Wow! It has been a really really really long time since I did a blog last. I'll try and keep it brief (but I say that everytime and fail epicly everytime... so- No promises!).
Week before intro camp:
The week before intro camp, I stayed with a temporary host family that lived just a few houses away. My host parents went to Greenlang on vacation, so I got to spend a week with the sweetest family in all of Denmark! The family I stayed with has kids (I was probably too excited about this- but oh well!). They have a daughter who goes to school with me and a 14 year old son (same age as my brother, Grant, back home- but way less annoying!). The mom spoke no english, which was hard at times, but helped me learn danish and always worked out since everyone else knows english. The family was amazingly sweet to me and I loved every minute of my week there! The day before I left for intro camp, a Rotarian in my club, Hanne, took me to a Medieval festival in a nearby town (Horsens). It was amazing! I ate some really good food (that's how you know I am an exchange student- every place I go is judged by the food!), spent some time with her family, and just had fun.
Intro Camp!!!!!:
On that Sunday, I was picked up by my club counselor and driven to my week long intro camp! For everyone reading this who has no clue what intro camp is, it's basically where the country puts on a language/culture crash course for the inbound exchange students! I got to meet all of the summer students and we spent the week getting to know eachother. I made so many friends (and became very good friends with my roommate- Kelsea from Washington state!). We did so many fun things, so I'll just rattle off the best: private concert with an amazing Danish band, spending the day in the 3rd largest city in Denmark- Aarhus where we visited an amazing art museum- ARoS, watching the danish film "In a Better World" (which won an Academy Award in the USA last year!). We also spent 6 hrs a day learning Danish- insanely hard, boring, fun, awesome, and everything all at the same time! I had a blast at intro camp and now I am even more excited to meet with the other exchange students soon!
District G2G:
This past Sunday, my district held a get-together for the inbounds in my district. We hiked 6 km (almost all uphill, and one part of that was climbing the tallest hill in Denmark, which everyone says is jokingly small, but when you are climbing it, it doesn't feel that small- even though it's only 170.86 m tall!) We also canoed 5-6 km. I think it's safe to say that I have finally worked off all of the Kjeldsons cookies I got for my birthday! I also got the chance to meet some oldies (exchange students from Australia, New Zealand, and a few from S. American countries come during January so they have been here longer and are called oldies, and once they leave, I become an oldie to the newbies that will come).
9/11:
I was going back and forth on whether I should write about this, but it was something very important to me, and something that many people reading this would never understand if I don't write it. Yesterday was the 10 year anniversary of the 9/11 tragedy. I knew that day would be hard on me, but I didn't know how hard. Although the attacks changed the entire world, no one felt it like Americans. It was very odd not being in America on that day. Everyone here constantly asked me how I felt about it and kept asking me questions. I suppose it was because they wanted an American's view, but it seemed odd. Of course I was upset, and of course it affected me- what else do they expect! I guess it was weird going from America where people don't ask that question (because everyone knows how you feel- and they feel it too) and then arriving here where I kept getting asked about it. There is no way to explain what it felt like to me on the day the attacks occured, and I have never had to explain it until now. There is also no way to explain how it felt living through the 10 year mark in Denmark. It felt weird, spending a day where Americans come together, out of America. I did realize that the whole world truly does feel affected by it, but I also realized how much more it affecting America. I guess now I am just babbling on and making no sense, so I will stop, but I just thought that 9/11 needed to be mentioned, because it was very significant to me and showed me a lot about the world.
Other than that:
I might be taking a 60 km biking trip later this month. I would go with other teens into a nearby town (Silkeborg) and back, it would be a weekend trip. My blazer is now full of pins! After all of my rotary events, my blazer is completely full (and I have almost no pins left- I will need to make more!). My language is coming on a little bit better. I can now understand a lot more, but finding the words to talk is still tough. Tomorrow, I will be tested at my language class to move into the next class level (I hope I pass!!!!). Denmark is tough at times and I finally realize how much I love Florida, but I love it here! The language is hard, but so rewarding when you learn something! I am starting to feel like I fit in, but I still know I have a long way to go.
Vi ses!
Knus fra Danmark!
<3 McKenzie
Monday, September 12, 2011
Saturday, August 27, 2011
What's going on with me lately
Okay so I know it has been less than a week since my last blog, but I thought I should post one since I won't be able to until like the 2nd week of September.
So this past week was fairly normal I suppose. Sunday I went to a museum in a nearby town (I actually don't quite know where it is, just that it was closeby). They were having a day where vedors could bring stuff and you could see some things from around 100 years ago. It was cool to just walk around and see some older things. They also had some ponies that you could ride. My host dad walked by it and said to me "do you like horses" and I said "yeah I love them!" so he was like "here go ride a pony" and handed me 5kr. I turned the corner and realized that the horses were like migit ponies and the people riding them were all under the age of 8 and about 50lB's lighter than me... but what the heck! So I rode a pony, and the poor little horse let me ride it and never complained (well it did try to keep walking close to the bushes so my legs itched a little.... such a rebel horse!).
School was pretty normal all week. I went to classes, became very confused, then decided to make flash cards on danish vocabulary. That reminds me- the whole concept of flash cards is completely foreign to the Danes! I have to use smaller sized sheets of paper because they don't sell index cards and constantly have to explain what a flashcard is because no one has ever heard of them until now! Friday we had an "eventdag" (event day) where my grade went to Silkeborg and went canoing for hours! Like no joke... we got in the canoes at 9, canoed until 1 when we stopped for luch, then canoed back and got back withing an hour (the way down we had to fight the current and wind, so it was luckily much faster the way back!). All of the students had more fun than expected, but still hated it basically... but what surprised me is that everyone actually showed up! In the USA, if you go on a field trip you don't want to have, then you just don't show up, but everyone still showed up!
