valerie-usa-blog

[valerie-usa-blog]

The End

Okay here I am back home in Germany. I came home a few days ago and it still doesn't feel real to be back. My experience I made and my time I had in Florida should be all over now ? It is very difficult to explain my feelings in the moment but it is between happy and sad because I am super happy to be back home seeing all my family and friends but I also miss the people back in Florida a lot. The time I was there went by to fast. I couldn't do all the things I wanted to but I think I still made the best of it. I made life time friends and I got more self-confident and I think I am ready for the next years.

TPC - it is a very famous golf tournament in Jacksonville and me and my friends went there to see all of the players and to meet the rest half of the school. It was a really sunny and warm day so we just stayed for 2 hours.

THE BASEBALL TEAM- So during my semester we had Baseball season and in the beginning of the I didn't know anything about it and in the end I understood it and our Team won States which is so awesome. Proud of y’all.

SPRING GAME-That was a crazy night for me. I finally went out for a football game. Bolles is knowing for their good team spirit on Campus and the field so it wasn't surprising me anymore that we won. The guys did so well and it was so much fun to watch. This event was cool and unforgettable and I wish my team the best for the next season starting in August.

DITS- It was to hot ! Dancing in the Streets is a fun festival at the beach side where everyone is dancing till the drops of your sweat is falling into your eyes. This year a lot of people went and we had a good time.

BENTO SURPRISE- It was the greatest surprise ever. It was almost time to say good bye and Summer asked me out for dinner to go to Bento one more time because it was my favorite place to go. So when she picked me up and we arrived at Bento she had flowers for me and when I got in all the girls were waiting and I was so surprised and happy. We had a great dinner and I am so blessed to know all these young great ladies.

BENTO MENU- this was always favorite thing to order.

GRADUATION- Bolles Graduation was so cool. All the girls had to wear white and the boys a blue suit. It was a nice ceremony by the river side and after everyone took pictures. Above are some sisters from the dorms and below Gabby who is a Senior graduated from Bolles this year.

BEACH DAYS-  the last days in Florida I went to the beach a few times and he was with me sometimes. West is my only brother between 26 girls and he was a gift for me. He is awesome and I miss him so much already. Cutest freshman ;).

Summer she is my sister and my best friend I could write pages about her and our friendship but this isn't the time for it so I just say “ I love you and I miss you so much “.  FOREVER.

BYE BYE- Than it was time my flight back to Germany it was probably the worst travel time ever in my life because I couldn't stop crying. It was so sad to leave the time I had behind and my friends I made. I loved the time and I will keep all the memories in my mind.

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Almost Over

Today is May 8, and it is time for a new Update from my semester in Jacksonville, Florida. I had a lot of fun the past few weeks and enjoyed every single day. That feeling to wake up in the morning and to think about to learn one new word and to know it will be a good one is amazing. 

Above is Summer she is the most amazing person I ever met she became like a sister for me over this time and I know that our relationship will stay for a very very long time. I never had this person in my life that is always there for me and share every fun moment with me and just gives you the feeling of being a good person. Thanks b !! 

MY WIFE !!  So this is a funny story Ingrid and I are like soulmates. We had to struggle with the same issue in the beginning of the semester and finally we became roommates and it’s the best thing that could have happen to us. We are sharing the most time together and there is always a reason to laugh. She is just a great and pretty little woman. I love her.

Trip to Gainesville 

This people you can see above are just the greatest. So what happened.. Dylan Schreiner the brother of Summer had his graduation from the UF. It was so great  that they asked me to come with them. The actually graduation was really emotional and overwhelming. The hole Basketball stadium was full of parents friends and students and on the field over 500 students sitting in their chair waiting for their call to get on stage. It took 2 hours to honor all of them and after we had a great meal with his closest friends and family. This weekend was so nice and Family Schreiner became like a second Family for me. The way how Summers mum treats me is just feeling so good and it helps me not to miss my mum so much. They are always there for me and it is gonna be so hard to say “goodbye “. 

My little sweety Chloe 

She is the cutest freshman I met in this semester we met at the tennis courts and now we are swork bodies. I love to spend time with her and how we push each other in the gym. If you read this “ I love you and you will be a very powerful and pretty woman”. 

