Cancun is perfect and beautiful in every way. I wish I could have stayed longer but no amount of time would have been enough. Cancun is a paradise like no other and better than I could have ever imagined. To make Cancun even better I spent it with 71 of the worlds best exchange students from around the world. It was such a wonderful and beautiful place to meet all the other students in my district. I now have 71 new friends from multiple different countries although over half of our students are from Brasil and Germany. In our district there are 5 other students from the USA and they are pretty darn great!
I think my favorite part about Cancun other than the people was getting to swim in the warm water of the Caribbean. It was the first time I have ever seen it let alone swim in it and I did it without knowing haha. When someone told me it was the Caribbean I was so excited I just started jumping and hugging them.
Other than Cancun with school, friends, and after school activities I have found myself quite the busy little girl although I like to think you are never busy enough until you can't possibly fit any more into your schedule. I have recently been talked into something called Miss JeanPi. Miss JeanPi, for the majority of you who do not know, is like Miss America but for my school, and it's a really big deal. When I signed up for this, I was so beyond terrified. It was so out of my comfort zone to be the center of attention and to speak in front of a crowd, PLUS IT WAS IN A DIFFERENT LANGUAGE! However, Miss JeanPi has turned out to be one of the best experiences here and it's just getting started. I am so happy that with this exchange I keep pushing myself out of my comfort zone. It is allowing me to do some many things I would never have had the courage to do in the USA. I have found that here I have been able to come completely out of my shell. After all, I do have to make mistakes and get laughed at daily because of the "learning a new language" thing. In the beginning I was thinking of Miss JeanPi as alternative Prom for me this year.... WELL I was wrong. This year Miss JeanPi is a serious show. We are dancing, talking, and in character the WHOLE time. This is incredibly difficult and stressful for the girls who speak fluent Spanish so imagine how I feel. Although it has been a struggle it is building such character in me and making me all around more outgoing and okay with myself. One thing I love about Miss JeanPi is getting to parade around a big stage with some girls I have become very close with while eveyone is cheering for us and supporting us while we get to wear various extravagant costumes and dresses. It is a day for us to be on top of the world and I am so very excited for it.
I am so grateful for my amazing friends here. They have supported me through every up and down I have had here and every situation where I don't know what to say they help me through it. I am honestly thankful for every single friend I have met here because there are just so many of them and they are so patient with me and even when they laugh at my Spanish I know that they really want to help me learn. one thing that makes my friends here so amazing is that they want to help me to have the best exchange experience possible. They are always inviting me to go with them to try new foods, and see new places in the city, and even though I have only been able to go with my friends once they still continue to ask me to go with them.
I am also so grateful for my rotary clubs here and in the USA. They have been wonderful and so supportive to me. Always asking me how I am doing and I can tell they are truly concerned. I have truly been blessed with such an amazing and supportive group of clubs who always are there for me. Also for the AMAZING FOREVER friends I have met who are other exchange students and who are dealing with all of this at the same time as me.
I could never be more thankful to The Rotary Club Of Salem for sponsoring my exchange, and to the Dallas Rotary Club for treating me as one of their own, also to the Rotary Club Villahermosa Olmeca for taking me in for this amazing year. I am eternally grateful for this experience that is so wonderful.
USA students in Rotary District 4195
Johanna, a girl from Finland, and I in Cancun
The most adorable little animal everrrr
Representing USA at the beach in Cancun
WHITE SAND
I really love Cancun
The wind did not cooperate so well...
Darn Wind
Barbara, from Brasil, and Toko, from Japan as we head of the the beach in Cancun
Small cup of coffee or is Ina, from Germany, a GIANT?
Being a tourist
Palapa getting prepared for the Mexican Fiesta
We may be sideways but we are still pretty cool like this
Ugh Cancun could you be more beautiful???
Rotarians can be silly too
My new found Finnish friends
Other than Cancun with school, friends, and after school activities I have found myself quite the busy little girl although I like to think you are never busy enough until you can't possibly fit any more into your schedule. I have recently been talked into something called Miss JeanPi. Miss JeanPi, for the majority of you who do not know, is like Miss America but for my school, and it's a really big deal. When I signed up for this, I was so beyond terrified. It was so out of my comfort zone to be the center of attention and to speak in front of a crowd, PLUS IT WAS IN A DIFFERENT LANGUAGE! However, Miss JeanPi has turned out to be one of the best experiences here and it's just getting started. I am so happy that with this exchange I keep pushing myself out of my comfort zone. It is allowing me to do some many things I would never have had the courage to do in the USA. I have found that here I have been able to come completely out of my shell. After all, I do have to make mistakes and get laughed at daily because of the "learning a new language" thing. In the beginning I was thinking of Miss JeanPi as alternative Prom for me this year.... WELL I was wrong. This year Miss JeanPi is a serious show. We are dancing, talking, and in character the WHOLE time. This is incredibly difficult and stressful for the girls who speak fluent Spanish so imagine how I feel. Although it has been a struggle it is building such character in me and making me all around more outgoing and okay with myself. One thing I love about Miss JeanPi is getting to parade around a big stage with some girls I have become very close with while eveyone is cheering for us and supporting us while we get to wear various extravagant costumes and dresses. It is a day for us to be on top of the world and I am so very excited for it.
A view looking down from the second story of my school out to part of where we get to enjoy our breaks
Some of my friends participating in Miss JeanPi after our first time speaking in front of our school
As we were going shopping for one of our dresses
Practicing our dance for Miss JeanPi
I am so grateful for my amazing friends here. They have supported me through every up and down I have had here and every situation where I don't know what to say they help me through it. I am honestly thankful for every single friend I have met here because there are just so many of them and they are so patient with me and even when they laugh at my Spanish I know that they really want to help me learn. one thing that makes my friends here so amazing is that they want to help me to have the best exchange experience possible. They are always inviting me to go with them to try new foods, and see new places in the city, and even though I have only been able to go with my friends once they still continue to ask me to go with them.
Me, my friend from Finland, and our friend "learning" in class
So happy that I have such a good friend who is also an exchange student and is in my school
Nicolas and Victor!
My group of 3rd semester is by far the craziest
Charitoooooo
friends of History of Art for 3rd semester
friends o history of art for 5th Semester
WE. ARE. CUTE.
We make good masks in History of Art
I am also so grateful for my rotary clubs here and in the USA. They have been wonderful and so supportive to me. Always asking me how I am doing and I can tell they are truly concerned. I have truly been blessed with such an amazing and supportive group of clubs who always are there for me. Also for the AMAZING FOREVER friends I have met who are other exchange students and who are dealing with all of this at the same time as me.
One of the rotarians gave the other exchange students and I the opportunity to go to a party at his house on the gulf
The other exchange students and I enjoying the gulf
Some of the exchange students after falling of "the banana" which is a large floaty that holds I believe 6 or 7 people and you are pulled behind a boat. It is so fun!
The walk for peace we got to do with Rotaract
Exchange students hold my heart
I love when I get time with my exchange friends (Bowling)
fyi: Bowling is so fancy here
Rotary meetings!!!
I could never be more thankful to The Rotary Club Of Salem for sponsoring my exchange, and to the Dallas Rotary Club for treating me as one of their own, also to the Rotary Club Villahermosa Olmeca for taking me in for this amazing year. I am eternally grateful for this experience that is so wonderful.
Miscellaneous photos :)
Villahermosa is sooooo pretty
Host dad is BRAVE
Me and Claudia enjoy to take selfies with ancient artifacts
monkeys are cute
My favorite Italian girl! TACOS ARE SO GOOD
More tacos. sorry not sorry. they are heaven
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