing and I am so happy that I got the opportunity to experience all those things.

An other highlight came, Seacamp, with all the exchange students! We drove down to the keys, and on our way we went to a dolphin care center, I love dolphins, they're just so pretty animals (: I was so happy to stay so close to them and just watch them. Then at Seacamp we got splid up in groups and we got to work on a theme, and we got to snorkel. But of course, it was a pretty cold weekend, so after about 20min in the water, I started to freeze. But it was so amazing, we also saw a nursing shark, I was always a little terrified of sharks, but this one was just lying on the ground and it didn't even move, I was pretty happy about that. Then we had a round table discussion about our themes. And we also had a dance one night, that was so cool. All exchange students, and some local students from the high schools around, were just having fun, dancing, making party. Sunday the big-saying-goodbye was here, it was the last time when we officialy all met, some tears couldn't get avoided. it is amazing how close you can get with people even if you only see them 3 times, but those are friendships that you'll have forever, and now I have places all over the world that I can stay at.

Over the winter, I was shocked how cold it can get in Florida, I didn't think I would ever be that cold. One day when I was walking to school, I had on two sweaters and a hat, and I was still cold. But it didn't snow at least (: and it never stays cold for a long time.

Then I heard that I will change host family, this change also brought a school change along. Since my new family lives so close to Taravella, my new school (: I was pretty excited to see something else too. After Yuki's birthday party, I moved out of my old house into my new house. Eventhough I was really excited to see something else, it wasn't only easy to move out of a house where I stayed at for 6 months. My new host family has one daughter, Sarah, and two dogs and three cats and my host dad Terry and my host mom Mary. Terry picked me up and brought me to my new home. I felt really welcomed. I got showed everything and then I started to unpack a little bit. I was shocked how much stuff I have, I have no idea how I'm gonna manage it to bring that somehow to Switzerland. Monday I started at my new school, I got pretty much the same courses, but there was one, TV production, I didn't want anymore, so I switched out of it, and I had some luck and the one I wanted, couldn't get started in the middle of the year, and that happened after again.
The first weekend after I arrived, my host family went to St. Augustine, I was really excited, to see something else, more up north, and an older town, cause here in South Florida so much is really new. It is such a pretty town! We stayed at a Inn and that was so cute! All the rooms were really pretty, and the whole atomosphere was so nice, I loved it there. I am so glad my host family got me the opportunity to see that.

I went to the beach in February, I couldn't believe it, all my family and friends in Switzerland were freezing, they still got snow, and I was lying on the beach and enjoying the sun.

And then a big highlight came, I got to go an crusie, to Key West and Mexico. It was the 6990 District cruise, and Yuki, Lukas, Jeppe, and me got to go. I was so excited, it's was gonna be my first cruise. My host mom gave me all those tips what I should bring, and how it is on a cruise, that helped a lot, because that way I knew a little bit better what to expect. We left Thursday, I got dropped off at Yuki's house, then Lukas came, and John picked us up from there. We came to the port and saw the ship, oh my god, it was huge! I got so much more excited! And I heard that there's a lot of food on a cruise ship, so we went up on the ship, and we went to eat lunch, a lot of food? I'm not really sure if that's the right word, it needs something more then a lot (: we all took to much food, it all looked so good, and we just couldn't resist. Then we left the port Miami, and we setteled to Key West, we stopped there Friday morning, and we got about 4 hours to walk around Key West, which is only 90 miles away from Cuba. This evening we had the formal dinner, I was really excited. We all dressed up and ate dressed up in the dinning hall (: The next day we stopped in Cozumel, Mexico. I couldn't believe the water color from the Ocean. It was so beautiful! I never saw water colored like that, I just wanted to take it in a bottle and take some home. When I stepped on land, I really felt like I was in a different country, the whole atmosphere appeared so different then in Florida. In Cozumel we brought school supplies to a school, the kids were really cute. Then we went to a hotel that offered snorkeling, and they even told us that there's a plane in the ocean where they filmed a few years ago a James Bond movie. The ocean was so beautiful, it was amazing to see those fish, and to swim in that color (: After a while we left the hotel to go downtown and to see some shops. There we heard that there is a carnival tonight, I got all excited. The parade started in the evening, we were standing at the street and watching the float go by, it was so cool! And one thing they do here, is colleting beads, I had a whol bunch around my neck, and I had a sombrero, it was just a really great time. This great time got interrupted by me getting hit by a carnival float, we took a picture next to one of the trucks from the float and it cut my heel open, so we had to hurry back to the boat to see the doctors, luckily we were standing next to the taxi station, they drove us as close to the boat as possible. I was a little freaked out, probably not only me.. The doctor on the boat looked at it and decided that he can take care of it, so he stitched it. The next day, Sunday, was a boat day and on Monday in the morning we arrived back in Miami. I really had so much fun! I'm definitely gonna do an other cruise someday in my life!

