San Diego Zoo

After breakfast we headed to the San Diego Zoo, which is supposed to be one of the best attractions in the USA. First we walked around and looked at all kinds of different snakes and then we took the skyfari to the “Arctics”. From there we saw the real animals, like tigers, elephants, camels, turtles, and donkeys. They were all really cool, but kinda sleepy, but it was still really awesome to see them. After we decided that we wanted to see the pandas, and on our way there we also saw some koalas, kangaroos, giraffes, and some monkeys. There were some bears on the way too, but all of them were sleeping, so you couldn't really see them. We also got some snacks on the way cause all of us were a little hungry.

Baby Giraffe at San Diego Zoo, June 2015

When we finally arrived to the pandas, we realized that there was a line to see them, so we were just in line for like 10 minutes, but then we got to see the panda, and it was really cute. She was sitting and eating, and we were really happy that she wasn't sleeping or not showing herself. Then we walked around a little more, we were going to do the skyfari again, and we thought we were going the right way, but as it turned out we weren't. At the end we ended up at the entrance, and on the way there we saw a hippo, some turtles, birds, more kinds of tigers and flamingos. All of the animals were so pretty, and it was really nice to see them.

Meerkat at San Diego Zoo, June 2015

After the zoo, we met up with everyone, and went to have lunch together. We went to a buffet place, so we could have all different kinds of food, and also some delicious dessert. It was good. After that we drove a little more, and went to an outlet mall, where we had some time to shop, and it was really good, because there was so many different stores and the deals were great too! Right now, we are on our way to L.A.. We never thought we would ever be sad to go to LA, but right now we are, because it means that the tour will end tomorrow. This trip truly has been an amazing experience, we got to meet so many amazing people, and we'll never forget the places we got to visit.

Catrine Faurby from Denmark

 Orsi Nagy from Hungary

 

Sea World

Shamu show at Sea World, June 2015

First morning in San Diego, we woke up a little bit later than usual, which felt good since everybody was tired! Once in the bus, we drove about 10 minutes to Sea World. At first, it was not very crowded but it got really busy later in the afternoon. This was a very unique experience since we could touch animals like sea stars, baby sharks, or rays. There were some shows at specific times during the day. 

Cirque de la mer show at Sea World, June 2015

We started by the dolphins and we can tell, now, that they are not lying when they say that you're gonna get soaked and 100% wet if you were seated in the first three rows. Then, we tried a bunch of roller coasters and our favorite was the “Manta”, we enjoyed it so much that we did it three times in a row! We also went to the Sea Lions show which was really entertaining and well done. After lunch was one of the most famous shows offered at Sea World, Shamus (the killer whale).  We also had the chance to see the San Diego bay by taking the skyline bay-ride which was really night

Downtown San Diego, June 2015

At 4pm, we drove downtown San Diego where we had some spare time to do some shopping or explore around. Thanks to our driver Antonio for having this great idea! Then, we went back to the hotel and ate dinner at Denny's, the closest restaurant to the hotel. We had a great day, with a lot of sunburnt people at the end, but a lot of fun anyway!

Pedicab ride, June 2015

Variety Show

Today we had a long bus ride from the Grand Canyon to San Diego.  We crossed the state border of Arizona and entered California.  The bus journey was full of beautiful mountain sights and we also spend our time watching the movie, "Forest Gump".  Then we stopped at the shopping complex for an hour.  Finally, we made it to San Diego around six in the evening.  We had a talent show tonight where each one of us had to perform and show our hidden talents.  But before that we had a pizza party.  It was a lot of fun spending quality time all together.  Then ultimately the talent show was commenced on by the hosts of the show, Ron and Corinne.

Woahhh..... I was amazed to see the hidden talents everybody had and some of the talents had the capacity to turn the ambiance of the room into fun.  We got to listen to the Danish, Canadian, French, and Czech National Anthems and this gave way to the purpose of the Rotary Youth Exchange which is the culture exchange.  There were some graceful dance performances that the entire room applauded for them.  The "Chilly Girls" performed belly dancing, the "Tango Girls" amazed everybody with their breathtaking performance.  Some of them also included the audience and therefore everybody got to participate in other cultures and this led to developing the sense of universal unity and brotherhood.