My Danish is finally beginning to improve. When I first arrived, I never had a clue what was going on, but now I am starting to hear key phrases, and when I watch tv, I sometimes know what will be said before they say it because occassionally I can understand the subtitles (it's such a cool feeling!). I still have a lot to learn, but I never expected I would even get this far. I have already made stacks upon stacks of flash cards, and have many more I need to make, but eventually I will know Danish and be capable of having a real conversation. At times I get very discouraged and feel as though I haven't learned a thing, but then I will be able to say something in Danish and I realize that I couldn't do that a week ago!
Overall, my past few weeks here have been better than I ever imagined. I will admit that I have had some rough times where all I think about is the things I miss from home (friends, family, food, tv, my iPhone, picking on my brother, being able to listen in on others conversations, and actually having to work in school-I still don't know why I miss that one!) but then I think of all the great things I've done here and how I have already changed and become a stronger, better person. The one thing I can say, is that even when I have times where I miss home, I have never wanted to give up, never wanted to go home, and never wished I didn't make the decision to come- and I'm very proud of that!
I just wanted to thank everyone who has supported me this whole time and encouraged me. I also want to thank all of the people who ever told me I wouldn't make it, my dream was too crazy, or that I wasn't good enough for this- I am happy to say that I am currently in the process of proving you completely wrong!
Knus fra Danmark (hugs from Denmark),
McKenzie
ps- sorry if my spelling is off- I tried using spellcheck but it's set for Danish, so everything gets hilighted, because they words are english!
So this past week was fairly normal I suppose. Sunday I went to a museum in a nearby town (I actually don't quite know where it is, just that it was closeby). They were having a day where vedors could bring stuff and you could see some things from around 100 years ago. It was cool to just walk around and see some older things. They also had some ponies that you could ride. My host dad walked by it and said to me "do you like horses" and I said "yeah I love them!" so he was like "here go ride a pony" and handed me 5kr. I turned the corner and realized that the horses were like migit ponies and the people riding them were all under the age of 8 and about 50lB's lighter than me... but what the heck! So I rode a pony, and the poor little horse let me ride it and never complained (well it did try to keep walking close to the bushes so my legs itched a little.... such a rebel horse!).
School was pretty normal all week. I went to classes, became very confused, then decided to make flash cards on danish vocabulary. That reminds me- the whole concept of flash cards is completely foreign to the Danes! I have to use smaller sized sheets of paper because they don't sell index cards and constantly have to explain what a flashcard is because no one has ever heard of them until now! Friday we had an "eventdag" (event day) where my grade went to Silkeborg and went canoing for hours! Like no joke... we got in the canoes at 9, canoed until 1 when we stopped for luch, then canoed back and got back withing an hour (the way down we had to fight the current and wind, so it was luckily much faster the way back!). All of the students had more fun than expected, but still hated it basically... but what surprised me is that everyone actually showed up! In the USA, if you go on a field trip you don't want to have, then you just don't show up, but everyone still showed up!
My Danish is finally beginning to improve. When I first arrived, I never had a clue what was going on, but now I am starting to hear key phrases, and when I watch tv, I sometimes know what will be said before they say it because occassionally I can understand the subtitles (it's such a cool feeling!). I still have a lot to learn, but I never expected I would even get this far. I have already made stacks upon stacks of flash cards, and have many more I need to make, but eventually I will know Danish and be capable of having a real conversation. At times I get very discouraged and feel as though I haven't learned a thing, but then I will be able to say something in Danish and I realize that I couldn't do that a week ago!
Overall, my past few weeks here have been better than I ever imagined. I will admit that I have had some rough times where all I think about is the things I miss from home (friends, family, food, tv, my iPhone, picking on my brother, being able to listen in on others conversations, and actually having to work in school-I still don't know why I miss that one!) but then I think of all the great things I've done here and how I have already changed and become a stronger, better person. The one thing I can say, is that even when I have times where I miss home, I have never wanted to give up, never wanted to go home, and never wished I didn't make the decision to come- and I'm very proud of that!
I just wanted to thank everyone who has supported me this whole time and encouraged me. I also want to thank all of the people who ever told me I wouldn't make it, my dream was too crazy, or that I wasn't good enough for this- I am happy to say that I am currently in the process of proving you completely wrong!
Knus fra Danmark (hugs from Denmark),
McKenzie
ps- sorry if my spelling is off- I tried using spellcheck but it's set for Danish, so everything gets hilighted, because they words are english!
Sunday, August 21, 2011
First week of school/16th Birthday/Random outings
So I have now been in Denmark for 2 weeks and a lot has happened!!!
Where my last blog ended off, was on Sunday. The next monday I went into town with my host mom to try and get my Danish CPR number (it's a number that everyone gets once they are born or move here and you need it for everything- library card, bank account, etc.) but we discovered that I can't get one until my visa comes in the mail (still waiting...) Tuesday, my mom went to work along with my dad, so I stayed at the house and just watched tv, ate, did normal things. Wednesday I went into a nearby twon called Herning with Camilla (17yr old host sister in 4th family). We went to the "Herning Center" (MALL!) and I am now in love with Danish fashion and need to go clothing shopping (I only bought pencils and sunglasses that day because I hadn't recieved my allowance from Rotary yet so I had no Kroner and all the clothes were still for summer). Thursday I went to Nanna's house. She is a girl my age and I will be living with her family next week while my host parents go to Greenland. That night I went to my host moms school that she works at (called an aftenskole which is a boarding school) and I met some really sweet girls! Friday I stayed at home all day again, but that night all of my host parents came over and I got to meet them all- Sweetest people in the world! That weekend was fun! One day I got to go to the west coast of Jylland and see beaches and also visit a sandsculpture place where artists from over the world came and made sandsculptures! Another day I went and helped chop wood on my host parents farm.