Last weekend I went to Amelia Island it was my first time there and it is just a real cute and peaceful place to spend time. I was able to explore the Scrimp festival it was so much fun and the sun was so bright and the day was full of happy moments. I wish I could go there again and check out the little shops and spend some time over there. 

To be honest now.. this Campus is the prettiest ever. I took this shoot during activies, it is a break of 30 mins during the school day. As you know I am in Florida and the weather is getting really nice so now we are hanging out at the tables outside and enjoy the sunshine between classes.  GATORS TIME !!! 

This picture makes me feel like a 4 years old because I finally made it to a big Football stadium in the States. I went to the UF in Gainesville with Summer and her family and the time I entered the Stadium I was flashed how big this field really is.  I ran up on the highest point of the seats and took a deep breath and just enjoyed this moment which I will never forget. Imagine a game with all the players and cheerleaders and fans from each team just makes me think about how excited I am about our spring game which is coming soon. 

I see myself growing and exploring new things I would never have done before the feeling of growing up is great and makes me proud and I am proud of myself and happy that I am who I am right now. Thanks to all the people who helped me to figure out who I am. My time in Florida is almost over and it is time to thing about what will happen next I have some things in my head that I really want to happen soon.. but now I have around 3 ½ weeks left. 

XX VAL 

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April

This post will be a longer one because April is a month full of new adventures and memories. 

Where should I start ?! Maybe with friends, I got damn good friends here in America. I just want to say thank you to the people who give me power and love everyday. Thanks for giving me a chance to show you who I am and thank you for let me be myself everytime. 

TENNIS 

Well our team had some great weeks. We had senior night and we won Districts which means that maybe we all go to States which will be in Orlando and I am sure we can make it through States .. GO DOGS !! I’m proud to be a part of the greatest team I have ever joined. 

PROM-2017 

Oh ya You read it right.. I went to Prom and it was better than I ever image. The day of Prom I went to the hair dresser and I got ready with some friends and I was really happy with the finish. I was ready to glow that night. When I came home to the dorms I was getting nervous and nervous.. I jumped in my dress and but the last glow and shine in my face and then it was time. We took some pictures before I left and when we arrived at the picture place my knees were shaking because I was so excited. After 20 mins I was nervous again because my date didn’t arrived and I wasn’t sure if he would but finally he did and then I met his parents and her sister. After a while we took all the pictures and got some snacks. My group and I took a party’s to the location were our Prom was. It was soon beautiful out there we were in the 35th floor and the view was just amazing! The whole night I couldn’t stop smiling because I was just flashed and happy about my situation. I danced the hole time with all my friends and we had a great time on the floor. At 11 pm we all had to leave and the real fun began. Afterparty… I tell you guys it was fun lot of fun and what happened at the afterparty stays at the afterparty. LOL The morning after we went to breakfast in St. Marco and then during noun I came back home and took a huge nap. I just say to myself : “My damn big dream came true and it was perfect ! “ 

SWEET 16 

Yes I am 16 now, it was a great day and I couldn’t image it better. I had a very nice cake which my host mum gave to me and the girls were sining for me. The hole day people came to me and hugged me and I was just happy. I got some very cute gifts and my team gave me a poster with some quotes on and it is just  amazing to see that some people really love you. Thank you again for all ppl who made my bday unforgettable. My ride home was so much fun. I got some gifts from germany too and I started crying when I opened all the letters from my little cousins and my friends back home. 

EASTER BREAK 

We had some days off and they could have been better for me I went out a lot of time and hang out with friends. Road trips … Town Center… Beach. Being with friends over breaks is just the funniest time you can have. I also watched my first baseball game and to be honest I don’t understand it maybe because of the guys wearing their damn cute uniforms and my eyes didn’t watch the game they prefer watching the guys…. LOL !! Anyway that night went out going to the beach and having a cool time. 

EASTER SUNDAY

This day will always be in my memories I spend the hole day with Fam Schreiner and we went to church which was another great experience for me I love to know other countries styles of celebrating Easter. It was really jazzy! After church we had a very good dinner and we laughed. For dessert we had a cake and the cake was for me a birthday cake. I was so happy that they did that for me. We spend the hole day together and it just felt like I was home. This family is just amazing and god bless them! Summer is become a sister for me and her parents kind of second parents for me. I am so thankful. 