Grand Canyon

Grand Canyon, June 2015

Today we woke up early to go see the Grand Canyon. We started out going to the visitors center to learn more about the canyon. It was really cool. Then we began our hike to see it's wonders from above. We walked around the path and we took a lot of pictures. We walked for around 2 hours. After that everyone was very tired and hungry. Our super bus driver came to pick us up and we went to eat lunch.

At the IMAX theatre, June 2015

After lunch we went and watched an IMAX movie about the Grand Canyon. When the movie was over, we drove back to the hotel, where we had free time until dinner. A lot of us were hanging out by the pool, some were playing charades, and the rest were taking naps because it was a long but exciting day. Later on, we went to Williams to have dinner. There was a cowboy show in the street, with a shoot out. It was funny! Other people went and tried the zip-line. The restaurant where we ate was old fashioned. There were a lot of old Route 66 signs on the wall, gas pumps, and a jukebox. We had cheeseburgers for dinner. We love burgers!!!! After dinner, we came back to the hotel and choose the new banana queen, who was Clara from Brazil. After that we hung out until curfew. We're thankful for all the fantastic places we have visited and people we have met.

Route 66

Today we got in the bus for an adventure towards the Grand Canyon. Our road trip started at 8:15. After a couple of hours of driving we stopped at Walmart to buy some dinner for the night because we were going to have a picnic. After we got our food, we jumped back in the bus to continue our journey.

Our next stop was Seligman, Arizona, the beginning of the historic Route 66. After taking some pictures, getting some souvenirs, and enjoying some free time, we got back on the road. Still a long drive towards our destination! After two more hours we stopped for lunch in Williams also famous for being along Route 66. We ate lunch together in a lovely place. Then we got some free time in the town to visit the place and some souvenir shops. We even got to see a large Route 55 sign! This was our last stop before our hotel. Everybody was very excited to finally arrive after the long drive.

With this really hot weather most of us went to the pool. The picnic was to celebrate the five birthdays that we had during the trip. So one more time, Happy Birthday to Gabi, Kate, Sarah, Ana, and Nabila! We shared a great picnic together. We even had the happy birthday singer Yudai, sing to our birthday girls. What a talent! After the picnic party, we got a later curfew so we got to spend more time together in the pool and outside until 11:30. We are having an amazing trip together so far! Thank you so much to the amazing coordinators and chaperons!!!

Vegas!

Almost all day long we were on the bus today. The first stop was at a fruit market where we were able to buy some fruit or snacks for our long drive. Then we stopped for lunch. We had different choices such as Panera, Chipotle, or Burger King.

On our way to the Hard Rock Cafe Las Vegas, June 2015

We arrived to Vegas around 5pm and checked in the hotel. We went to the largest gift shop in the world to buy some souvenirs and then we went to the Hard Rock Cafe for dinner. It was awesome. After dinner we walked a little bit along the strip and we watched a fountain show at the Bellagio. We took some group pictures and we had lots of fun.

In-front of the fountains at the Bellagio, June 2015

It has been a long day. So we came back to the hotel around 11pm and went to sleep.

Lorenzo Vacca from Italy
Laura Polo from Spain

Yosemite National Park

Group photo at the lower falls view point, June 2015

Today we left for Yosemite National Park which was almost four hours away from the hotel we were staying in. We had a picnic for the lunch with the groceries that we bought at walmart the night before. The moment we witnessed the incomparable beauty of nature we were awestruck and overwhelmed. This breathtaking scenery made our trip. The Yosemite fall is the highest fall in the United States and the fifth highest in the world. Some of us got to swim in the beautiful river, which was surrounded by the majestic and mighty granite mountains and with the falls in the background it was the best view so far to capture some unforgettable moments. Then we took the bus to the tunnel view point where we had a greater perspective of the mountains and took a group picture. Then, we went to the world renowned Californian In-N-Out to have burgers, fries, and shakes for dinner Thereafter we went to the motel where we stayed for the night. It was the best time of our trip and we all had lots of fun together. We thank the Terra North America and our wonderful coordinators and chaperons for arranging our trip.