My host family took me to butterfly world, that was so awesome! To see all those butterflies flying around, and the humming birds, and those pretty orchids. And we could hold birds, in a cage, they were really colorful, but I was a little bit scared that they're gonna puped on me, but luckily they didn't (:

At the beginning of March I went to New Jersey, I visited my friend. It was really amazing to see her! On thursday her host family took us to New York City, I couldn't believe that I was actually there, it was so, so amazing. You always see that on TV or in pictures, and now I was actually there. We went up on the top of the rock, and I saw how big it is, it is just endless. But I felt in love with that city. (: Because it was my friends birthday, we went out for dinner to a german restaurant. I really had a great time, and her host family took me like I was there forever, I had a great time. And I saw a little bit snow, Monday before I came it snowed like crazy, but in the middle of the week it started to warm up, so I didn't really see to much snow, but I wasn't really sad about that (:

I really realized how much from the whole year is already passed, I can't believe it it's APRIL. I just enjoy every moment as much as possible.
On Monday my host club had a golf tournament where we got to sell rafle tickets, it was fun (: Over the weekend the weather got so perfect! It started to get really warm, I just love it. Yesterday I went to a Chicago concert with my family, I didn't recall to hear the band name, but I was excited. The concert was in the Hard Rock Cafe, I had a great time, and I accutally knew like 3 songs from them. (:

Over spring break I got to go to my families house in the Keys, in little torch, we were there for easter. It is a beautiful house, it's right on the ocean, I love it. We went on boat trips, and out in the ocean to just lie in there. It was really amazing. The weather was perfect, warm all the time and you could be outside the whole time. It was really great! One day we went to Key West, and we went to Blue Heaven for lunch, it was great, it is a very cute little restaurant, and you get to sit outside and little chicken are walking around. And of course we colored hard boiled easter eggs, with ties, they turned out really nice (: and for easter breakfast we made monkey break, yumm (:

I like it at my new house, I'm having a great time. My family is really nice! Thank you for welcoming me so much and be such a great home!
And thank you agian Rotary, for giving me this chance, that I got to do the exchange year, I am just happy about it that I got to do it. I'm sure in 10 years, and even only in 6 months, I will look back on it and tell myself, those were all such great experiences, and I will realize how much it changed me and helped me on my way. Thank you!!

 

December 30, 2008

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Hello everybody. It has been a while since I wrote the last time, and many interesting things happened.

I went to my first homecoming dance. It was a very good experience. I don't remember any other time when it took me so long to get ready, but I liked that. We went there with a limo, that was pretty cool. At the dance we danced and had fun. It was a very great experience. The next morning we went with Rotary to a dolphins game, before the game we tailgated . I found it very interesting to see the game, even though I didn't understand all the rules, and I still don't get all of them.

Then the first holiday came - Thanksgiving. I didn't really know what to expect, because we don't celebrate that, but I saw it on TV shows before, but it's always different to experience it by your self. We went to the church to do volunteer work, but we got to eat the traditional Thanksgiving dish too. I liked it. After Thanksgiving Christmas tendency already started, many people started to put their Christmas lights on their houses. It didn't feel like Christmas at all - it is too hot and there is no snow, but I don't mind it, not at all I like it.

Then I could finally see all the other exchange students again, I was so excited! We went with all the exchange students which are in Florida to Walt Disney World for four days. It was so much fun, I enjoyed this four days so much. We saw all the four parks and could just enjoy the time together and get to know each other better and get closer. I went the first time in my life on an up side down rollercoaster. It was so much fun. I'll never forget those four days, they were so amazing. Thanks to everybody who helped to make that trip possible!