HORSE RANCH 

The dorms and I went to a horse ranch and it was a great feeling to sit on a horse again after a while I used to ride a horse back home so I enjoyed the time on the back of mine. The weather was really sunny so I kinda got a sunburn but it was worth it. 

ALL IN ALL 

I can’t believe that there are just 6 more weeks of this semester and my time is going to end in Jacksonville. I am looking forward to the next weeks and I think they gonna be awesome. 

XX VAL 

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Spring Break

Finally !!  We had Spring break and it was awesome! 

One big thing before I start telling you about my break something really big happened the week before. I was asked to go to Prom and I swear nobody can imagine how much that means to me. A very very big dream came true and I can't wait to wear my dress and to have fun. 

So in Spring Break I went to Key Biscayne, Miami with my mum she came all the way from Germany and I was so happy to see her again after my first term in Jacksonville. We went to some really nice places in Miami with some friends and we had a great time. 

2 days in the week we went to the Miami Open it is a huge International Tennis tournament and it was great to see and meet all the great players. I hugged Nadal ! I was freaking out ! 

Another day we went shopping in this huge malls all around miami and I got some really cute stuff there anyway.. My mum and I had a really great and fun time in Spring break and I was so thankful all the time for the things she did to me. 

The last night before I had to go back to Jacksonville we slept in a  nice hotel and the pool was just as huge as a football court lol :O!! 

All in all I had the perfect Spring Break for 2017 and I am really looking forward for the next weeks coming up... 

SOS ! I have just 10 more weeks of school and then it is Summer !!! 

[valerie-usa-blog]

Season and life dreams

I moved on and now it is almost half term for me.. I don’t even want to think about that this amazing journey will end. We have March, 12 and there is just one more month and I will be 16. There are less then three months and I will be back in Germany and there are just 4 days left till Spring break!! 

Isn’t that crazy ? I mean the time is flying.. 

 I was in Orlando with my Tennis Team and we went on a very cool and big Tennis Campus and it was a pleasure to play on the courts. When we were on our way back to Jacksonville the coach surprised us and she told us we will go to Universal. I was freaking out because it was my first time and we had so much fun. I was so happy and thankful to have another big dream come true. 

Last friday we had a very cool activity which calls  "farmers market” on our campus and it was so cool. There were animals we were able to pet and lots of good food. 

One thing I am learning for my life since I came here is to make the best of each day, to make all the little beautiful things as huge as possible and to push the bad moments away because we just have one life to live. When you know that there is an end of a journey you’ll enjoy everyday as much as you can. 

Being a new person in a completely different culture and country is really difficult sometimes but you grow with every problem you went through and it just makes you more confident and more mature and I am really happy to say I make some friends for live. I met this one person here who makes me smile everyday and this feeling is so amazing. 

[valerie-usa-blog]

February

February was/is a very emotional month. I never had a situation like this before. We lost a friend, we played for him and we miss him. #weloveyoupat #restinpeace

 After this happened everyone were so sad and we had some hard days but we are one big family and we got through that together and nobody was alone and I want to say thank you for everyone. I wasn’t expecting that something like this is possible, our community is so special and great. Next big thing in February is my team, tennis team. We had our first games and we won all of them and I am so proud to be a part of this Team and we will rock the season. 

VALENTINE’S DAY !!!! That was a special day too. Everyone got a donut and I got so much candy I still have them. I was happy to have a Valentines Day in America because it is so much better than in Germany. The reason why ? Everyone is lovely to everyone it doesn’t matter if you know them or not it is a day of love and it reminds you to be thankful and lovely everyday in your life cause it is so much better to be happy and together than sad and alone. 

SUPERBOWL !!! It was a super funny night we got a lot of food I remember that I wasn’t able to walk because I ate so much. I think we had food for 100 people and we were like 30 LOL. The game was incredible, they made history on the field and the halftime break was so cool ! LADY GAGA smashed it ! 

CAMPING IN GEORGIA !!! It was a fun time in Georgia we slept all together in one big room, 22 girls in one room. We walked through the woods and had fun riding the bikes but it was to hot so we spent the rest of the day in our house. In the night we had a nice fire with marshmallow and everything you need for a good evening. 

