Wednesday, February 06, 2008
Hi Everyone! I hope everyone is doing well and is having a happy new year so far. I have been really busy since my last email update.
I celebrated new years eve in brussels, which was amazing! There were thousand of people celebrating in the beautiful Grand Place, it was picture perfect! So much fun!
On New year's day I moved in with my new host family. I was a really hard goodbye to my first host family. This new family has been an.... interesting experience. They live 30 minutes away from town by public bus and the bus only comes once an hour... I miss my car more than ever! The house is chaotic and the father is so so weird. He really gets under my skin... He is obsessed with the US, talks about it non stop, sings allllllllll of the time (good classics like the beatles, but ruins them with his painfullllll voice), and has some of the worst table manners I have ever seen!... but I just smile, be polite, and try really hard to make the best of the situation..... its part of the exchange experience. They have 3 teenage daughters though and they are nice, so I go out with them quite a bit - concerts, movies, shopping in antwerp.... all of which has been really fun. But I really cant wait to move to my next host family.
And I've been keeping myself very busy. My calender is always full. Ive gone on a lot of city trips with friends lately and have visited some museums. I went to the Waterloo battlefields, where Napoleon was defeated by several adjoining nations in 1815. That was a really cool visit. And my city is famous for being one of the world largest playing card producers in the world. The company here, Cartamundi, makes most of the playing cards for Las Vegas. So I visited the National Playing Cards Museum here in Turnhout; it was actually really really interesting.
Rotary had a benefit concert and I helped serve dinner at the after party.
In January, I went on a 3 day trip with my class called Bezinning. We stayed at an old abbey for 3 days with monks. Haha it was an interesting experience. We did a lot of team building activities and had many discussions about life. The other students learned about their college options. College is far less competitive here. They have nothing like the SATs and anyone who want to go to college can. You only need to take a special exam if you want to go into Medicine. Schooling here is so so cheap. Although they do have higher taxes, which is how the government pays for the schooling. And the name of the college doesnt really matter; all of the schools are on the same level. Its been interesting learning about their different system.
We are off from school all this week for carnival. It is a 4 days celebration before the Easter fasting. The Carnival activities are more popular in Holland, so I wento to Holland on Sunday and Monday. There are huge parades with big floats. EVERYONE dresses up all crazy....I'm serious, if you are not wearing something goofy, then you are the weird one that stands out. After the parades everyone gathers in the pubs for the rest of the day and pigs out on fries, fried dough, and beer. Its crazy, people get so into it.
Yesterday I did some more site seeing in Antwerp. My umbrella and I fought the never ending Belgium rain and wind. But it was a great day; Antwerp is a beautiful city, one of my favorites in Belgium.
This Thursday I have to give a presentation to Rotary about where I live in the US and such. It will be all in dutch, so wish me luck! I am getting better at the language, so thats good news.
And the count down continues.... only 13 days until my brother comes to visit in Belgium!! He will be here from February 19-27 and we will also being taking a 3 days excurrsion to Paris together. Then my mom comes March 5 -13. YAYYY!! and we will be taking 3 days to go to Ireland. Thennn, I will be going to Italy with my school from March 19 - 30! So I have a very busy and exciting month ahead of me!
I miss you all like crazy and am always thinking about you! Take care and Keep in touch!!
Lots of love, Whitney
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
Monday, February 11, 2008
MILIND RUPCHANDANI -- India (Albany Rotary)
Last weekend we had a great time in Lake Placid. It was nice to meet other exchange and interact students from different districts. I also went to the dance (Mardi Gras) in my school. School is going alright.My health is also alright. I am just waiting for one thing i.e. the end of winter.
I send you some pictures of us in Lake Placid.
Monday, February 4, 2008
Karissa Seeberger -- Argentina
Monday, February 04, 2008
So, i apologize for not writing in such a long time...I was without your email address, but from here on out, you will receive a monthly email from me.
It has been 5 months for me, here in Argentina. I am currently on summer vacation, which means there are alot of poolside days in the sun. I went to the beaches in the province of Buenos Aires with my host family for two weeks on vacation. It was really beautiful and we only had one day that wasn´t beach-worthy. So now I´m back in San Luis and I am taking tango classes every day, hoping to compete in an upcoming competition. I recently inscribed myself into the national university here of human sciences and will not be returning to the high school, but instead will be studying journalism for my remaining four months, i start in March. They obviously can´t give me a diploma, because i wont be finishing out the academic year, but they can give me an official paper that says i participated in 4 months of the career. This Wednesday, I will be traveling to a city just outside of Cordoba to visit another exchange student from Pennsylvania for just short of a week to celebrate Carnaval. When i return I hope to start painting classes at the culture center in my city, to occupy my spare time.
