I finished my application last Wednesday night and we sent it off on Thursday (fed-ex'd overnight just in case)! It was officially due yesterday and I'm so so so glad to be completely and forever DONE with it!
I really feel like I made mistakes on it or left something off and they're going to send it back and make me do it all over again. I am praying everything goes smoothly.
Other than that, the next outbound orientation is in exactly 1 month! I can't wait. I get to see all the inbounds and other outbounds and it will just be so much fun. I'm definitely counting down the days :).
Viszlát!
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Friday, January 14, 2011
Small updates
Szia!
Since my last post, I got in touch with the club that is sponsoring me. I interviewed with a club here in Fresno but they only had one spot, so the Visalia Breakfast Club is sponsoring me :). Visalia is a small town about 45 minutes away from Fresno. While I assumed the "breakfast" part of the name was just decoration... it's not. The club meets at 6:30 in the morning!! So my mom and I drove down the night before and stayed in a hotel (worth it!) and went to the meeting on Thursday morning.
When we got there, we really had no idea what to expect. When we got there not many people were there yet and we felt really out of place. We decided to sit towards the back and wait for Sam, the YEO, to get there. (I just deleted like three paragraphs of unnecessary description about us waiting... hahaha) Anyway, many people came up and introduced themselves to us and I heard many "Oh, are you hungry?!" jokes. When Sam got there he stood up and introduced my mom and I and we stayed for the rest of the meeting.
For anyone who is anticipating attending a Rotary meeting and doesn't know what they're like... the best advice I have for you is to relax :). Dress nicely, don't be afraid to talk to people, and have fun! The meeting itself was way more relaxed than I expected. They made jokes and told stories, and then also did serious club business. Overall, it was REALLY fun and I can't wait to go to more meetings :).
In other news, my application is nearly done. I need my photo page (probably the easiest part of the application.. haha), my mom's letter, and the copies of my transcripts and then I'm done!
Just in case anyone is wondering, I will be going during my senior year so I have to take my senior classes now. This semester I am taking a semester of gov/econ during 6th period and then a semester of english 4 through an online type of class. I have to take the other two semesters during summer school (a total of 8 weeks), along with an art class at the city college (4 weeks) to be eligible to attend a UC/CSU. Quite ridiculous, but it's worth it!
Lastly, just today I learned about 32 new Hungarian words/phrases! I can say/spell them all (the accents are a little confusing) and am really proud of myself. Overall I've learned 66 :). I really REALLY recommend the program Before You Know It. It teaches you vocabulary and basic phrases, which I think will be really helpful at first on exchange (dare I say more helpful than knowing how to correctly conjugate verbs)!
Well.. I wasn't expecting this post to be this long, so I'm ending it now. If anyone has questions on any part of the application process, don't be afraid to ask! Maybe I'll post more if I can figure out how to write less ;).
Since my last post, I got in touch with the club that is sponsoring me. I interviewed with a club here in Fresno but they only had one spot, so the Visalia Breakfast Club is sponsoring me :). Visalia is a small town about 45 minutes away from Fresno. While I assumed the "breakfast" part of the name was just decoration... it's not. The club meets at 6:30 in the morning!! So my mom and I drove down the night before and stayed in a hotel (worth it!) and went to the meeting on Thursday morning.
When we got there, we really had no idea what to expect. When we got there not many people were there yet and we felt really out of place. We decided to sit towards the back and wait for Sam, the YEO, to get there. (I just deleted like three paragraphs of unnecessary description about us waiting... hahaha) Anyway, many people came up and introduced themselves to us and I heard many "Oh, are you hungry?!" jokes. When Sam got there he stood up and introduced my mom and I and we stayed for the rest of the meeting.
For anyone who is anticipating attending a Rotary meeting and doesn't know what they're like... the best advice I have for you is to relax :). Dress nicely, don't be afraid to talk to people, and have fun! The meeting itself was way more relaxed than I expected. They made jokes and told stories, and then also did serious club business. Overall, it was REALLY fun and I can't wait to go to more meetings :).
In other news, my application is nearly done. I need my photo page (probably the easiest part of the application.. haha), my mom's letter, and the copies of my transcripts and then I'm done!
Just in case anyone is wondering, I will be going during my senior year so I have to take my senior classes now. This semester I am taking a semester of gov/econ during 6th period and then a semester of english 4 through an online type of class. I have to take the other two semesters during summer school (a total of 8 weeks), along with an art class at the city college (4 weeks) to be eligible to attend a UC/CSU. Quite ridiculous, but it's worth it!
Lastly, just today I learned about 32 new Hungarian words/phrases! I can say/spell them all (the accents are a little confusing) and am really proud of myself. Overall I've learned 66 :). I really REALLY recommend the program Before You Know It. It teaches you vocabulary and basic phrases, which I think will be really helpful at first on exchange (dare I say more helpful than knowing how to correctly conjugate verbs)!