First week of school:
Monday I started school! I started in what they call 1G(G=grade) at a gymnasium (high school). They gymnasium has 3 grades and I started in the youngest. Because I was in the youngest, I (along with my classmates) was painted with a green face and got my hair sprayed green. It was interesting, but almost funny because we all had it done to us. Oh and the upperclassmen call us fro now (frog). The first day was just being shown around by the teachers. The first 2 or 3 days of school was hard because although everyone was nice, I didn't have a strong friendship with my class. On wednesday we had english and that was amazing. Wednesday was the day where I really bonded with my class (not because of English, but because we played games together and I started to talk to more people and branch out). Thursday was a good day as well but Friday was amazing! It was my birthday so my class sang to me and we also had a free period at the end of the day so we sat around a table, while they taught me weird Danish words and laughed at my accent and then I impressed them by doing the peter piper toungetwister! And afterschool, we had our first cafe. It is basically where they have beer and soda for sale and you sit around with classmates and talk.
My first Rotary meeting:
The first week I was here I had my first Rotary meeting and got to go up and introduce myslelf to the club. The Rotarians are all so nice! Then this last week, I had my second meeting. This was the meeting where Camilla (host sister- remember her? well she just had an exchange year in Australia... and fyi- the aussie accent is amazing!) spoke to the club about her exchange. I got to see her blazer and it is covered in pins!!! Oh and since my birthday was going to be that week, my club bought me a gift- a Fancy flag on a nice flag stand! And one of the Rotarians in my club works at the factory that makes Royal Dansk cookies (oh yeah the factory for that is in my town... so much for trying to not get fat this year!) and she heard I like them so she brought me a tin of a specialty cookie for christmas season and also told me I can tour the factory sometime (ahhhhh!!!!).
Language school:
Oh yeah so this last week I started taking language classes on Tues and Thurs after school in Herning! They are really helpful and the teachers are nice. Oh and to get there I take the bus! Tuesday my dad drove me, but Thrusday I took the bus, alone, for the first time! I was so proud of myself!
Finally..... Birthday!:
So Friday was my 16th Birthday! I honestly thought it might be hard to have my birthday on my 2nd week here, especially since it was a birthday that meant a lot to me (why? driving... duh!). But.... my birthday was amazing! I already talked about school and Rotary parts of my b-day. But that night when I got home a friend (Anna) came over for some coffee (she couldn't come later that night because she was going out of town) . Then that night, some other girls came (Camilla- the host sister Aussie!- then Charlotte-Camilla's older sister/my older sister- and Maria and Alberta and Nanna- the one I'll live with for a week.) We had "kage mand" which is cake man! It is a "cake" (it tastes like popovers) drizzled with icing and then covered in Danish candy! Oh and it's shaped like a person! So you light the number of candles for your year (16 for me!) and they don't sing and you don't make a wish, but when you blow out all of the candles you have to blow them all out at once (if not, the number of candles left burning is the number of boyfriends you have!)- I blew em all out at once! Oh and when the cut the cake, they slit the throat and the birthday person screams (because they're killing you!). haha it was really entertaining! Oh and I got lots of great gifts from everyone, and another Rotarian dropped by and gave me some beautiful jewlery (she owns a jewelry store!). Oh and that night I stayed up til 1 am so I could skype with my family (everyone but my mommy because she was working!).
This weekend:
So yesterday was Saturday and it was really cool! I woke up and got to go with my host dad to a place where you can fly glider planes. It's a plane that seats 2 people, and it's hooked up to a string. The string pulls you really fast until you get in the sky, then it snaps and you can fly! It was so much fun I went up 3 times haha! Then I stayed at home for a while and worked on my Danish. That night I went with my host parents to a nearby town called Silkeborg where there was a festival that only happens every 3 years! We went and sat on a boat with some people and then that night they had fireworks! And I think fireworks are really expensive here, because they told me it would be 150,000 kr (= $30,000) worth of fireworks... but it lasted like 4 minutes... so basically I got to watch $30,000 blow up in colorful explosions in like 5 minutes!
So far my stay here has been amazing! I am already in love with the beautiful country of Denmark! Some people get a car for their 16th birthday, I get to spend a year in one of the most spectacular places on Earth- I'd say I got the best birthday gift!
Vi ses (see you soon),
McKenzie
Where my last blog ended off, was on Sunday. The next monday I went into town with my host mom to try and get my Danish CPR number (it's a number that everyone gets once they are born or move here and you need it for everything- library card, bank account, etc.) but we discovered that I can't get one until my visa comes in the mail (still waiting...) Tuesday, my mom went to work along with my dad, so I stayed at the house and just watched tv, ate, did normal things. Wednesday I went into a nearby twon called Herning with Camilla (17yr old host sister in 4th family). We went to the "Herning Center" (MALL!) and I am now in love with Danish fashion and need to go clothing shopping (I only bought pencils and sunglasses that day because I hadn't recieved my allowance from Rotary yet so I had no Kroner and all the clothes were still for summer). Thursday I went to Nanna's house. She is a girl my age and I will be living with her family next week while my host parents go to Greenland. That night I went to my host moms school that she works at (called an aftenskole which is a boarding school) and I met some really sweet girls! Friday I stayed at home all day again, but that night all of my host parents came over and I got to meet them all- Sweetest people in the world! That weekend was fun! One day I got to go to the west coast of Jylland and see beaches and also visit a sandsculpture place where artists from over the world came and made sandsculptures! Another day I went and helped chop wood on my host parents farm.
First week of school:
Monday I started school! I started in what they call 1G(G=grade) at a gymnasium (high school). They gymnasium has 3 grades and I started in the youngest. Because I was in the youngest, I (along with my classmates) was painted with a green face and got my hair sprayed green. It was interesting, but almost funny because we all had it done to us. Oh and the upperclassmen call us fro now (frog). The first day was just being shown around by the teachers. The first 2 or 3 days of school was hard because although everyone was nice, I didn't have a strong friendship with my class. On wednesday we had english and that was amazing. Wednesday was the day where I really bonded with my class (not because of English, but because we played games together and I started to talk to more people and branch out). Thursday was a good day as well but Friday was amazing! It was my birthday so my class sang to me and we also had a free period at the end of the day so we sat around a table, while they taught me weird Danish words and laughed at my accent and then I impressed them by doing the peter piper toungetwister! And afterschool, we had our first cafe. It is basically where they have beer and soda for sale and you sit around with classmates and talk.
