Bonjour!
Wow, two posts in one week. I guess two months turned into two days. Anyway, I have news! My mom contacted the travel agent and she said the students going to France are to arrive on August 28th! Now, I haven't received my Host Guarantee forms yet, but I'm hoping those will arrive before the deadline (May 31st, which may as well be June 1st). I get to begin the visa process on April 1st, which is only a week and a smidgen away! I know I'm complaining now, and I know that the two months will be up before I realize they passed, but I still don't want to wait. I guess I should try to remember the beginning of the school year, when the end of October wouldn't come fast enough. Then it was that December 1st couldn't come fast enough. The March 9th couldn't come fast enough. Now it's March 22nd. What? Time flies and I just have to keep that in mind. I'm rambling. You should expect that in future posts. Now, where was I before that tangent? Oh yeah, visas. So in July my family is flying down to San Francisco for the visit to the consulate. Visas seem like a relatively simple concept with a complex process. Of course, the country should use all the resources they can to determine whether or not you're a serial killer, so I understand that. Rambling. Again. I should really stop doing that. Maybe next time, but for now I am off to dig up all the dirt I can on the French teenage lifestyle. Au revoir!
Amelia
La phrase du jour: Je n'ai jamais été en France avant. (I have never been in France before.)
Bonjour!
I feel that since I have this blog, I should utilize it to update people on the experience at least once every few weeks. It may seem like overkill, but most (not all) of my friends don't appreciate me gushing over this so I'll use the keyboard instead. That being said, I guess this is an update on how this exchange prep affects my life. Now I don't mean to make this negative at all, but along with preparation comes a ton of emotional baggage that I wasn't expecting.
As I said before, most of the people in my age group don't like it when I talk about all this. Rotary Youth Exchange is going to stay with me forever, and I would like to be able to express that without feeling as though my friends are getting offended. A couple of the other students going on exchange have said similar things as well, so I assume it's just one of the things that comes with the territory. That's just emotionally taxing after a while. I don't know how exactly to explain it, but not having the support of everyone in your life kind of sucks. I can't really talk about my life without somehow annoying a friend of mine. I realize that this may be inane and premature and they may come around eventually, but in this moment, none of it really makes sense. It seems as though all of my classmates are questioning WHY I would do something like this? WHY I could miss a year of high school and be okay about it? HOW could I do that to my family? WHY would I want to put myself through it all? I have answers to these questions, but most do not end well, so I choose not to answer them. I can either face these questions or not talk about how my life is going to completely change after next year.
Onto a slightly happier note now. Some of the other students going on exchange have figured out where in the country they're going and when. I'm totally and completely jealous. I just want to KNOW already! All this build up is killing me. Even so, I don't mind talking with the other outbounds about their recent developments (that I want to have for myself). As I so clearly explained in the above paragraph, this can be hard if you feel like your facing it alone and no one I know likes feeling like they're all by themselves. That being said, I don't want to rub any of this in people's faces, that is not my intention at all. This whole experience is so exciting and fresh and new and sort of crazy to think about. I kind of like all the build up, but then there's the fact that I really want to know right now and want to be able to talk to my friends about it (so I'll just stick to the other outbounds). For one, I check my email excessively, waiting for the email from my future host district. Excessively isn't twice a day. Oh no. My dear readers it is like ten times a day. I have a problem. In this email there will be information, and in all honesty, that's all I want. I just want the know that France knows that I will be going. AHHHHHH. I feel psychotic and helpless about it, but there is a deadline (which I hope they will be SUPER early for). That deadline is May 31st. Seriously? May 31st? Might as well say June. Saying May 31st is like how stores say $19.99 instead of $20. Just to make it feel like that much more of a deal, as though it's that much closer to being yours. But we all know that tax will make it over $20, so why do we fall for it? Because it looks good on paper. That's how May 31st feels: good on paper. In reality it's so far away, but it SEEMS a little closer and that is what makes the first impression. This is like waiting for Season 3 of Sherlock, except I know there's a deadline for this. Sorry, I totally just went all high-functioning sociopath on you. (That's a joke, I promise.)