FORMAL 2K17 !!! It was an amazing night and I will never forget it. It was a dream from me to go to an american day some day in my life and my dream came true. We got ready during the day and I was so excited about the night that the time was flying and then it was time to leave. First we were in the gym in our school and we danced a lot. It was so f****** hot on the dance floor. It felt like you’ve been in a steam sauna haha. So after that a group of friends and I took a Partybus to a friends house and then we had a great time at her house. I will never forget this night and I am so thankful for the person who made it possible for me to made the greatest memories which I will always remember.

BEACH DAY!!! So after the formal night we went to the beach and it was the first time for me since I am in Jacksonville so I was very happy to go. The water was shocking  cold but the weather was good and I took a nap in the sun and relaxed. 

I am very excited about the next few weeks.... 

[valerie-usa-blog]

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Angekommen/ Arrived

Nun ist es fast 1 Monat her, dass ich nach Jacksonville gekommen bin. Es füllt sich so an, als wäre ich schon 2 Monate hier. Ich bin angekommen und fühle mich super wohl. Alle Menschen mit den ich meine Zeit verbringe, sind super herzlich und lustig. Da ich im Internat bin, habe ich immer Menschen um mich herum. Wir sind 25 junge Mädchen, die jeden Tag irgendwas neues Enddecken und jede Menge Spaß haben. Die Schule hier ist auch echt klasse, die Lehrer sind extrem freundlich und helfen dir WIRKLICH, wenn du was nicht verstanden hast. 

Ein typischer Tagesablauf von mir startet mit einem kleinen Frühstück, dann mit dem Bus zum Campus. Wir haben immer 30 min, bevor die erste Stunde anfängt und dann geht es los… nach den ersten beiden Stunden haben wir wieder 30 min Pause, wo man in die Canteen kann oder einfach nur in der Sonne Chillen kann. Nach den so genannten “Activities” habe ich Life Management Skills, dieses Fach ist echt sehr informativ und hilfreich, man bekommt coole Typs und unsere Klasse ist auch eine sehr gute Gemeinschaft. Danach habe ich Mittagspause… man trifft sich mit seinen Freunden und isst und quatscht und entspannt ein wenig. Jetzt beginnt der schlimmste Teil naja es geht. Ich habe Französisch,Englisch und Foundation Arts. Mein Schultag ist endlich vorbei. Jetzt ist es Zeit für den Sport. Ich habe von Montag bis Freitag jeden Tag 2 Stunden Tennis. Bevor ich mit dem Training anfangen, gehe ich zu meinem Physio, der mich jeden Tag fit hält bzw. massiert oder Krämpfe löst. Nach dem Training bin ich echt kaputt .. ich fahre wieder nach Hause und esse Abendbrot. Jetzt ist es ungefähr 19.30 Uhr. Nun beginnt der Abend, ich mache Hausaufgaben, chill mit den Mädels, gucke Netflix …. 

Am Wochenende ist immer sehr viel los. Es gibt Basketball Spiele, die immer sehr aufregend sind. Wir gehen shoppen, ins Kino oder einfach nur ein entspannter Abend mit ganz viel Essen. An einem Wochenende waren wir Schlittschuh laufen und an dem anderen im Jump House…

Ein Tag bin ich mit einer Freundin und ihrer Mutter nach St. Augustine gefahren. Sie haben mir sehr viele schöne Orte gezeigt und wir hatten eine tolle Zeit. St. Augustine ist die älteste Stadt in den Staaten und somit auch sehr kulturell. 

Die Zeit verläuft wie im Flug und ich bin super happy hier. Es ist toll so viele neue Erfahrungen zu sammeln und ich bin sehr gespannt, was noch alles auf mich zukommt. 

Amerikanische Spezialitäten:Chick-Fill-A, Cupcake und Smoothie 

Guys I can’t believe that my first month is almost over. Time is flying! My first weeks in Jacksonville been so awesome. I love all my ‘sisters’ in the dorms, we are like a big big family and I am very thankful for everything. The mummi’s are the best, they work as a team and they give the best to make us happy… like a evening with chick-fill-A or going out on the weekend. The school is so much more fun than in Germany. The people are so open and friendly and I think my next 4 months will be so much fun. A few weeks ago I was at a American Basketball game for my first time and it was soo good. Everybody was cheering for our team and the people were screaming.. it was amazing.  The american guys are very different than the german haha we will see… So next month I will have my first and last Formal and I am very exited. I will go with my friends and I think we will have a very  nice evening. I made the Tennis Team and I very looking forward to our season it’s gonna be awesome. 

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