My first Rotary meeting:
The first week I was here I had my first Rotary meeting and got to go up and introduce myslelf to the club. The Rotarians are all so nice! Then this last week, I had my second meeting. This was the meeting where Camilla (host sister- remember her? well she just had an exchange year in Australia... and fyi- the aussie accent is amazing!) spoke to the club about her exchange. I got to see her blazer and it is covered in pins!!! Oh and since my birthday was going to be that week, my club bought me a gift- a Fancy flag on a nice flag stand! And one of the Rotarians in my club works at the factory that makes Royal Dansk cookies (oh yeah the factory for that is in my town... so much for trying to not get fat this year!) and she heard I like them so she brought me a tin of a specialty cookie for christmas season and also told me I can tour the factory sometime (ahhhhh!!!!).
Language school:
Oh yeah so this last week I started taking language classes on Tues and Thurs after school in Herning! They are really helpful and the teachers are nice. Oh and to get there I take the bus! Tuesday my dad drove me, but Thrusday I took the bus, alone, for the first time! I was so proud of myself!
Finally..... Birthday!:
So Friday was my 16th Birthday! I honestly thought it might be hard to have my birthday on my 2nd week here, especially since it was a birthday that meant a lot to me (why? driving... duh!). But.... my birthday was amazing! I already talked about school and Rotary parts of my b-day. But that night when I got home a friend (Anna) came over for some coffee (she couldn't come later that night because she was going out of town) . Then that night, some other girls came (Camilla- the host sister Aussie!- then Charlotte-Camilla's older sister/my older sister- and Maria and Alberta and Nanna- the one I'll live with for a week.) We had "kage mand" which is cake man! It is a "cake" (it tastes like popovers) drizzled with icing and then covered in Danish candy! Oh and it's shaped like a person! So you light the number of candles for your year (16 for me!) and they don't sing and you don't make a wish, but when you blow out all of the candles you have to blow them all out at once (if not, the number of candles left burning is the number of boyfriends you have!)- I blew em all out at once! Oh and when the cut the cake, they slit the throat and the birthday person screams (because they're killing you!). haha it was really entertaining! Oh and I got lots of great gifts from everyone, and another Rotarian dropped by and gave me some beautiful jewlery (she owns a jewelry store!). Oh and that night I stayed up til 1 am so I could skype with my family (everyone but my mommy because she was working!).
This weekend:
So yesterday was Saturday and it was really cool! I woke up and got to go with my host dad to a place where you can fly glider planes. It's a plane that seats 2 people, and it's hooked up to a string. The string pulls you really fast until you get in the sky, then it snaps and you can fly! It was so much fun I went up 3 times haha! Then I stayed at home for a while and worked on my Danish. That night I went with my host parents to a nearby town called Silkeborg where there was a festival that only happens every 3 years! We went and sat on a boat with some people and then that night they had fireworks! And I think fireworks are really expensive here, because they told me it would be 150,000 kr (= $30,000) worth of fireworks... but it lasted like 4 minutes... so basically I got to watch $30,000 blow up in colorful explosions in like 5 minutes!
So far my stay here has been amazing! I am already in love with the beautiful country of Denmark! Some people get a car for their 16th birthday, I get to spend a year in one of the most spectacular places on Earth- I'd say I got the best birthday gift!
Vi ses (see you soon),
McKenzie
Sunday, August 7, 2011
First Blog From Denmark!
Hej,
Okay.... so... we have a lot of catching up to do!
Goodbyes:
I said goodbye to my friends during my last week. I had different get-togethers and said goodbye. My mom, dad, brother, grandparents on my moms side, Dalton (dad's girlfriend's son- aka- my second brother) and Mrs. Paula (my district counselor) came to say goodbye to me at the airport. I somehow made it out without crying too much (I somehow didn't cry when my parents said goodbye, but when Mrs. Paula said goodbye was the only time I actually cried- it confused me too!).
Airports:
I made it past security (I have no clue why everyone makes a big deal about security being bad- they're super nice and it's not a big deal!). I then found my gate, then turned back around for my last starbucks, and grabbed a sandwhich. My first plane was brutal- It was sooo small. On one side it had 1 person (me) and on the other side of the aisle it had room for two. Then I went to Newark- omg that airport is huge (or at least it feels like it when you're flying alone for the first time) but everyone was super helpful and nice. My next plane was giant (747!) and I had a window seat and sat next to two french guys. This made me really happy because I got to practice my french and they said I wasn't terrible- but they probably laughed at me and said it in french so I'd have no clue! They love my "american" accent! haha! Oh and when we left Newark, I saw NY for the first time! We flew right past the statue of liberty (this thrilled me beyond belief- can you tell I've never been to New York but have always wanted to!). Let me just say that
1) a 7 hour flight in an uncomfortable seat when you're too excited to sleep or do anything can be boring.
2) Plane food sucks. Period.
3) The flight attendant giving out heated towel thingy's before dinner is pretty cool- not gonna lie!
4) Europe is absolutely adorable- even from the air.
Okay so now that I've given the ever so short story of my first two flights, I'll bore you with the last. haha! So I boarded my plane in Frankfurt for Billund and of course after lucking out on the past two flights with no kids around me, I just had to get stuck next to two kids. And just my luck, the one sitting next to me had to order apple juice (which by the way I have always hated because the smell makes me want to puke!) and then proceed to spill some on my rotary blazer- Kids officially suck! My blazer looks nice still, but if you smell that spot, you can smell the juice (ewww!).
Once I landed:
I walked off the plane, found the baggage place and waited.... and waited... and waited some more! After a veryy long and nervous wait (my biggest fear was my bags not wshowing up and by then it seemed like it might happen), my bags finally showed up! Thank God!!!! I then walked out (yes that's right- no customs in Billund apparently- I was really happy, but kinda sad because I got no passport stamp, so now my passport only has Germany's stamp) and found my Rotary club president, his wife, and two of their grandchildren. They picked me up and took me to their house where I had lunch and waited for my mom and dad to come. I was finally able to nap (but I'll say that 1 hour makes no difference after 24 hours of no sleep).
