Our Happily Ever After...

Welcome to Epcot... What a beautiful day!

Wow... Look at all the countries!

Planning for the day...

Meeting Captain Hook and his first mate...

Of course we had to meet Mickey one last time

Our last photo as a group... We don't want to leave!

Larissa (Brazil) and Joe (South Korea) find a spot to watch the fireworks show

And there was a spinning, glowing World in the middle of the lake

 Rebecca (Germany) writing a letter in a new friend's notebook

We don't want to say goodbye!

To the top off our amazing trip, we ended it with an awesome day in Disney’s Epcot. The first thing we noticed was the gigantic golf ball placed in the center of the park- It was actually bigger than we all thought. In small groups we explored the rides first- some went on a Mission: Space, others participated in Test Track. We felt so awesome and special every time we got a fast pass and skipped lines (which were up to 120 minute waits). The people were jealous. Due to the fact that the park was busy, we couldn’t ride Soarin' together, but once more fast passes helped us to see it in small groups. 

After trying every ride we all started an expedition into strange foreign countries: Germany, Norway, Mexico, China, Japan, France, Italy, United Kingdom, Morocco, Canada, and the United States of America. Some exchange students felt at home in their country and showed others their native home. It was a pretty good day for everyone to say goodbye.

At the end of the day, we all stayed at the park and watched a really nice fireworks show. There was a globe with an LED screen covering all the continents which showed different pictures of people and landscapes. It was a wonderful way to end our time together and we enjoyed every minute.

We wanted to hold on to the day, so we stayed up as late as we could signing shirts and notebooks and talking about the trip and going home....

Thanks everyone for making the trip so special and thanks to all who made it happen!

See you again we hope, so: Until next time!

Lukas- Germany

Larissa- Brazil

ANIMAL KINGDOM & HOLLYWOOD STUDIOS!

Welcome to Animal Kingdom! This is the Tree of Life...

 Larissa (Brazil) admiring the tree, which has over 300 animals carved into it

On SAFARI at Animal Kingdom!

A bunch of us in Dinoland

Amy and Miu at Star Tours at Hollywood Studios!

Malte, Lucas (Germany) and Pedro (Mexico) stand in front of a street in "Hollywood"

These girls were enjoying the beautiful day!

And of course we got a group photo with Mickey's hat in the background!

Hi!

First, we went to Animal Kingdom. We got there and we broke into groups and had a tour of the park (the tourist parts and the work areas). Our tour guides got us into all the rides with fast passes, so we didn't have to wait at all in the lines for Everest Expedition or for the Kilimanjaro Safari. We saw some animals that we recognized- lions, zebras, elephants- and may animals we had never seen before- Thompson's gazelle, wildebeests, and others we can't even name! We even got up close to a giraffe, who was crossing the path and standing right next to our truck. We were like, "hi, giraffe!" We also saw some rhinos, hippos and flamingos. It was really cool because the area we went to was very open and the animals were free to roam around; they weren't in cages or anything. It seemed like a real African safari!
Then we were free to ride the rides on our own and see the rest of the park. We loved the Kali River Rapids because it was a fun ride and it made us soaking wet!!! We were all cooled off and it was great... Some of us saw a Lion King show and others went on Dinosaur- a virtual ride...

We grabbed lunch and met at the Tree of Life to look at that and then leave for Hollywood Studios. The Twilight Zone's Hollywood Tower of Terror was AWESOME! We screamed so much and we were surprised every time it went up or down... It was scary, but we liked it. A lot of us bought the picture from the ride because our faces were too funny. We also liked the Rock'n Roller Coaster because it had loops, went fast and was int he dark! So fun! We ate dinner at the park, too. Some of us had turkey legs and we felt like we were eating like beasts because it was a huge piece of meat on the bone... Then we went to see Beaty and the Beast :P They performed all the music from the movie. It was super nice...Some of us also went to the 3-D Toy Story ride and Star Tours 3-D simulation ride...We had fun just seeing the Hollywood theme around the park.

We had a lot of fun today and were happy to be together! We are excited about tomorrow even though we are sad that it will be our last day together!

Mi So & Amy (Ha Eun)- South Korea

June 19, 2011 - A Magical Day at the Magic Kingdom

Day 11. Disney is a place in the world that everybody wants to go. Being able to visit the Magic Kingdom today is like a dream come true. It’s an awesome place filled with imagination. It’s impossible to be anything but happy there and you forget about everything else but living in the moment and having fun with your friends.

In the morning, we took a monorail to the park. Everyone was so excited and ready to explore! The first thing we did was see Mickey Mouse’s 4-D orchestra. It was cute...it made us feel like a little kid again!

The “It’s a small world” ride is so awesome because it’s the place where you can feel really peaceful and appreciate the world. It also makes me think about what I can do to make our world better for everyone in the world.

Most of the students said they loved the “Pirate of the Caribbean Ride”. It was super cool!! And so was Splash Mountain. We got a little bit wet but it was really fun. Next stop was Tomorrowland which we got on Space Mountain, PeopleMover, Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin, and Monster, Inc. Laugh Floor. I loved all of the rides.

A lot of us went on Space Mountain together...we were SUPER loud waiting in line but it was so much fun!

Afterwards, we watched a “Party in the Street Parade.” At the end, we got to join the parade!!! We sang and danced in the street with the characters...it was amazing and so much fun.

Nightime in the Magic Kingdom is so fantastic. Everybody had been waiting for this for a long time...and now we know why. It is so awesome. First there was the Main Street Electrical Parade. It was fascinating to see the lights and smiling faces of everybody. Everybody’s eyes lit up too, everybody was having a great time!