I am still with the same family from when i arrived and believe I will be staying with them until the end of my exchange, which i have received a return date, June 21. They have truly taken me in as a daughter and I am very comfortable with them.
In the next few weeks I will be traveling to Buenos Aires with my host parents to see Boca and a tango show and just get to see the city a little more.
Well, I hope the other exchange students are as fortunate as i have been and are really having mind-opening experiences and an all around beneficial exhcange...good luck! besos de Argentina
So, i apologize for not writing in such a long time...I was without your email address, but from here on out, you will receive a monthly email from me.
It has been 5 months for me, here in Argentina. I am currently on summer vacation, which means there are alot of poolside days in the sun. I went to the beaches in the province of Buenos Aires with my host family for two weeks on vacation. It was really beautiful and we only had one day that wasn´t beach-worthy. So now I´m back in San Luis and I am taking tango classes every day, hoping to compete in an upcoming competition. I recently inscribed myself into the national university here of human sciences and will not be returning to the high school, but instead will be studying journalism for my remaining four months, i start in March. They obviously can´t give me a diploma, because i wont be finishing out the academic year, but they can give me an official paper that says i participated in 4 months of the career. This Wednesday, I will be traveling to a city just outside of Cordoba to visit another exchange student from Pennsylvania for just short of a week to celebrate Carnaval. When i return I hope to start painting classes at the culture center in my city, to occupy my spare time.
I am still with the same family from when i arrived and believe I will be staying with them until the end of my exchange, which i have received a return date, June 21. They have truly taken me in as a daughter and I am very comfortable with them.
In the next few weeks I will be traveling to Buenos Aires with my host parents to see Boca and a tango show and just get to see the city a little more.
Well, I hope the other exchange students are as fortunate as i have been and are really having mind-opening experiences and an all around beneficial exhcange...good luck! besos de Argentina
Monday, January 28, 2008
Francesca Rossi -- Italy (in Balston Spa)
January 27, 2008
Everything is going really well, with my family, at school and with my new friends.
I'm really happy to be here and to live this experience.I think that i learn every day something new and that helps me growing up in my personality and in the relationship with people.
Few days ago I had a homesick, and i was so surprised because i have never had. But it was going away in a night and the day after I was perfectly fine, ready to begin a new hard day!
I'm really excited for the trip we are gonna have this weekend and I'm looking forward for meeting all my friends..we are really a good group, close and we spent a lot of time together outside the rotary meeting.
I wonder when and where is the next dinner we should attend,because my tutor hasn't told me anything yet.
I am going during the february break to Florida and I'm really glad because i'm gonna meet with my friend from Italy who is doing an exchange year in Jacksonville.
Tomorrow at school we are beginning the new semester and i'm excited for the new subjects.
Hope to see you soon
Francesca Rossi (Ballston Spa Rotary Club)
Everything is going really well, with my family, at school and with my new friends.
I'm really happy to be here and to live this experience.I think that i learn every day something new and that helps me growing up in my personality and in the relationship with people.
Few days ago I had a homesick, and i was so surprised because i have never had. But it was going away in a night and the day after I was perfectly fine, ready to begin a new hard day!
I'm really excited for the trip we are gonna have this weekend and I'm looking forward for meeting all my friends..we are really a good group, close and we spent a lot of time together outside the rotary meeting.
I wonder when and where is the next dinner we should attend,because my tutor hasn't told me anything yet.
I am going during the february break to Florida and I'm really glad because i'm gonna meet with my friend from Italy who is doing an exchange year in Jacksonville.
Tomorrow at school we are beginning the new semester and i'm excited for the new subjects.
Hope to see you soon
Francesca Rossi (Ballston Spa Rotary Club)
Zach Smyth -- Taiwan
Sunday, January 27, 2008
Well congratulations, you shamed me into writing another monthly report
I (as in Zachary Smyth, but will also respond to Jack, Ja Ke, Jock, Shock (as in the french name), Jackely, and Jackaly, z,s are kind of hard for the Taiwanese) have moved host families.
I Now live with rice (i can not begin to spell his chinese name) in the small town of San Ye, know prominently for its wood carving and Hakka Culture. Hakka originates in Northern china, they have there own language and a different culture from regular Mandarin (or Cantonese or the other dozen or so sub cultures that make up china).
Mandarin is going well, i can now say things like "no problem" "its nothing" "I'm fine thank you", "Madness?, THIS IS SPARTA!!!", and things like that. I will probably get a full grasp of the language by the 7 month period.
school is fine, making friends has proven to be more difficult then first report may have suggested. Its ok though, i do have friends, not a lot, and most of them live in other cities but whatever.