Well.. I wasn't expecting this post to be this long, so I'm ending it now. If anyone has questions on any part of the application process, don't be afraid to ask! Maybe I'll post more if I can figure out how to write less ;).
Wednesday, December 29, 2010
Answering some questions
Since I've told everyone I'm going to Hungary, I've gotten tons of questions! I decided to answer some here... just in case anyone reads it!
When do you leave?
I don't know for sure, but it's most probably going to be in August
Where in Hungary will you be?
I won't know specific city or any host family details until probably March at the earliest.
Why Hungary?
Well, I didn't exactly pick it. During the interviews, I said my top three were Norway, Sweden, and Belgium. Afterwards, I kept thinking about Hungary and I just could not get it out of my head. It just seemed so interesting and different and under appreciated. I'm extremely glad I got it, and am so excited!
Won't you miss your family and friends?
Of course! But they will be here when I come back :)
You're seriously missing your senior year to live in a foreign country?
Yep! For me... walking with my friends at graduation or going to prom aren't comparable to spending a year learning and growing.
So besides all of that.. I don't really have any updates or anything! I'm just working on finishing my application and making sure I've got everything. It really is a long process, but I love every minute of it.
When do you leave?
I don't know for sure, but it's most probably going to be in August
Where in Hungary will you be?
I won't know specific city or any host family details until probably March at the earliest.
Why Hungary?
Well, I didn't exactly pick it. During the interviews, I said my top three were Norway, Sweden, and Belgium. Afterwards, I kept thinking about Hungary and I just could not get it out of my head. It just seemed so interesting and different and under appreciated. I'm extremely glad I got it, and am so excited!
Won't you miss your family and friends?
Of course! But they will be here when I come back :)
You're seriously missing your senior year to live in a foreign country?
Yep! For me... walking with my friends at graduation or going to prom aren't comparable to spending a year learning and growing.
So besides all of that.. I don't really have any updates or anything! I'm just working on finishing my application and making sure I've got everything. It really is a long process, but I love every minute of it.
Sunday, December 19, 2010
I'm going to...
Hungary!!!!!
I got the call this afternoon around 3 and I have not stopped jumping around! I'm so excited! :)
I got the call this afternoon around 3 and I have not stopped jumping around! I'm so excited! :)
Sunday, December 5, 2010
Accepted!
It's official - I'm accepted and going on exchange next year!
I'll know which country in the next couple of weeks. I can't wait :)
I'll know which country in the next couple of weeks. I can't wait :)
Sunday, November 28, 2010
District Interviews
Alright so, this is really late considering the interviews were a week ago, but I've been pretty busy! This will probably be pretty long, so bear with me :).
Friday:
We had to meet in the parking lot of a park somewhat near my house. I put off packing until I got home from after school, so I was really worried I'd be late! We got there at exactly 4:30, though, and not everyone was there yet. When we got there, I saw one of my sister's friends, Paige, who was also interviewing! It was a really nice surprise and I felt a lot better knowing someone else that was going. We all put our stuff in the car and got in there, but Junso (my Rotary club contact.. he interviewed me at the club level) was talking to my mom for a really long time. I was afraid he was talking to her about how I didn't have a club and this weekend wasn't for sure and a whole bunch of other stuff, but my mom told me he was saying good things :). In the car there were three inbounds (Ecuador, Taiwan, Brazil) and I think 6 possible outbounds. Junso told us that there were 27 of us being interviewed, but they only had 19 spots available. I started really getting nervous after that! After about an hour we arrived at Adventure Park in Visalia. There were so many people there.. everyone went around shaking hands and introducing themselves. It was hard to distinguish inbounds from outbounds.. so every greeting started with, "Where are you from?" The inbounds did their country presentations and we got to walk around and meet all of them and hear about the countries. After that, I didn't care where I went: I just wanted to go! We all ate and played games, and then a group of us played laser tag! It was all a lot of fun :). After, we went to our weekend host family's house. We stayed with Peter, who used to be the one in charge of all of this. He gave us a lot of advice. In our house was two Brazilians, Isa and Cecilia, and Ariel, another outbound, and I. It was adorable listening to them speak in Portuguese :).