Home at last:
Then I went home and unpacked, had another light nap (about 30 mins) and had dinner. We then went to our neighbors for some drinks where I was informed of the surprise party being thrown for one of my host sisters. Then I wound up going to that party (yup a party on my first night and by then I had slept 1.5 hours in over 30 hours!) but had a blast and met so many new people! Then I went home, showered, and finally got to sleep for real!
Next morning:
Min mor woke me up at 9 (Danish time zone now- but what would be 3am in FL) so that I could get ready to go to her sisters house for her sister's kids birthday party. Then we went back home and later went to an outdoor concert. It was interesting to hear the music (some Danish songs and others were English- "Aint no mountain High enough", an ABBA song, and a song from "Titanic" haha). We also went to a museum nearby that was about the vikings, saw the two mounds built in memory of King Gorm (first King of DK- he also brought Christianity to DK) and his wife, a 1000 year old church (I thought it was super old, but to the Danes its "just another church"), and we saw a replica of a viking ship. I will post pictures at another time, I'm just so busy I don't have the time right now!
I am so happy to be in Denmark and settled down in my new how! Until next time,
Farvel fra Danmark!
Okay.... so... we have a lot of catching up to do!
Goodbyes:
I said goodbye to my friends during my last week. I had different get-togethers and said goodbye. My mom, dad, brother, grandparents on my moms side, Dalton (dad's girlfriend's son- aka- my second brother) and Mrs. Paula (my district counselor) came to say goodbye to me at the airport. I somehow made it out without crying too much (I somehow didn't cry when my parents said goodbye, but when Mrs. Paula said goodbye was the only time I actually cried- it confused me too!).
Airports:
I made it past security (I have no clue why everyone makes a big deal about security being bad- they're super nice and it's not a big deal!). I then found my gate, then turned back around for my last starbucks, and grabbed a sandwhich. My first plane was brutal- It was sooo small. On one side it had 1 person (me) and on the other side of the aisle it had room for two. Then I went to Newark- omg that airport is huge (or at least it feels like it when you're flying alone for the first time) but everyone was super helpful and nice. My next plane was giant (747!) and I had a window seat and sat next to two french guys. This made me really happy because I got to practice my french and they said I wasn't terrible- but they probably laughed at me and said it in french so I'd have no clue! They love my "american" accent! haha! Oh and when we left Newark, I saw NY for the first time! We flew right past the statue of liberty (this thrilled me beyond belief- can you tell I've never been to New York but have always wanted to!). Let me just say that
1) a 7 hour flight in an uncomfortable seat when you're too excited to sleep or do anything can be boring.
2) Plane food sucks. Period.
3) The flight attendant giving out heated towel thingy's before dinner is pretty cool- not gonna lie!
4) Europe is absolutely adorable- even from the air.
Okay so now that I've given the ever so short story of my first two flights, I'll bore you with the last. haha! So I boarded my plane in Frankfurt for Billund and of course after lucking out on the past two flights with no kids around me, I just had to get stuck next to two kids. And just my luck, the one sitting next to me had to order apple juice (which by the way I have always hated because the smell makes me want to puke!) and then proceed to spill some on my rotary blazer- Kids officially suck! My blazer looks nice still, but if you smell that spot, you can smell the juice (ewww!).
Once I landed:
I walked off the plane, found the baggage place and waited.... and waited... and waited some more! After a veryy long and nervous wait (my biggest fear was my bags not wshowing up and by then it seemed like it might happen), my bags finally showed up! Thank God!!!! I then walked out (yes that's right- no customs in Billund apparently- I was really happy, but kinda sad because I got no passport stamp, so now my passport only has Germany's stamp) and found my Rotary club president, his wife, and two of their grandchildren. They picked me up and took me to their house where I had lunch and waited for my mom and dad to come. I was finally able to nap (but I'll say that 1 hour makes no difference after 24 hours of no sleep).
Home at last:
Then I went home and unpacked, had another light nap (about 30 mins) and had dinner. We then went to our neighbors for some drinks where I was informed of the surprise party being thrown for one of my host sisters. Then I wound up going to that party (yup a party on my first night and by then I had slept 1.5 hours in over 30 hours!) but had a blast and met so many new people! Then I went home, showered, and finally got to sleep for real!
Next morning:
Min mor woke me up at 9 (Danish time zone now- but what would be 3am in FL) so that I could get ready to go to her sisters house for her sister's kids birthday party. Then we went back home and later went to an outdoor concert. It was interesting to hear the music (some Danish songs and others were English- "Aint no mountain High enough", an ABBA song, and a song from "Titanic" haha). We also went to a museum nearby that was about the vikings, saw the two mounds built in memory of King Gorm (first King of DK- he also brought Christianity to DK) and his wife, a 1000 year old church (I thought it was super old, but to the Danes its "just another church"), and we saw a replica of a viking ship. I will post pictures at another time, I'm just so busy I don't have the time right now!
I am so happy to be in Denmark and settled down in my new how! Until next time,
Farvel fra Danmark!
Monday, July 18, 2011
Travel Plan
Hej Everyone!
So I promise I will actually keep this one short.... I just wanted to announce that I now have my visa processing (ugghh of course it will just never be completed, they still have to send it to the office of immigration in Denmark, but at least now I have my passport!!!!)!
