The last hours of 2014 are ticking by. I’m in the USA and I just played Settlers of Catan with Ethan and Hannah. I won the game with 3 Cities, 1 Settlement, the largest Army and a victory point. This morning we left our house at 7am to skate in Milwaukee. This is what I do on my day before New Year. In 8 hours it will be 2015 here. In 1 hour it will be 2015 back home.

My year started off with the National championship. Here  I got Dutch champion together with my relay team (with: Aafke Soet, Suzanne Schulting and Esmeralda Wannink) from Shorttrack Club Thialf. Overall I got 5^th. My brother also won the relay with his team.

On January 16^th, exactly a week after my 17^th birthday, I passed my drivers test. So I got my license. In the Netherlands you can start driving lessons when you’re 16,5. Then you can get your license when you are 17. The first year you’re only allowed to drive with your ‘coaches’. So I could drive with my parents. When I get 18 (January 9 2015) I can drive alone. But because I’m in The States this year and my exchange organization (AFS) doesn’t allow me to drive I have to wait until I’m back in The Netherlands (beginning of July).

Last year I was in my final year of the HAVO at my highschool in The Netherlands. We have different levels in the Netherlands. It is hard to explain but I will add an image which will hopefully explain the Dutch school system a little. But I graduated from the level I was on. Now I knew I passed school my parents allowed me to go on my exchange year. I’m not sure if they allowed me if I didn’t pass it. All my grades are really good. There was one which I could do better. You have the chance to do one of the exams again (if you graduated or not), I did this and I got my grade up 2 whole points overall. 🙂

In the beginning of the year I had a lot of preparations for my exchange year in the USA. Filling out all the papers, waiting for a hostfamily, thinking which things I would take and working a lot during the summer break to get more money. When I heard that I had my family in Oak Brook, Illinois I was really excited and I couldn’t wait to meet them!

During the summer I also stayed training for shorttrack a lot. I’m sad I have to miss my team there for a year. But here in the USA I have an awesome team too. I got information about the day that I left in the beginning of the summer. It got closer and closer and I had to say goodbye to family and friends. Which was sad.. I’ve had an goodbye party where a lot of people came. I was happy most of the people where able to come! 🙂

A week before I left I really started packing my stuff. I had a lot of stuff to take, my skating stuff (includes 3 pair of skates), clothes, and some gifts for the family. I already sent some stuff  by mail. But I still had a lot of stuff.
The evening before I left I went with my parents and brother to the Otterskooi. This is a restaurant in Giethoorn. I drove, this was the last evening I was able to drive. After we went to my grandparents to say goodbye. This was hard, that was the first moment I realized I would really be gone for almost a year. Tineke, Eleni and Lotte (friends of me) where at my home when we came home. It was really nice to spend the evening with them before departure. I didn’t expect this, it was a surprise. The next morning they brought me together with my parents and Sanne (another friend) to the airport.

Here my adventure really started!

After a night in a hotel and some orientations the first day where I already met a lot of other exchange students (who are awesome!) my hostmom, hostsister and younger hostbrother picked me up. It was really nice to meet them!  Later I met the others of the family. My hostfamily exists of a dad, mom, 3 sisters and 4 brothers.

I’m going to be an American here. It is fun to see that the schoolsystem is different. In school here you have sport teams and here I joined the Cross Country and the Track. I’ve met a lot of new people here and they are all really nice.

This year I had an American Halloween and I went trick or treating. I had Thanksgiving where we came together with the family. I introduced Sinterklaas to my family and I had a real American Christmas with a lot of presents and really nice lights in the streets.

I’ve also done really nice trips here. I went to Wichita, Kansas for a shorttrack meet where I got 3^rd. I went to Holland, Michigan to see at a Cross Country meet of Hannah and to see family and the city there. I went to Minneapolis for a longtrack meet outside. Here we also went to Mall of America where I meet up with an AFS returnee from last year. And I went to St. Louis for the Hot Chocolate run. Here we went also up in to the Arch.

I really liked all the things I experienced this year. It is awesome to live a year abroad and if people ask me if they should do a year abroad. DO IT!! This is a once in a lifetime experience and I love it!! If you want to see what I exactly did here in the USA you can read my other blogs. 🙂

My dad is going to bike up to the Alpe D’huzes next year. This is to get money for cancer research. He is still looking for people who can donate. I hope you can maybe help him. For more information about that click here or look at www.climb4hope.nl.

5 minutes left until new year in the Netherlands. Have a great 2015 everyone!! I’m sure this year will bring us a lot of great things. I will see you guys in July!! 😀

Jaayy, I’ve time for a blog again!! 🙂
It is December 27 and that means Christmas time is over. It was amazing to experience the American Christmas. But let’s start first where I ended last time in St. Louis.

So last time I wrote my blog in St. Louis. I went there with my hostmom to do the Hot Chocolate run. This run was also in Chicago. But we missed that one. I really liked the jacket that you could get with running the run. So we decided to go to St. Louis and then I could see some stuff there too. 🙂
Sunday morning December 14^th we woke up early to go to the run. We walked to the start and waited until we could start. We ran easy because we were both injured. Becky hurt her heel and my ankle hurt. We ran the 5k in a little less than 30 minutes. After we ran we got Hot Chocolate (of course) and some other stuff with chocolate. My parents (in the Netherlands) followed us running online.

