Hello everybody, here is a summary of my last month in the US!
I had a lot of things going on at the end of the school year and I had a fun time travelling around and spending time with my friends and my host families and I wanted to share it with you.
June rhyme with sun, prom, end of the school, graduation, travels…
At the beginning of the month, I got invited by my friend Sidney from the Netherland to go to her prom in Seattle. I spend the weekend with her in Poulsbo and the Saturday afternoon we went to a friend house to get ready: makeup, hair and dressed up. Once we were ready, we met the guys downtown and we took pictures by the waterfront. Then we went to an Italian restaurant and we had fun eating fancy pastas and pizzas wearing our long dresses and tuxedos.
Then we arrived in Seattle and we walked to the Art Museum where the dance took place. After we got rid of our painful shoes we danced and went to see some arts. The place was beautiful, the DJ was awesome, the atmosphere was perfect, and I just loved it. Prom in Seattle was neat and it was one of my favorite American experiences.
Then school was over and on the 14th I had graduation. The night before I went to the Baccalaureate with the seniors in a church of Olympia; I went there wearing my gown and my hat and I had fun watching other seniors performing. It was mostly songs accompanied by piano, poems and choir. It was a beautiful night and I’m always impress by how talented are the American students.
The next morning we all came to the St Martin Pavilion to practice and figured out how the real graduation was going to happen.
Graduation took place in a big room able to host about 450 hundred students and their family and friends. At 7pm the doors opened and we walked in row of four to our seats in front of the stage. Then three students did some traditional speeches, the principal showed us some pictures of the class and described different activities and good things that did the school during the year. Then the best students of the class got recognized and some performances and speeches later we finally got to walk to the stage to get our diploma. I didn’t actually got graduate but to do the all thing was a lot of fun and I loved the way that Americans give a lot importance to events like that. Another great American experience!! :D
The following weekend my host family organized for me a little grad party; my three host families, my country officer, friends and exchange students came for the afternoon and it was sweet to see them.
The week after that I went to Vancouver to visit my Canadian friend. The train ride was amazing, almost all the time on the water with a beautiful sunset.
I spent two nice days over there, we went on a bike ride, to the beach, on the Seabus, and we also visited downtown. I love this city with its huge buildings, green spaces, ocean and mountains all around. We have to see it to believe that a place like that exists!
Then I spent some time with my Finnish friend Adina. We went to Port Angeles to visit Yuna, exchange student from Japan and we spent two memorable days on the lake Sutherland. We rode the Jet Ski, inner tubing, paddle boarding, we swam and got suntan laying down on the dock. We stayed all day on a scout camp rented by a couple of families and then we slept at Yuna’s house, on the other side of the lake. It was funny to see how they actually use the boat as a transport. When they go to visit friends living on the lake they rather use the boat than go by car!
I had a wonderful time and I found Port Angeles really beautiful and charming.
The Saturday after, I went for the last time in Seattle with Adina and her second host family. The weather was beautiful and we had a lot of fun on the Great Wheel, doing gifts shopping as true tourists, having fish and chips by the waterfront, feeding seagull with French fries and going on the top on Space Needle. I really like Seattle and I’m always impressed and surprise by this city.
By leaving on July 10th, I got to experience the 3rd and 4th of July! The 3rd, I went with my family to the aunt house and we had a huge, amazing and delicious diner. I don’t have words to describe it, I will join a picture ahaha! And then we went to watch the fireworks at Boston Harbor.
For the 4th, my family hosted a nice party with a couple of families and friends of my host sister. Nice weather and good food! I also went to the beach with my first host family and we went paddle boarding by a beautiful sunset. My first 4th of July in America was great!
Otherwise I spend my remaining days hanging out with my friends, lying down on the dock, eating ice cream and thinking of my year and of my future.
This year has been amazing, I learned so much about the American culture but also about other countries. How could I have known that there are more than three millions saunas in Finland if I didn’t met a Finnish girl. How could I have known that the size of Europe can fit in the shape of Brazil? That Danish people are the happiest people on earth? Who would have tell me that Hungarians eat a lot of paprika? And that Austrians like to add pumpkin seeds oil on the top of their ice cream? These are a sample of what I learnt this year and I’m so thankful about how it has opened my mind.
I also learnt to stay positive and calm, to always say yes and be open to try new things, to risk, to make the good the choices, to find solutions, to communicate, to be sincere and to always try to give the best of myself.
This year I made some of my dreams come true, going to San Francisco was the biggest one and meeting amazing people from the whole world was a dream that I didn’t even know that I had. This year gave me new dreams; I’m coming back with a bucket list as long as my arm!
I want to thank you so much the Rotary club of Moulins and my host club, the Rotary Club of Olympia to give me this amazing opportunity to spend a year abroad. I couldn't have asked for a better year and I'm so thankful for all my new sisters and brothers from the world. A huge thank you to my three host families, thank you for all the support and thank you to make me feel at home. Washington is one of my favorite place on Earth and Olympia my second home.
Thank you so so so so much!
France is full of baguettes that you haven't eaten yet! Come to visit me in France!
Marie
Merci beaucoup!!