The BIG news though, is that I now have my flight plan!!!!!! I will have the actual tickets soon (they're in the mail from my travel agent.... or at least they better be!), but I have my official itinerary! So........ the plan is:
I arrive at JAX (Jacksonville International Airport) around 10:45 am and leave there at 1:50 (unfortunately I have to be there 3 hrs before I leave). I will be heading to Newark NJ where I'll arrive at 4:14 PM (I love how they're so precise instead of just rounding to 4:15.... but anywhoo) and leave at 5:50 PM (kinda a short layover for someone who has never flown alone before and has never been to that airport) for Frankfurt! I arrive in Frankfurt at 7:25 AM (such a long flight, and yes you might like to think that I will have plenty of time to sleep, but let's get real here.... it's me.... hyperactive McKenzie.... plus I'll be super duper pumped about leaving for Denmark for a year.... in other words... there's no way I will be getting a wink of sleep!) From Frankfurt, I will leave at 8:55 (so much for the whole "we give our exchange students long layovers.... that's really short and normally I'd be excited but that seems like a very short amount of time to find my way in a German airport.... but I'm still confident it can be done!). I will be heading straight to the Billund Airport where I'll arrive at 10:10 AM and once there I will find that all my bags arrived on time and then quickly move through customs without any confiscations and then find my host family greeting me (I'm being positive, even though we all know that there's a very small chance it will be THAT perfect!).
Oh, I almost forgot to mention the air companies (is that what they're called?) that will be taking me to the amazing land of Denmark! Continental airlines/ Express Jet (both are listed on the ticket so I'm not sure which) will be taking me from JAX to Newark. Then Lufthansa will be taking me from NJ to Germany and from Frankfurt to Billund. Oh and you wanna know what plane I'll be taking as I cross the pond.... take a guess....
here I'll give you a hint:
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That would happen to be a Lufthansa Airlines Boeing 747! I know my excitement is a tad too much.... but.... come on I've never flown internationally! These are the pathetic things that make me happy!
Okay so yet again I kinda stunk at being brief and short.... but if you know me then you know that will never happen.... I like to talk too much for that!
I will probably not post again for maybe 2 weeks or so... right before I leave! Yay!!!!!
Farvel!
So I promise I will actually keep this one short.... I just wanted to announce that I now have my visa processing (ugghh of course it will just never be completed, they still have to send it to the office of immigration in Denmark, but at least now I have my passport!!!!)!
The BIG news though, is that I now have my flight plan!!!!!! I will have the actual tickets soon (they're in the mail from my travel agent.... or at least they better be!), but I have my official itinerary! So........ the plan is:
I arrive at JAX (Jacksonville International Airport) around 10:45 am and leave there at 1:50 (unfortunately I have to be there 3 hrs before I leave). I will be heading to Newark NJ where I'll arrive at 4:14 PM (I love how they're so precise instead of just rounding to 4:15.... but anywhoo) and leave at 5:50 PM (kinda a short layover for someone who has never flown alone before and has never been to that airport) for Frankfurt! I arrive in Frankfurt at 7:25 AM (such a long flight, and yes you might like to think that I will have plenty of time to sleep, but let's get real here.... it's me.... hyperactive McKenzie.... plus I'll be super duper pumped about leaving for Denmark for a year.... in other words... there's no way I will be getting a wink of sleep!) From Frankfurt, I will leave at 8:55 (so much for the whole "we give our exchange students long layovers.... that's really short and normally I'd be excited but that seems like a very short amount of time to find my way in a German airport.... but I'm still confident it can be done!). I will be heading straight to the Billund Airport where I'll arrive at 10:10 AM and once there I will find that all my bags arrived on time and then quickly move through customs without any confiscations and then find my host family greeting me (I'm being positive, even though we all know that there's a very small chance it will be THAT perfect!).
Oh, I almost forgot to mention the air companies (is that what they're called?) that will be taking me to the amazing land of Denmark! Continental airlines/ Express Jet (both are listed on the ticket so I'm not sure which) will be taking me from JAX to Newark. Then Lufthansa will be taking me from NJ to Germany and from Frankfurt to Billund. Oh and you wanna know what plane I'll be taking as I cross the pond.... take a guess....
here I'll give you a hint:
Okay so yet again I kinda stunk at being brief and short.... but if you know me then you know that will never happen.... I like to talk too much for that!
I will probably not post again for maybe 2 weeks or so... right before I leave! Yay!!!!!
Farvel!
Friday, July 1, 2011
RYE FL Events & My New Home!
Hej! So now that you've gotten caught up on how I got into RYE, I guess I should finish all the catching-up we have by telling you all about my orientations, 6970 district conference, and my info on my new home for next year!
As far as orientations go, there were two RYE Fl statewide orientation weekends. They were both held at the beautiful Lake Yale Baptist Conference Center (me and my sarcasm again!) in Leesburg FL (a.k.a. the middle of nowhere).
The first orientation was in January. This orientation happened a little over a month after I found out what country I was going to! It was amazing! I made tons of friends (there's over 75 of us) and had the time of my life. That orientation was mainly focusing on language and learning about Rotary International and Rotary Youth Exchange International & FL. At this orientation, I was really excited because I took a picture of myself with the Danish flag for the first time! See:
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(Isn't the Dannebrog just beautiful!)
The second orientation was last weekend. Before that orientation I was only able to say that I had RYE friends, and now I can honestly call them my RYE family! We basically spent the entire weekend bonding.... although RYE FL claims it was for "cultural boot camp"! That weekend we played tons of fun and... interesting games (oh and the games usually had some multi-cultural twist that we weren't aware of at first). I don't want to say too much so that if future students end up reading this then I can't be the blame for ruining the surprises. Basically we had a psychologist (Dr. Dennis White) who specializes in culture shock come and create zillions of fun cultural difference simulations and we all had fun! This is our group picture of all the exchange students from my graduating class of RYE FL (that's right... we all graduated from cultural boot camp and we have the certificate to prove it.... it's okay you can be jealous, we understand!):
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As far as orientations go, there were two RYE Fl statewide orientation weekends. They were both held at the beautiful Lake Yale Baptist Conference Center (me and my sarcasm again!) in Leesburg FL (a.k.a. the middle of nowhere).
