Time has went by so quickly. Last time I updated my blog I had been here for less than two weeks - now I’ve been here for more than a month. When I found out, that I had been here for more than a month I couldn’t believe it. I’m only going to be here for 11 months and I just want to make the most out of it. When I’m thinking of all the amazing experiences I’ve had so far, I can’t imagine how fantastic this whole year is going to be. Dee, my fantastic nice counselor from Rotary, has told me, that the fifth week is the most difficult for her when she travels. So when I caught a cold and got the nicest package from my mom some days ago I automatically thought: Oh no! This is my fifth week and maybe the homesickness will be horrible. Well, so far I can’t feel anything, haha!
Of course I miss all my friends and my family back home, but I can’t imagine how much I’m going to miss my “new” family. They are not my “hostfamily” anymore, but my family. And Florida is my home. For almost two weeks ago I met my whole family in North Carolina. We had the best long weekend together. Maw maw and paw paw (grandma and grandpa) have a beautiful house by Lake Gaston. We drove there Friday in a huge car. We had to fit all 5 of us + Jake (our dog) into the car, which actually went pretty well even though Jake was quite excited about going to the lake. He really enjoys being on the boat and the jet skis. I loved it too! I had my first jet ski ride with Sam and tubed several times. It was really difficult to hold on to the tube and unfortunately I fell off quite a few times as you can see from the pictures on facebook. Sam (of course) put them all on facebook. :p
The most different thing about being here is definitely the school:
- · You call all the teachers by last name.
- · More people sleep in class
- · Many guys have long(!) hair. Like longer than to the shoulders.
- · The tables and chairs are one piece of furniture.
- · Mathematics and physics are more difficult here.
- · You do the pledge of Allegiance every morning. And I know it by heart! J
- · There are American flags in all classrooms
I really enjoy school now. It’s not scary to walk from B-hall to G-hall anymore and it seems completely natural to have the same schedule each day. I’m walking around with my candybox at all times. I’m enrolled in the chorus program and we have a fairshare ($200) and a Colorado trip to pay, which means that we have a lot of fundraising stuff going on, where one of them is selling candy. $1 per piece and then 50 cents goes into our account. It’s nice with some extra money and it gives me a good opportunity to talk to people who wants to buy candy from me. It probably sounds weird, but we are many people in the halls walking around with our small candyboxes. I’m so happy that I chose to be in chorus. First of; I’m (hopefully) going to perform at Disney with 180 others and I’m going to Colorado. So many nice people are in chorus, so it’s a great way to meet people.
Something I really like about the High Schools here is the team spirit. Danes would be a amazed to see all the yellow jacket tee shirts and hoodies. There’s a football game every Friday which I just love. To be honest: I don’t watch the game that much, but so many friends are gathered together, so it’s soo much fun and a great opportunity to speak to people you don’t have the time to speak to during school. You don’t have much time to talk when you’re walking from G-hall to B-hall in 5 minutes. The atmosphere during the football games is fantastic. There are cheerleaders, the band, the dance team and so many dressed (or painted :p) in burgundy and gold. SAHS has a pretty good team, so we haven’t lost any games so far. J I love SAHS. People here love exchange students! :p On next Wednesday I’m going to talk about being an exchange student in front of all the foreign language classes. I did the same thing at Pedro yesterday. It’s really nice to be able to tell others about what an amazing program Rotary is.
Something that I’ve had a hard time getting used to is the fact that you drive everywhere. It is impossible for me to get anywhere outside my neighborhood without having someone driving me. But I’ve started enjoying it. The 20 minutes to school with Sam and Holly is always great. We listen to music which wakes me up – just like the “biking through snow in Denmark” did. People have been quite amazed when I’ve told that we bike even though it snows in Denmark.
It is very different how much people know about Denmark. Some don’t know where it is, others know more than me about Denmark (Orion, :p)… Many seem interested and want to hear more. The questions they ask are not those questions I had expected when I left Denmark. :p
- 1. The question most people have asked me here is: How do you like Florida? And I can only say that I love it here!
- 2. Then it’s typically followed by: Is it very different here? Well, the climate is, but besides that: No. People are the same. They all laugh when I say that the hottest it has ever been in Denmark is 88 Fahrenheit. I’m getting used to the climate. Maybe a bit too used to it. 2 days ago I asked everyone if it was cooler today. No, they all said – it’s really hot! Well, I was wearing my hoodie and still thought it was quite cold. I brought the sweater I use when I’m skiing and I’m actually using it quite a lot – believe or not. Inside it’s quite cold because of the AC, so I actually usually wear jeans to school. Then there’s of course also dress code…
- 3. The question I’ve been asked the most except the two above. It’s often the second question people ask me. So what’s the drinking age in Denmark?
- 4. Do you have black people in Denmark? Yes…
Fast food… Well, at that point USA is like I expected. You eat more out and there’s almost a McDonalds everywhere. I have only been eating McDonalds once though. Instead: Chick-fil-A! The one who introduces Denmark to Chick-fil-A is going to be rich. It’s soo good! :p And you can get free breakfast once a week. I have actually not gained weight yet. But I think it’s because muscles are heavier than fat. I’m too concerned though. When the tennis season starts I will be playing tennis every single day! J I can’t wait!
How are y’all doing in Denmark? :p
"I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all." – United States, I love you!