I am having a great time, better then you. i will see you all (well some of you) in 5 months.
thank you
Zachary Smyth
Well congratulations, you shamed me into writing another monthly report
I (as in Zachary Smyth, but will also respond to Jack, Ja Ke, Jock, Shock (as in the french name), Jackely, and Jackaly, z,s are kind of hard for the Taiwanese) have moved host families.
I Now live with rice (i can not begin to spell his chinese name) in the small town of San Ye, know prominently for its wood carving and Hakka Culture. Hakka originates in Northern china, they have there own language and a different culture from regular Mandarin (or Cantonese or the other dozen or so sub cultures that make up china).
Mandarin is going well, i can now say things like "no problem" "its nothing" "I'm fine thank you", "Madness?, THIS IS SPARTA!!!", and things like that. I will probably get a full grasp of the language by the 7 month period.
school is fine, making friends has proven to be more difficult then first report may have suggested. Its ok though, i do have friends, not a lot, and most of them live in other cities but whatever.
I am having a great time, better then you. i will see you all (well some of you) in 5 months.
thank you
Zachary Smyth
Zoe Fullem -- in Ecuador (from Albany)
Saturday, January 26, 2008
Hi Everyone, Feliz Año Nuevo!!
I think I'm one of the less diligent writers, but I've been busy? I swear?
Well I've had a great first half of my exchange year, my family has been great. They are exactly what I could have wanted, like a real family to me. My little sister sleeps in my bed with me every night, my mom is always bringing me to the doctor and taking care of me (I'm always getting sick from the food and water), and my dad tells me "Siempre estas nuestra hijita"/ "You'll always be our little daughter."
I'm changing to my second host family this week, and I'm really excited. They just had a new house built, and we're going to have a pool? I will miss my first family a lot, but I'll be living right next door, so I'm sure I will see them a lot.
I just finished Quinto curso and now I'm on summer vacation, it's great! I spend a lot of time with my family and my exchange friends (maybe too much, I keep promising myself to get closer with my Ecuadorian friends, but it's hard.) I have big plans for my vacation, next week I'm going for a few days to one of the biggest cities, Guayaquil. Then I'm going to Cuenca, the most beautiful and historic city in Ecuador for a few weeks to live with another Rotary family. I'm also hoping to climb Cotapaxi, the highest active volcano in the world! And, most exciting of all, I'm going on a Rotary Paseo for four days to the Amazon rain forest. Ecuador has great exchange student trips; I think they're one of my favorite parts of this year.
I'm having a great time, and it really is going by fast?I just booked my return flight with the travel agent.
I hope everyone is doing great.
Hi Everyone, Feliz Año Nuevo!!
I think I'm one of the less diligent writers, but I've been busy? I swear?
Well I've had a great first half of my exchange year, my family has been great. They are exactly what I could have wanted, like a real family to me. My little sister sleeps in my bed with me every night, my mom is always bringing me to the doctor and taking care of me (I'm always getting sick from the food and water), and my dad tells me "Siempre estas nuestra hijita"/ "You'll always be our little daughter."
I'm changing to my second host family this week, and I'm really excited. They just had a new house built, and we're going to have a pool? I will miss my first family a lot, but I'll be living right next door, so I'm sure I will see them a lot.
I just finished Quinto curso and now I'm on summer vacation, it's great! I spend a lot of time with my family and my exchange friends (maybe too much, I keep promising myself to get closer with my Ecuadorian friends, but it's hard.) I have big plans for my vacation, next week I'm going for a few days to one of the biggest cities, Guayaquil. Then I'm going to Cuenca, the most beautiful and historic city in Ecuador for a few weeks to live with another Rotary family. I'm also hoping to climb Cotapaxi, the highest active volcano in the world! And, most exciting of all, I'm going on a Rotary Paseo for four days to the Amazon rain forest. Ecuador has great exchange student trips; I think they're one of my favorite parts of this year.
I'm having a great time, and it really is going by fast?I just booked my return flight with the travel agent.
I hope everyone is doing great.
Gabrielle Fortes -- Brazil (in Cobleskill)
Friday, January 25, 2008
This is Gabrielle Fortes, from Brazil. I was an exchange student in Cobleskill, from March/07 to Jan/08. I'm writing to let you know that I'm back home already. I came back last saturday.The flights were okay and I'm glad to be with my family and friends again. I want to thank you for the opportunity and all the support. It was definitely the best year of my life, which I'm sure won't be the same thanks for the life experience that I had in the U.S. Once more, Thank you.
This is Gabrielle Fortes, from Brazil. I was an exchange student in Cobleskill, from March/07 to Jan/08. I'm writing to let you know that I'm back home already. I came back last saturday.The flights were okay and I'm glad to be with my family and friends again. I want to thank you for the opportunity and all the support. It was definitely the best year of my life, which I'm sure won't be the same thanks for the life experience that I had in the U.S. Once more, Thank you.
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