Then Christmas came closer and closer, and I didn't really feel like it is Christmas, on one side I felt like, but on the other side I didn't feel like. When we put out our lights and when we got the tree, I started to feel a little more like it is close around Christmas. I was excited to experience Christmas other then I am used to and on the same time I was a little worried because it is my first Christmas away from my family. But mostly all of my worries weren't really necessary. My host family made my first American Christmas very nice and unforgettable, I really had a very good Christmas. On the 24th we first unwrapped the presents, after that we cooked dinner, we had Perogies, it was very good. On the 25th I had my first Stocking in my life, we looked through them and unwrapped the presents which Santa Claus brought. I really like this tradition. The rest of the day we just enjoyed and had some time together, what was very nice.

Now, New Year is coming up and I am sure that is going to be interesting too, I am sure I will remember this New Year forever too. I wish to everybody a Happy New Year.

October 25, 2008

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I can't believe it, I am here for almost three months, time is going by so fast but it's a good time.

We had a district weekend, that was so awesome. We learned a little bit more about the region around Miami. We went to the everglades and we saw alligators. Then we also made a boattrip and we had time to swim and we saw dolphins, that was so cool, when I was little I always wanted to see dolphins, now I actually saw, was pretty cool. When I saw all this things I had to say me, you are actually here, sometimes I still can't belive it, I saw all this places before on pictures or TV and now I am actually here, that's so cool. All the people from our district are so nice, and it's so nice so hear and see that you're not alone with all the experience which are sometimes weird, but when you hear that somebody feels the same, that's so good.

I went the first time in my life bowling. It was so much fun! It was a bowl-a-thon from my hostclub, yes, i really had fun.

It's the time around Halloween and Americans getting crazy, they're decorating their houses with Halloween stuff. In the Universal Studios in Orlando are the Halloween Horror Nights, I went there on last Friday with Yuki, it was so much fun and scary. There were people dressed like caracters from scary movies on the streets and they scared you. Eventhough they weren't allowed to touch you I got scared. They would stand in front of you with they're sometimes ugly or scary face, and just stare at you, and if you got the best, they would make noises, I really got scared sometimes.

I see here so many new things and I am pretty busy all the time, but that's good, so I can see more and learn more about the country.  Because I can already tell how fast the time goes by, I don't feel like I am here for almost three months.

See Nadja's October 25 pictures

September 4, 2008

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 I am Nadja Häfliger and I am 16 years old. I live in Switzerland, the beautiful country with the chocolate and the snow, but without beaches. I live in a little town called Grosswangen, it is near to Luzern. I went often with my friends there, it is beautiful I have one younger brother, he is 13.
 
I like to do something with my friends. I used to play handball, here I will join the swim team. I also like other sports, but not all=) I also like listening to music, shopping, reading..
 
When I heard I will pass my exchange year in Florida it was like in a dream. I said all the time I wish I can go to Florida or California. And now I am really here in Florida and it's awesome, I really like it here, it's just beautiful.
 
I am here sine the 4th of August, I arrived in Miami where my host family and my host club received met very open and they give me all a very welcome feeling. My host family is really nice, they take very good care of me, I am happy to stay with them.  They already showed me a lot from Florida. They showed me beautiful beach, Walt Disney World, food that I never had before, and a lot of other things. I also went golfing with them - it was my first time, I wouldn't say I am a pro but I had a lot of fun.
 
I have been attending Coral Springs High School for two weeks. First it wasn't so easy, but it's getting better, and I like it so see an other school system, it's really different, but interesting. And of course, I survived my first "hurricane", and I am pretty sure it won't be the last one..
 
We had already our first Inbound weekend, it was great. It was a beautiful experience to meet so many people from so many different countries and the different cultures. I am so excited to meet all of them again in Walt Disney.
 
I am sure I will pass here a great year. I am so excited to be here. I really like it.

Now, thank you. Thank my host club, my sponsor club, thank my Dirstrict 6990 (the best one =) and thank my host family. I am so happy to be here, really. And of course, thank my parents, my family who is far away from me, but what else, they give me force and stand behind me.