I'm going to find a way to make a little countdown thing on the blog until May 31st, or perhaps June 1st, just to make it that much earlier when the email arrives. If that doesn't work, I'll just have to make one of those paper chain countdowns I used to make before Christmas Day. As of today, May 31st is 73 days away. Two and a half months. Until next time (hopefully in less than two and a half months), au revoir!
Amelia
La phrase du jour: Je ne veux pas attendre! (I don't want to wait!)
Hello all,
My name is Amelia, and if you haven't already figured it out, I will be going to France on an exchange through Rotary. This is going to be such an amazing journey and I can't wait to share it with you! This has been quite the process and has required PATIENCE. It began in September when my local Rotary club did a presentation at the school. I was instantly captivated by the thought of an exchange program and applied as quick as I could. After being selected, I attended an additional interview in early December. All the other students from the region were there, but most of us acted quite icy towards one another. Oh the joys of competition. It really does bring out the best in us. A few months past and I slipped back into the regular routine, the exchange just a novelty thought in the back of my mind.
Just this past weekend, everyone came back to Outbound Orientation. At first, the students were awkward and tended to keep to themselves (not to say that we weren't later on, but we didn't care at that point). After a while, we started warming up to each other and just babbling on and on. We all knew what country we are going to and knew that we will need the support upon our return. Now, about this orientation. I have two words: information overload. We took in so much over such a small amount of time. It was all very important, but the breaks and conversation were much needed.
The first day was fun and by the end of the day, most of the students seemed to have known each other for years. It was so interesting to see the transition from awkward to energetic. As we got more comfortable with each other, the jokes and laughter began flowing. I was on crutches for the weekend, and once someone made the crutches joke I knew that the uncomfortable stage was over. There were only a few people who really spoke and volunteered on the first day, but that all changed the next day.
Maybe that was because of the bonding exercises we did. The first one involved running, so one of the rebounds (I'll talk about them later) took my place. The activity was sort of like musical chairs, but you ran whenever the person in the middle made a statement that applied to you. I told the rebound to just pretend he was a teenage girl for a bit. Maybe I should have rephrased, because the first statement was "I like women". As luck would have it, my rebound ran. I probably should have reminded him that he was a GIRL for those fifteen minutes. He pulled the man's instinct card, so I had to forgive his offence. It was interesting and pushed the awkwardness so far that most of it disappeared. Afterwards, we did some skits (and the true comedians really came out). Then, we split into groups and had to solve a puzzle without talking or gesturing. Not to brag, but my group finished first after some "interesting" passing of the puzzle pieces. When the bonding time finished, most of the students trekked out on the town. I wish I could have gone, but my crutches said "Uhhh, I don't think so" and I got minimal sleep, which was okay. The second day went in a similar manner, but with less awkwardness from everyone.
Now the rebounds. What is there to say about the rebounds? More like what isn't there to say about the rebounds? They had their exchange at least two years ago. They were all crazy, but they seemed surprisingly normal. Also, they were HELPFUL. Oh my goodness, they were the key to that entire weekend. They answered questions, told their stories, and proved that you do come out of this experience alive and well. The rebound from France didn't stay for the whole weekend, but still gave really good advice to me and the other girl going to France. After that rebound left, I found myself relying on the rebound from Belgium. She was so nice and eager to help every one of us. Just having someone to relate to was a comfort within itself.
When I got home I slept. A lot. Except that I had class at 6:30. Beautiful. Luckily (not really) I'm sick so the weekend was able to set in and become comprehensible. A few of us are already planning the pre-exchange 'Murica reunion. This is going to be great. I have met so many wonderfully awkward people already and can't wait to meet many more along the way. I'd also like to send a shout out to my Country Coordinator. She has been so wonderful and supportive. These Rotary volunteers are so passionate about what they do. For that, I am grateful. Until I have something else significant to talk about, au revoir!
Amelia