The night ended with a lights show on the castle, and then fireworks. We couldn’t help but cry because it was so beautiful. It reminded us of all our memories from the past year and made us appreciate everyone who took part in our exchange year. The fireworks help bring out all the love and happiness we have for everyone. Experiencing this together is something we will always keep as a memory forever.

We want to say thank you to our leader Emily, and the whole staff. Without you we couldn’t have this awesome trip and we all appreciate her for her support, and her jokes too!

Bring from Thailand & Kairi from Japan

 On the monorail "We're going to Disney World!"

 After getting soaked on Splash Mountain

 Outside of Space Mountain

 Here we go...!

 Simply magical

Donald Duck (or Lucy from China)

June 18, 2011 - Greetings from Orlando!

Something amazing happens when 52 exchange students from around the world travel down the East Coast. The time is filled with lots of stories, lots of laughter, and lifelong friendships formed in a matter of minutes.

Today was a travel day to our last stop: Orlando, FL. The students are excited to spend the last few days of the trip celebrating the diverse friendships and exciting adventures they have experienced over the past year.

Stay tuned to hear about our trip to the Magic Kingdom tomorrow!

Belo Staff

June 17, 2011 - Myrtle Beach!!!

Yesterday, we traveled from Washington DC to South Carolina! It was a very very fun trip because not only did we have funny movies to watch, but our whole trip is so easy going, social, and funny that the trip just cannot be boring with these people. Even sitting in one seat on a bus, you still enjoy the time so much.

We stopped in Virginia for lunch. It felt like we were in the middle of nowhere but still there was something special about the place because we were all there together.

Once we arrived in Myrtle Beach – it was so so hot, but we were all so excited. When I saw all the palm trees I was so inspired...it felt like we were in Hollywood or something! We ate dinner at a restaurant that had delicious food.

After dinner, some people went to see movies at the movie theater, and others came back to the hotel to swim at the pool. It was a great day and a great night!

Today was one of the best days of my entire life. It was so amazing. Myrtle Beach is a beach town and the atmosphere is incredible. It is like out of a movie...lots of stores, sand, and ocean.

We spent the day in the ocean – the waves were so much fun to play in and jump. We swam so much. We also played soccer, Frisbee, volleyball, even beach baseball!!! Some of us went shopping...and a few of us even went on a giant ferris wheel so we could get a bird’s eye view of the beach! We were sunbathing and it felt so wonderful! We took tons of pictures – and jumped a lot in the sand. Myrtle Beach is the best beach I’ve ever been to, it has a perfect mix of natural beauty and exciting city life.

After some time at the hotel to get ready for the night, we went to Broadway at the Beach. Here, we could walk along the boardwalk with lots of stores and shops, play mini golf, go the aquarium...there was one building that just astonished me...it was a house that was built upside down! THIS PLACE IS PERFECT!

Dinner was perfect as well! We went to the Hard Rock Café and had an amazing time. The restaurant looks like a pyramid and lights up and changes colors at night! In the middle of the dinner we even stopped to dance and sing to the “YMCA”!

After dinner we had more time to enjoy Broadway at the Beach and it was even more amazing because it was all lit up and so alive! A few of us even sang karaoke. It was unforgettable.

I couldn’t imagine that my day in South Carolina...a state I had never even really heard of, would be one of the best place I had ever visited, a place where I spent a day that I will never ever forget. It was a perfect day, the best day of my life.

Anastasiya - Russia

June 15, 2011 - What a day! Washington DC

Our day in Washington DC started with a traffic jam, but the weather was perfect, it was sunny and warm.

Our first stop was a visit to the Capitol where we met our tour guide, Canden.  In the morning we took a whirlwind tour of the Vietnam War Memorial, the Lincoln Memorial, and the Korean War Memorial. They were really impressive. At the Lincoln Memorial we saw the spot where Martin Luther King Jr. gave his “I have a dream” speech.

Then we went to the Jefferson Memorial and the FDR Memorial. It was a hot day!

After that we went to lunch at Union Station. It was nice to be able to sit and rest after touring in the heat!

Next, we saw the amazing White House!!!! Obama even came outside to say hello! (Just kidding!) The White House is really white! And it was so amazing to see it with our own eyes.

After taking a thousand pictures, we headed to the Smithsonian museums. We went to the Air and Space Museum. We saw planes from WWI and learned a lot of interesting information. Other people went to the Art Gallery, Natural History Museum, and American History Museum. There is a really pretty sculpture garden with a beautiful fountain.

For dinner, we went to Georgetown. Some people went shopping, and a few people went to Georgetown Cupcake – from the TV show DC Cupcakes!!! We only had to wait for 10 minutes...and the cupcakes were amazing! They were the best ever.

Dinner at Pizzeria Uno was so good – we had amazing Chicago style deep-dish pizza and everyone loved it.

It was a really nice and interesting day. It is amazing how much you can see in one day in Washington DC! We took a lot of amazing pictures. We are sad to leave...but we are excited to be on our way to the beach tomorrow!!!

Kim, Germany :}
Pe-pe, Thailand :D
Johanna, Germany :)

Alisa, Thailand ;)

The Capitol!

Checking out the Lincoln Memorial

Korean War Memorial

Outside the Jefferson Memorial!

 

JUUUMP if you love Washington DC!

Beautiful FDR Memorial

The WHITE HOUSE!

 

Enjoying a break, exploring the Smithsonians

 

Ending the day at Georgetown Cupcake