I tracked too where we ran: http://runkeeper.com/user/ShorttrackGirl/activity/482653351?&activityList=false&tripIdBase36=7zcxpj

After the run my hostmom and I went back to the hotel. We took a quick shower and packed our stuff. After that we went to the Arch. This is like the thing you have to go when you are in St. Louis. It is a kind of bow. And you could go up in it. We did this. Up there you had an amazing sight on St. Louis. My mom went to St. Louis too during her exchange year in Texas in 1985/1986. I asked her to send some pictures and I tried to make the same +-30 years later.
I had a lot of fun in St. Louis. The only bad part was that I felt my ankle (the pain didn’t go away)..

The next week at school I went to ‘the trainer’ so she could check my ankle. Because it did still hurt. Because I’m in the track team of school I was able to go there. She concluded my ankle has Tendonitis. So now I have to ice it often and I have to do some exercises.

Thursday I had my first Christmas party from the skating. We went after practice (which I didn’t do because of my ankle) to a pizza place. I taught some of my team the cardgame ‘stressen’. They are getting good in it. They call the game: cards don’t care. Just because I said ‘It doesn’t care’ for a rule instead of ‘it doesn’t matter’. But now I know how to say it good. 😉

Friday was my second Christmas party at Nicole’s. We had hot chocolate, did a scarf exchange and watched elf. Hannah and I had to leave a little earlier because Hannah had to get up early for a skating meet the next day. So we only saw the half of the movie. My winter break also started on Friday.

Saturday was my third Christmas party (yes, I had a lot of Christmas parties haha). This time it was of the family on the Bosman side (so the side of my hostdad). We all came together and ate. We also watched the Blackhawks game. Unfortunately they lost.. But it was really close.
*note: The Blackhawks is the (ice)hockey team of Chicago. They’re awesome!! GO BLACKHAWKS!!

I went skating in Chicago with other Exchange students on Monday. It was a lot of fun. I brought my own hockeyskates. So I didn’t have to wait to rent skates. I took a lot of pictures. It was rainy that day so I got wet. Luckily it wasn’t that cold. I went back with Eviny (Brazil) in the train. She lives really close to me and I didn’t know that. But now I know. 🙂

When the train arrived my hostdad did bring me to a laser game place for the birthday party of Jan-Eric. I came in halfway the 2nd game and I got last with 1 point that game. I played the 3rd (and last) game really good. I got 4th (out of 13?) with somewhere in the 400 points. I didn’t expect I would finish that high. It was fun to do. After that we went home. I was tired after a long day full with fun stuff.

It was Christmas Eve on Wednesday. We wrapped the last presents and put them under the tree. There was a big difference between the wrapping of me and my hostdad. I think I wrapped a little bit better. The present I wrapped is left and the one my hostdad did is on the right side.

In the evening we started the movie ‘It’s a wonderful life’. My hostfamily watches this every year on Christmas eve. Half way we had to pause the movie so we could pick up Tessa from the airport. This is one of my hostsisters. She lives in California and she came home for the break. It was nice that I could finally meet her!! When we came back we finished the movie. I think it is a nice tradition to do. So maybe I will watch it next year again! 🙂

And then it was Thursday, the day of CHRISTMAS!! In the morning I woke up because I heard people laughing and talking. I dressed and went sitting with the rest of the family. First we opened our stockings. This a big sock with small presents in it. After that my younger hostbrother Micah got the presents from under the tree. There were a lot of presents. It was really fun. In the Netherlands Christmas isn’t that big. With my family we might have some small presents but not as many as here.  I got an awesome onesie (which looks like a polar bear), a sportshoodie, an US speedskating t-shirt, a hat with I <3 USA, gloves with on the right hand GO and on the left hand USA and some other stuff.

After that we tried to redo a picture of the family they made in 2001. I think the new picture (made by me) is pretty good. 🙂
Then we went walking at Graue Mill with the whole family. Ponce could go with us too. It was a while ago that he went somewhere else. So he was really excited. At Graue Mill we made some family pictures.

When we came back we skyped with my parents. It was fun to nice to talk with them and to ‘see’ them again. Here a picture my dad made during the skype:

My class ring came also back in the post. I sent it back to the factory because the paint wasn’t 100% good. Now it is good and I’m happy I sent it back. I got also a hat made by my hostmom. It is really colorful. So now I have enough hats. I lost my hat that I did bring from the Netherlands before. So I didn’t have a hat.
In the evening we went walking in the neighborhood. Me in my polar bear onesie, hot chocolate jacket, my colorful hat and the colorful running shoes I bought here and my camera haha. I won’t be surprised if people think I’m crazy. I made some pictures with the nice Christmas lights. Here are some pictures.

In the evening we watched old home movies. There were a lot of really funny parts. Like my hostbrother who just learned how to walk getting a (toy) car for his first birthday. And he drove against everything. Haha

Yesterday I went up to Milwaukee again for practice. It was an easy practice. I have a lot of times that I get dizzy and luckily I didn’t had that. Of course I had something else. My blade got loose so I had to go off the ice to make it again. After that I went on the ice again to finish the practice.
When we got home Hannah and I made some ‘knieperties’. This is like a thin waffle. In the Netherlands we make this every year around Christmas and new year. The machine didn’t work like it has to. So we didn’t make all. It took a long time.

Today I should go to Milwaukee for practice. But when my alarm went off I was really tired so I decided to stay home. This was a good choice. I slept for 3 more hours. I don’t know sure what the plans are for next weeks. I know Tuesday we will have another family party (from my hostmom her side) and I will probably go to Milwaukee. Monday Eviny and maybe Ana (both from Brazil) will come over. I’m planning to go in spring break to Hawaii. So I’m really looking forward to that.

Have a great new year everyone!!

*5 days until 2015
*13 days until my birthday
*91 days until Hawaii
*+- 184 days left in the USA