The first orientation was in January. This orientation happened a little over a month after I found out what country I was going to! It was amazing! I made tons of friends (there's over 75 of us) and had the time of my life. That orientation was mainly focusing on language and learning about Rotary International and Rotary Youth Exchange International & FL. At this orientation, I was really excited because I took a picture of myself with the Danish flag for the first time! See:
(Isn't the Dannebrog just beautiful!)The second orientation was last weekend. Before that orientation I was only able to say that I had RYE friends, and now I can honestly call them my RYE family! We basically spent the entire weekend bonding.... although RYE FL claims it was for "cultural boot camp"! That weekend we played tons of fun and... interesting games (oh and the games usually had some multi-cultural twist that we weren't aware of at first). I don't want to say too much so that if future students end up reading this then I can't be the blame for ruining the surprises. Basically we had a psychologist (Dr. Dennis White) who specializes in culture shock come and create zillions of fun cultural difference simulations and we all had fun! This is our group picture of all the exchange students from my graduating class of RYE FL (that's right... we all graduated from cultural boot camp and we have the certificate to prove it.... it's okay you can be jealous, we understand!):
In between the two orientations, the main event for my district was the district conference. It was a two day event in May (the Rotarians are well known by us now for their perfect timing.... the Friday was an AP exam day and the Saturday was an SAT testing day... great planning!) that all of the inbounds and outbounds from my district attended. Friday was the big flag ceremony (sorry no picture :( but I wish I had one), lunch with Rotarians (very interesting!), an amazing speaker who survived polio, fun and games at the YMCA, and an insane sleepover at the YMCA.... a very busy day obviously! Saturday we woke up (with the help from a little Starbucks coffee that a nice Rotarian brought us.... the ballet room floors don't make for a good night's sleep!), did some activities, and then did a huge service project! Here's a picture of some of the group at the service project:
Aside from those 3 jumbo-events, the only other event that happened for the most part was the District 6970 language camp. All the future outbounds spent a day at a local community college with people fluent in our future languages. We practiced our speeches and learned some basic phrases.
Now.... the fun part! My new home! Beginning on June 9th, I began getting emails from my 4 host families. I won't bore you with all the personal details but here's the basics:
- Family 1: Will just be my host parents, their cat, and me. Their children all live out of the house.
- Family 2: I'm going to have a sister!!!!!! They have 3 daughters, but only 1 still lives with them (the other 2 have already moved out). My new sister is currently on exchange in Australia but will be back in time for me to live with her! They have a cat too!
- Family 3: It will just be my host parents and me. They have children but they've all moved out. The parents are both retired school teachers. They don't have any pets :( which I wanted but they were so nice about it and I think I'll absolutely love living with them (I get to be an only child for 1/2 of the year next year for the first time in my life!)
- Family 4: I will have a brother (when I first heard that I thought "oh great so much for a year without a bratty younger brother like I have now" but it's cool because I will finally have an older brother! He's 19 and sounds really nice!). Oh and the family has a dog so when I miss my doggies I can just hug their dog!
So maybe I did go a tad overboard with details that only I care about.... sorry I have a tendency to talk on and on and on (especially when I'm excited!), just ask my friends and family! But I promise I'll try (but still no guarantee) to be brief about my town....
My town(s) is Ejstrupholm (where my host families live)/ Nørre Snede (where my Rotary club meets)/ Ikast-Brande (where my school is).... it's kinda like one big town made up of these 3 tiny towns. It's a really really really small town about 35 km away from the Billund Airport (Billund is the area with Legoland theme park!) and it seems adorable. It's on central Jylland (the continental area of Denmark that shoots up above Germany). Unfortunately google images sucks and doesn't really have any pics of my town, but I promise I'll post some once I get there! For now, here's a map of Denmark and the tiny red circle is where my town is:
Until next time, Farvel!
-McKenzie B. <3
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
How it all got started
Hey everyone! So before I start blogging about my RYE (Rotary Youth Exchange) orientations and the last few months before I leave, I figured I should tell you about applying and getting my country assignment (Denmark! woohoo!!!!!).....
Let me just start off by saying that this has been a dream of mine for basically my entire life. I don't quite remember this, but my mom has always told me that when I was in 1st or 2nd grade, I told her that I wanted to be an exchange student in Europe for a year. I guess I always wanted to do it for a few reasons. When my mom was in high school, she hosted an exchange student from France for a few weeks over the summer. I still hear stories about her hosting and how they are still friends. Another reason I always wanted to do exchange was because I was always super independent and loved to travel.
So, now that you're all caught up on why I wanted to do exchange.... I'll tell you about how I actually got into a program as great as RYE Florida! One day in August during my sophomore year of high school (the past year of school), my french class was told to go to a presentation on exchange. I sat down in the auditorium and listened to the amazing Mrs. Daphne Cameron (one of the Rotarians sending me out of the country for the year) give a presentation on RYE. The whole time, I remember sitting listening to her describe all the ups and downs of exchange, I kept thinking in the back of my mind that as much as I wanted to do this, it would cost tens of thousands of dollars and my parents would never say yes.
As much as I thought about my parents saying no, I couldn't get the idea out of my mind. All day at school, I basically paid no attention to my classes (oops! I probably should've still listened in class... but it's okay it all worked out alright in the end!) and kept reading the flyer they gave us over and over.... I probably read it well over 200 times.... and I wound up memorizing it! haha
That night, I came home from school and ever so casually (can you detect the hint of sarcasm?) brought up the presentation to my mom. My mom actually laughed when I told her! She knew I wanted to do it but she (like me) figured it would be uber-expensive and said no... but then I told her it was only $4,100 and filled in all the other details. After I said this, well let's just say the laughter turned into a face I liked very much (it's that face your parents give you when they're actually thinking about maybe saying yes to something but they don't want to let you know they might say yes.... even though we can totally tell they might say yes!).
To make the super long story a little shorter, my parents agreed (and it was actually a lot easier than I thought it would be). About two weeks later (but what felt like years), I went to the parents presentation in Ponte Vedra given by Mrs. Paula Roderick (another one of those awesome Rotarians you just can't help but to love because they're being angels by giving me this miracle). How did this presentation go? Well.... let's just say that if my mom wasn't 100% convinced that RYE is the program for me, she was definitely sure after that night. It actually went so well that my application (longest set of papers I have ever had to complete in my life!!!! But then again I haven't applied to colleges yet...) was in the mail the next morning!