Group photo at tunnel view point, June 2015

Thank you,

Shivani Rai from India
Trine Pedersen from Denmark

Alcatraz, Golden Gate Bridge, and China Town in San Fransisco

The first group at Alcatraz, June 2015

Today, we left at 7:15 to go to San Fransisco. We were divided in two groups: one first visited Alcatraz, the famous prison, before spending some time in the city. The other group began by spending time in the city and then Alcatraz. 

Golden Gate Bridge, June 2015

Later in the day, we had a walk on the Golden Gate Bridge and we had dinner in China town. We enjoyed the sunset and prepared the picnic for tomorrow before coming back to the hotel. Everyone had a wonderful day, thank you to Terra North America and our chaperons for this awesome trip!

Starting to feel like a family <3
Eating dinner at Jimmy's; a Chinese restaurant in China Town, San Fransisco, CA, June 2015

Monterrey Bay and Carmel Beach

Waiting for Lunch at Monterrey Bay, June 2015

Today we went to Monterrey Bay and Carmel Beach.  It was awesome.   Some of us went to the beach and some were walking around, taking pictures.  It was really cold but I think, everybody felt the positive vibes of the beach. We had a nice time and after 2 hours on the bus we arrived at a shopping mall in Oakland. When we got to the hotel, everybody decided to go to the pool and talk about their exchanges and the trip. We think this trip is just fantastic.

Getting some sun at Carmel Beach, June 2015

Having fun at the beach and shopping with the best exchange students is the GREATEST thing ever!! Going to different places with different people is another unique experience!! We are having a super good time so far, everyone loves it!!!

Thank you,

Artur Melo from Brazil, Tsan-Wen Chen from Taiwan.

Venice, Santa Monica, Malibu, and Santa Barbara Beach

Today we spend most of the day at the beach. We went to Venice, Santa Monica, and Santa Barbara beach.

We started the day by taking the bus at 8:00 am; everyone was so exited because we where going to the beach. After 45 minutes we arrived at Venice beach. We where taking pictures by the water (it was so pretty) and we tried to swim but the water was too cold. :( We stayed there for 40 minutes and then we walked to Santa Monica beach, once we got there we went to eat lunch.

Santa Monica, June 2015

After eating we went back to the bus and while we were driving we saw Malibu Beach, one of the most famous beach in the world. A lot of movies where filmed there. After 2 hours of driving we arrived at Santa Barbara beach. We stayed there for one and a half hours to take some pictures, play in the sand, and some of us went into the water.

Sleepy Students on the way to Santa Barbara, June 2015

When we got back on the bus, Ron had this amazing idea, each one of us will go to the front of the bus and introduce our-self. And allow everyone to ask questions. This was a fun time. We went to Panera for dinner and after this long day we took the bus for the last time and arrived at the hotel. Once we got there everyone went to the pool and played some games.

This day was fun and we all loved it !!!!

We are looking forward for tomorrow in San Fransisco.

Thank you,

Anne-Charlotte Ritouret from France and Camila Penha from Paraguay

Disneyland and California Adventure

Today we spent the day at Disneyland and California Adventure! It was the first day that the banana hat had to be worn by the banana king (the winner of all the stupid stories) and that was Danny – of course, why doesn't that surprise us? ;)

California Adventure, June 2015

 We started the day in California Adventure. The first ride was so much fun because all of us rode together! After that we broke into smaller groups and we had just as much fun during the whole day. Everybody went on different rides and could decide individually when they would like to go to Disneyland.

At Disneyland, California, June 2015

In the evening, right when the parade started, we met up again. It was very crowded so we held hands with each other to get through to our meeting place. What an amazing parade! All the lights and beautiful dresses of the princesses were sooo magical. Most of us probably felt like we were little kids again. Right after the parade there was a firework show behind the castle. We couldn't enjoy it from the spot we wanted to because security people forced us to move out of the way. The firework show was amazing though and there was music that made you feel like you were in a movie. The crown jewel of the evening was the “Fantasmic” show. It was a full entertainment show with lot's of fire, fireworks, lasers, music, popular Disney artists, and water fountains.

