My Exchange Year is Over!

It is crazy to realize that my experience in America is over. I'm already in Slovakia, my home country and I had a ton of people asking me how was my year? Well.. It's really hard to explain a year in one conversation so I just give them little glimpses of it or some of my highlights. How was my Halloween. What on earth is Thanksgiving and why do people eat Twinkies in America.

The first significant thing that I've done when I arrived to America was joining the cross-country running team, which I still can't believe I did. I never was a running type of guy but as it turned out, I had a lot of potential in me that I wasn't using yet.

That's one of my friends running a 5k run.

I've done many mistakes during my exchange year. I've lost my wallet the first day I got to the States. We also had a car accident, which in fact was caused by a drunk driver ignoring a red traffic light and crossing lanes. He fled the scene but was found later. His girlfriend arrived to the scene an hour after the accident. The guy that fled is probably sitting in a cell now. Luckily no one got hurt.




 But you know what? An exchange year isn't supposed to be perfect. It's supposed to be life changing and oh boy it definitely was.

Starting with my family, I had the chance to be a part of a big family  with 4 siblings and 2 host parents.

That's Jack and Abigail
I learned that the solutions to the problems are way easier than they look. If you don't know something, you stop for a second, think and maybe you'll come up with a solution. If you can't think of one then ask someone and they'll always give you advice or even help. Don't be that "I'm a cool guy, I don't need to ask anything."  I asked questions even when I knew what the answer was just so I can keep the conversation going. Even if we talked about nothing.

Thanksgiving, Halloween,Christmas and Easter. All of these unique events that I would have never experienced.
Awesome Christmas.

I learned how  nights that we as a family spent together impacted everyone. Bringing two cultures into one household is a big risk to take. But so is the reward. Getting to spend some quality time together are a huge part of your exchange year and they are vital.
That's Jack and Abigail having fun in front of the house.

I learned what I'm passionate about some ideas and I express myself when I get ticked off. It didn't just open  my eyes, it opened my heart and ultimately my whole world.

I had so many firsts in the U.S. and it wasn't my first time here.

My first High school American football game. 

My first baseball game.(With a delicious hot dog of course)




I also had the chance to go to college Baseball and Basketball games as well. I went to a local hockey match where we lost, big time, but that's okay ;). My experience wouldn't be complete without a proper monster truck show where I had seen some crazy American Monster Trucks! And then of course my first and only American prom which was a perfect experience.













Gonzaga basketball game


If you ever get to go for an exchange year, here are some tips for you ;)

1. Be the "yes" person
Say yes to everything and don't be afraid to be a little nosy and pushy. It's okay,you're an exchange student. That is your #1 excuse. Trust me. If you get invited, go. If you don't get invited , ask if you can come. These decisions can decide whether you'll go to a great party or stay home watching Netflix.Trust me it's worth it.

2. If you hit a wall, take a hammer and break it
YOU ARE GOING TO FIND DIFFICULTIES. It's a whole year in a new environment with new people. Just be open minded. Try new things, It's a lot of fun.Take me for example. I lost my wallet the first day I arrived to the States. We had a car crash sometime in October. These looked like difficulties at the time but they turned out to be life altering moments.

3. Talk, talk, talk
If you're like me and your home country speaks a completely different language you should seek to perfect your English. Talk as much as you can with as many people as you can. I know it sounds easy to say but just try to engage conversation with people. If you're talking about something funny with someone ,engage more people in it. Exchange students are perfect Ice breakers in classes. They bring the classmates closer to each other because they ended up having the same exchange student friend.

4. Find your balance
You're going to face choices. "Should I go out with my friends? But then I will miss this family event. Is it really worth it? But there's this party and I will have to miss it, do I really have to go?""
You have to spend time with your family and friends as well.

5.Change your habits
Do not! I repeat do not do the same routine overseas that you do home. Don't be on your phone all day in school or home. People want to talk to you. They want to know more even if they seem they don't. Just turn your phone off and be talkative to people around you. Of course take selfies and Instagram posts just don't chat with people from your home country when you're with Americans.

6. Sign up for after-school activities
Activities such as sports, interest clubs and others make you become really close to people. You will not find the same person in school and out of school.

7.Pay attention in class
Ultimately, you have gone to the U.S. to learn something. Pick classes you are interested in and make sure you pay attention there. Some classes will be life changing. Trust me.

8.Eat healthy and workout
You don't want to get fat while you are on your exchange. Try to find some healthy habits. Maybe workout a little. You'll see. When you get home after a year, your family and friends will see how much you have changed. They'll be shocked.

9.Look from a different perspective
Look behind things. Don't just look at the things they want to show you. Look at things they are hiding. Don't take this literally. All I'm saying is that know your town, know your neighborhood and know what is going on around you.

and finally...

...

10. ENJOYYYY
This is the best time of your life. Make it count.

A crazy birthday + graduation

The 18th birthday was amazing and I'll explain in a quick second why.

First of all in Slovakia you're allowed to drink when you're 18. I'm really happy that I didn't have to..get wasted and get taken home in someones car. I'm not that type of guy. 

Anyway. In June the School for the senior class was pretty much over. All we did on June 1-3 is sign yearbooks. I got a nice amount of signatures and writing in it which I'm pretty happy about. 

In a standard American High School there are 4 grades.

Freshman

Sophmores

Juniors 

and Seniors

Because I was an exchange student I had to take some sophmore classes as well in order to keep up with the material that my classmates back is Slovakia were studying. Since I have 2 more years of High school in front of me I still need to study for my classes.

