Californian Rhapsody

Summer 2013. It was the greatest time of my life. Why? Because I had a great summer in California. Why do I say California? Isn’t that a state? Yes, it is because I went to Los Angeles, San Francisco, Santa Barbara, San Louis Obispo, Pismo Beach and I stayed at Santa Maria so altogether it’s more of a California Trip! It was a dream come true because I always want to go to The US ever since I was a child. All I care was travelling only but EF just gave me more unforgettable experiences.

I chose to live in a host parents house, so I can feel what it’s like to be an American. My host parents are Mr. Bill and Mrs. Jenell Howell. They love to have barbeque for dinner so we always had a barbeque and they are an American Football fan. So, because of them, I became to love American Football and Mr. Bill taught me how to play it. We live in Santa Maria, CA. it’s a great and comfortable suburban town and it has lots of fast food restaurants. But I prefer having dinner at my host parents house since their cooking is better and its FREE!

My school is located at Pismo Beach, CA. it’s a town located in the middle of San Francisco and Los Angeles. My school is the best because we can see the Pacific Ocean! At school, I studied English and the American culture. It’s a great class because the teachers are nice and they’re so fun to chat and play with and the subject is very interesting and not boring at all. I made lots of friends. They came mostly from European countries. Which are Italy, Russia, Sweden and Finland. We hung out together, ate lunch together, doing crazy stuffs together, study in group discussion together and we also share stories of our culture together!

I stayed in California for 3 weeks. Where did I went for 3 weeks? On weekdays, I studied in the EF school. But on the weekend. I went to San Francisco. I explored to many places there, I crossed the Golden Gate bridge, took a walk at the Lombardy St, ate seafood and saw sea lions at Pier 39, had dinner at the Hard Rock Café, took a ferry and visited Alcatraz island and me and my friends even rent a limo tour! Of course I went to Los Angeles as well. There I had fun feeling like a celebrity and just enjoying being a kid! I went to Hollywood to feel what it’s like to be in the red carpet, shopping at Rodeo Drive Beverly Hills, went to Universal Studio to have the studio tour (I got lucky because I accidentally saw Vin Diesel), having fun at Disneyland, having fun at Venice beach and at Santa Monica beach.

It was a great time of my life to remember and I can’t believe all of this was 5 years ago! California will always stay in my heart and I would love to go there again someday. EF gave me the best experience because not only they gave me a great travel stay and learning experience, but EF also gave me the opportunity of making new friends from all around the world and a new American family as well. Thank you EF for opening up the world to me!

-  Pandu, EF Los Angeles 2013 -