We were extremely exhausted after but we were really excited to see who was going to be the next banana queen or king. There were a lot of good chances to be the queen or the king. But of course it was a king!!!!!!!! The winner was Sergio who accidentally went into the women restrooms! It was such a beautiful day! Thank you everyone!

-Annalena Burki, from Switzerland and Ines Ibanez Sala, from Spain

Universal Studios and Dinner at Bubba Gump

Second day of our trip and this is becoming better and better. We checked out from the hotel early in the morning, with our minds focused on spending the day at Universal Studios. Around 10 am we arrived there and we started taking pictures at the famous Universal Studios Globe. After some pictures we went in. The first impression we all had was like being inside a movie where we were the main characters. We split into different groups and headed out to the rides. The studios recreate so many different TV shows and movies, that sometimes it was hard for us to decide where we wanted to go to.

Jurassic Park Ride, Universal Studios, California, June 2015

Jurassic Park was one of the favorites attractions for all the exchange students. Once the sun was getting too hot, it was a great chance to cool down thanks to the great water splash that this ride had at the end. There were some cool simulators from movies and TV shows, such as The Simpsons, Shrek, the always funny Minions, robots from Transformers... It was a really involving experience that made us feel like being inside of the screen with the characters.

There was also a tour around the Studios, where we learned the magic behind the cameras and how some of the cool special effects that we see on the movies are made. It was amazing to see how the sets were displayed and how they could recreate so many different places, from European cities to wild jungles like in Jurassic Park. This tour also passed by some famous neighborhoods from the TV show “Desperate Housewives” that drove some of the passengers on our tour bus crazy. The tour also stopped at some special effect scenes from movies that looked really real to us, but the most surprising was the one at a subway station that simulated a 8.3 earthquake.

Girls jumping in front of the Hard Rock Cafe, June 2015

At 6.30 pm we all got back together to go to dinner. The place was nearby the park, in the City Walk, and it was called Bubba Gump, well known by the lovers of the movie Forest Gump. The decoration of the place was inspired by the movie, and the staff from the restaurant treated us very well, entertaining us with a fun Trivia game about the film.

Dinner at Bubba Gump, June 2015

After a delicious and satisfying meal, we got into the bus, and headed to our new hotel where we were assigned our new roommates. It was an awesome day that gave us a chance to spend time with out new international friends and get to know more about the movies world. Today just as visitors, maybe tomorrow as stars.

Orientation, Hollywood, Beverly Hills, LA

We are exchange students from all around the world. In our final days of our exchange year we are so lucky to have the chance to go on this trip of the West Coast with Terra North America. In our first day of the trip, we had orientation where we got to know the other exchange students and rules for the trip. In this orientation, all the exchange students were so happy and also excited. The North Terra manager, assistant, and chaperons bring this comfortable and happy feelings that this trip is going to be a good and fun time. After the orientation we had an awesome tour of some areas of interest in Los Angeles. During the day we got to know each other better and see with our own eyes why this city is so famous.

At Orientation

 We started at the Hollywood sign. We got out of the bus like crazy and having fun. We were screaming because we were so ready for this tour. People were looking at us and saw how happy we were. We took pictures every single minute so we could save this memory forever. After that everybody was dancing, singing, and having so much fun when we got on the bus. For lunch time we went to a Farmers Market for eating and shopping. That was a perfect place to buy some souvenirs from this amazing city. This Farmers Market was so rich in culinary where we could try the different fruits and foods from different countries.

Hollywood Sign Group Photo

We got impressed at how rich and fancy Beverly Hills is. Then we went to Hollywood Street. An amazing avenue where we can find fun, fame and our imagination. It is a cool place to see different characters and shows. It's also a good place to shop for exchange students because we are shopaholics. However, all this is being possible because we became really good friends. We are living our American dream and we are so thankful to Terra North America for helping us fulfill these dreams.

Jumping Photo at Beverly Hills Sign