On June 4th it was a really special day!

My birthday!!!

I had the opportunity to go on a trip to Silverwood with the graduating class of 2015.

Silverwood is like scarywood but it's during the day and there are no scary guys running with chainsaws ;)  We went on the fastest rollercoasters and I have to say it was an awesome day. I got to spend some amazing time with my friends and gain memories that will last a lifetime. 

I was begging Dorothy to go to Buffalo Wild Wings for a while to complete the "Blazin' Challenge" where you had to eat 12 of the spiciest wings in just 6 minutes.And she said we'll go on my birthday so I was excited about that. 

And I haven't gotten to the best part yet.

My parents have showed up! In Spokane! It was one of the biggest surprises I've ever had. It was awesome. I was so surprised. We went to buffalo wild wings with my parents and I attempted the Buffalo Blazin' Challenge in which I had to eat 12 of the hottest wings in 6 minutes or less. It was a lot of fun and guess what!? I did it!

The next day I was graduating. I graduated an american college which was one of the coolest experiences of all. I had the chance of going through the whole ceremony and I loved it. 

It was amazing. The whole graduation ceremony was amazing. The way they called each of us up there to take our diploma was simply one of a kind. Unique. 

Spokane LILAC FESTIVAL

What is Spokane Lilac Festival?

The first time I heard about it I didn't really know what it meant. I thought Lilac is some kind of flower and that we'll walk around and look at them. Well it wasn't exactly like that. 

When I researched it one of the first articles that popped up had a quote that said it all:

"Honoring our military, Recognizing our Youth and showcasing our community."

There was everything. Every single High School, including ours had their own marching band there. 

Every single part of the Spokane community was there. It was awesome. The parade went on for hours. 

I loved it

Prom!

On the 22nd of February I asked my date to prom. It was really early but she wasn't expecting it and it was perfect.

Prom is one of the biggest High School dances a High school-er can have. We started out with pictures in a very special park. I got to see my date, Rachael in her beautiful yellow dress for the first time. It looked so good on her. When we entered the park, there was almost 50 more couples taking pictures as well, but it was fine. No one was in any ones way, the park was huge. It worked out pretty well. We got some really nice pictures. Aunt Lori and grandpa took some really good pictures that I didn't actually see yet. :) I know they are going to be awesome.

After the pictures were taken, we went for dinner. Melting Pot.
It was a fondue restaurant that serves fondue, whether it's chocolate fondue, cheese fondue or meat fondue.It was a great experience. We spent so much time in the restaurant that we missed the beginning of prom which is fine. Prom went from 8PM to 11PM and it was awesome. It was pretty much a disco party where people picked pop music to dance to. I thought there will be like slow dancing but it was a party and it was super neat. I danced with Rachael, my prom date :) , like the whole night. It started out slow because we didn't really dance together before  but after a while we got pretty crazy and wild ;) .:) It was so awesome!! Best dance ever.The hall was medium sized with a balcony on one side. Some people spent more time on the balcony than on the dance floor. The balcony was a quiet place where we could just kinda chill from the loud music and talk:). Prom was a wonderful experience with wonderful people and it will be never forgotten!! 

Track meet/crazy decisions

This track meet was crazy. There was so much stuff going on and some decisions that people may or may not regret the other day. I'm a thrower.  I'm not a runner. I was a runner back in September and October when I was running on practices every single day but now? No no no. So how it works is that there are two categories of people for track. Varsity and  Junior Varsity (JV). If you make varsity in an event like Shot or 200m sprints or anything else, the coaches don't want you to do different events. However if you're JV... They don't care. You can do as many events as you want. But with decent practice of course. The throwers are the furthest from running. We do minimal practice for running. It's all about the technique and focusing our power in specific points of our body so we can throw the furthest. We don't run at practices at all.

At the meet we were lined up waiting for our turn when the person that starts off everyone said this:"One more person needed. Anyone?" I didn't hesitate 'What could 100m do to me?' I jumped up , got into my position and prepared for race. The guys from other school were making fun of my shoes that they are not for running. They were not even for throwing. I didn't care at all. People that throw with me were laughing. It was really funny. Then the race began.

When the gun went off I felt so much adrenaline in my head. It was crazy. I was keeping up with the guys for like the first 8 seconds of the race. Then I just couldn't they passed me. No practice no victory. 

But what happened after was even funnier.  Two guys. 3 times my size went for it. One of them was a lineman in Football I'm pretty sure. He should be a comedian. When we went past the crowd he pointed at them like LeBron James does and just finished last as I did.

My feet got so stiff. It hurt so bad. Was it worth it?  Definitely! Will I do that ever again without practice?  No. Never.

Best meet ever!

McFarlandUSA

So. Yesterday I had the chance to go see one of the new movies called McFarland. I have to say it was a great movie. It was based on a true story and I have to say it made me tear up. It was awesome. I recommend it to everyone.  

Track

Track just started. What is Track? It's a sport after school with many events that the students can choose from.
-high jump
-long jump
-shockput/diskis
-pole vault
-long distance running
-short distance running
-javelin
There are so many events you can choose from. I tried almost all of them with my friend Charles. I'm doing shockput/diskis. It's really cool and challenging.  I really like it. Yesterday we had "team bonding" which basically meant no practice we just worked together and talked a lot so we get to know each other. Afterwards we had a huge team dinner at the Coaches house. Everyone brought something so there was plenty of food. It was awesome.
Afterwards I got picked up by Charles , we got some smoothies and and they gave me a ride home. It was awesome!