Okay so in my attempt to keep this short (my failed attempt... sorry!), I will skip all my nervousness and head straight to the interviews... but I can't say too much (I can't give away all the RYE FL D6970 interview secrets away)! I went to the interview, almost peed my pants because I was so scared in some of the rooms (for those of you who know what I'm talking about.... room R is evil.... but I want to be in that room 2 years from now!), and had my brain fried from answering so many questions. One the 1.5hr drive home from Daytona, I basically sat there and told my mom that the interview didn't deter me one bit and if I didn't make it in this year I would just try again and again until I either made it in or was too old! Luckily for the Rotarians, I made it in on my first try!
Then, one of the longest waits in my life began.... I had to wait about 1-2 months before I found out if I would get in!!!!!! Eventually I got my email telling me I'd been accepted, and let me just say that I have never been so happy to see an email. I still feel bad for my friends who had to listen to my screaming! I called just about everyone I know that night and I put it on facebook!
Then, one week later (almost down to the hour), I got the most amazing phone call of my life! Mr. Jody Davis (another one of those RYE angels... there's a lot of them!) called me to tell me the words "Well, McKenze.... (insert insanely long pause here).... you're going to.... (even longer pause).... DENMARK!!!!" I didn't even know how to respond. Honestly, the country didn't matter to me at that point. I was still in the happy cloud of excitement of being accepted. I was just happy to know my country!
That night, I spent HOURS on the computer researching my amazing, beautiful, new home! There was more screaming, more phone calls, and more posts on facebook!
Well... I think this is long enough for now! In my next blog I promise I'll get you up to date on my orientations, other RYE events, and finding out my host families! But for now, I just want to say "tak Rotary"!
Until next time, farvel!
-McKenzie Bolin
Let me just start off by saying that this has been a dream of mine for basically my entire life. I don't quite remember this, but my mom has always told me that when I was in 1st or 2nd grade, I told her that I wanted to be an exchange student in Europe for a year. I guess I always wanted to do it for a few reasons. When my mom was in high school, she hosted an exchange student from France for a few weeks over the summer. I still hear stories about her hosting and how they are still friends. Another reason I always wanted to do exchange was because I was always super independent and loved to travel.
So, now that you're all caught up on why I wanted to do exchange.... I'll tell you about how I actually got into a program as great as RYE Florida! One day in August during my sophomore year of high school (the past year of school), my french class was told to go to a presentation on exchange. I sat down in the auditorium and listened to the amazing Mrs. Daphne Cameron (one of the Rotarians sending me out of the country for the year) give a presentation on RYE. The whole time, I remember sitting listening to her describe all the ups and downs of exchange, I kept thinking in the back of my mind that as much as I wanted to do this, it would cost tens of thousands of dollars and my parents would never say yes.
As much as I thought about my parents saying no, I couldn't get the idea out of my mind. All day at school, I basically paid no attention to my classes (oops! I probably should've still listened in class... but it's okay it all worked out alright in the end!) and kept reading the flyer they gave us over and over.... I probably read it well over 200 times.... and I wound up memorizing it! haha
That night, I came home from school and ever so casually (can you detect the hint of sarcasm?) brought up the presentation to my mom. My mom actually laughed when I told her! She knew I wanted to do it but she (like me) figured it would be uber-expensive and said no... but then I told her it was only $4,100 and filled in all the other details. After I said this, well let's just say the laughter turned into a face I liked very much (it's that face your parents give you when they're actually thinking about maybe saying yes to something but they don't want to let you know they might say yes.... even though we can totally tell they might say yes!).
To make the super long story a little shorter, my parents agreed (and it was actually a lot easier than I thought it would be). About two weeks later (but what felt like years), I went to the parents presentation in Ponte Vedra given by Mrs. Paula Roderick (another one of those awesome Rotarians you just can't help but to love because they're being angels by giving me this miracle). How did this presentation go? Well.... let's just say that if my mom wasn't 100% convinced that RYE is the program for me, she was definitely sure after that night. It actually went so well that my application (longest set of papers I have ever had to complete in my life!!!! But then again I haven't applied to colleges yet...) was in the mail the next morning!
Okay so in my attempt to keep this short (my failed attempt... sorry!), I will skip all my nervousness and head straight to the interviews... but I can't say too much (I can't give away all the RYE FL D6970 interview secrets away)! I went to the interview, almost peed my pants because I was so scared in some of the rooms (for those of you who know what I'm talking about.... room R is evil.... but I want to be in that room 2 years from now!), and had my brain fried from answering so many questions. One the 1.5hr drive home from Daytona, I basically sat there and told my mom that the interview didn't deter me one bit and if I didn't make it in this year I would just try again and again until I either made it in or was too old! Luckily for the Rotarians, I made it in on my first try!
Then, one of the longest waits in my life began.... I had to wait about 1-2 months before I found out if I would get in!!!!!! Eventually I got my email telling me I'd been accepted, and let me just say that I have never been so happy to see an email. I still feel bad for my friends who had to listen to my screaming! I called just about everyone I know that night and I put it on facebook!
Then, one week later (almost down to the hour), I got the most amazing phone call of my life! Mr. Jody Davis (another one of those RYE angels... there's a lot of them!) called me to tell me the words "Well, McKenze.... (insert insanely long pause here).... you're going to.... (even longer pause).... DENMARK!!!!" I didn't even know how to respond. Honestly, the country didn't matter to me at that point. I was still in the happy cloud of excitement of being accepted. I was just happy to know my country!
That night, I spent HOURS on the computer researching my amazing, beautiful, new home! There was more screaming, more phone calls, and more posts on facebook!
Well... I think this is long enough for now! In my next blog I promise I'll get you up to date on my orientations, other RYE events, and finding out my host families! But for now, I just want to say "tak Rotary"!
Until next time, farvel!
-McKenzie Bolin
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