Saturday:
We all met at San Joaquin Valley College and had breakfast and sat around for about an hour before the meeting started. All of the outbounds had to stand up and introduce themselves, saying why they wanted to exchange and where they wanted to go. They talked to us about almost all aspects of the exchange and it was really interesting. After, the inbounds left to go to the Sequoia trees, and our parents came. While they talked to our parents, we played a really interesting game called Bafa Bafa. It showed us really interesting aspects of cultural differences and not knowing how to act in a strange environment. When we finished, we sat in the room with our parents and waited to be called back for interviews! When it was finally my turn, my mom and I were really nervous. The first room was not hard at all. They asked me my strongest trait, my weakest trait, and my country selections. I chose Norway, Sweden, and Belgium. In the next room, I was asked to talk about a goal I set for myself and accomplished, a time I was mature, and if I was working out all the credits and such to graduate on time. The last room was Rotex, and they asked me about homesickness and how I would deal with it. Overall it was really short and I feel good about how it went :). After the interviews, the inbounds came back. We all went to this school and ate dinner and had a talent show. Paige and I told jokes as our talent :). It was just a lot of fun to let go and see everyone have fun. We all stood in a circle and had candles and turned the lights out. As we lit each other's candles, we had to say a wish we had for the group or inbounds or outbounds. It was really emotional and it made me realize how real everything is!
Sunday:
We met at a mexican restaurant, Amigos, to have breakfast. After breakfast, they talked to us about the application a little bit. When we finished, the district had their meeting to discuss a preliminary list of who was going and who wasn't. While they talked, we all went to Starbucks. We pretty much took over, and were there for hours. I talked to a lot of inbounds though and it was all just a lot of fun. When they finished, we all left. It was really sad leaving, because I didn't know if I'd ever see any of them again!
Overall, it was an amazing weekend. It opened my eyes a lot to the process and what exchange really means. I should find out next week if I made it or not :)!
Friday:
We had to meet in the parking lot of a park somewhat near my house. I put off packing until I got home from after school, so I was really worried I'd be late! We got there at exactly 4:30, though, and not everyone was there yet. When we got there, I saw one of my sister's friends, Paige, who was also interviewing! It was a really nice surprise and I felt a lot better knowing someone else that was going. We all put our stuff in the car and got in there, but Junso (my Rotary club contact.. he interviewed me at the club level) was talking to my mom for a really long time. I was afraid he was talking to her about how I didn't have a club and this weekend wasn't for sure and a whole bunch of other stuff, but my mom told me he was saying good things :). In the car there were three inbounds (Ecuador, Taiwan, Brazil) and I think 6 possible outbounds. Junso told us that there were 27 of us being interviewed, but they only had 19 spots available. I started really getting nervous after that! After about an hour we arrived at Adventure Park in Visalia. There were so many people there.. everyone went around shaking hands and introducing themselves. It was hard to distinguish inbounds from outbounds.. so every greeting started with, "Where are you from?" The inbounds did their country presentations and we got to walk around and meet all of them and hear about the countries. After that, I didn't care where I went: I just wanted to go! We all ate and played games, and then a group of us played laser tag! It was all a lot of fun :). After, we went to our weekend host family's house. We stayed with Peter, who used to be the one in charge of all of this. He gave us a lot of advice. In our house was two Brazilians, Isa and Cecilia, and Ariel, another outbound, and I. It was adorable listening to them speak in Portuguese :).
Saturday:
We all met at San Joaquin Valley College and had breakfast and sat around for about an hour before the meeting started. All of the outbounds had to stand up and introduce themselves, saying why they wanted to exchange and where they wanted to go. They talked to us about almost all aspects of the exchange and it was really interesting. After, the inbounds left to go to the Sequoia trees, and our parents came. While they talked to our parents, we played a really interesting game called Bafa Bafa. It showed us really interesting aspects of cultural differences and not knowing how to act in a strange environment. When we finished, we sat in the room with our parents and waited to be called back for interviews! When it was finally my turn, my mom and I were really nervous. The first room was not hard at all. They asked me my strongest trait, my weakest trait, and my country selections. I chose Norway, Sweden, and Belgium. In the next room, I was asked to talk about a goal I set for myself and accomplished, a time I was mature, and if I was working out all the credits and such to graduate on time. The last room was Rotex, and they asked me about homesickness and how I would deal with it. Overall it was really short and I feel good about how it went :). After the interviews, the inbounds came back. We all went to this school and ate dinner and had a talent show. Paige and I told jokes as our talent :). It was just a lot of fun to let go and see everyone have fun. We all stood in a circle and had candles and turned the lights out. As we lit each other's candles, we had to say a wish we had for the group or inbounds or outbounds. It was really emotional and it made me realize how real everything is!
Sunday:
We met at a mexican restaurant, Amigos, to have breakfast. After breakfast, they talked to us about the application a little bit. When we finished, the district had their meeting to discuss a preliminary list of who was going and who wasn't. While they talked, we all went to Starbucks. We pretty much took over, and were there for hours. I talked to a lot of inbounds though and it was all just a lot of fun. When they finished, we all left. It was really sad leaving, because I didn't know if I'd ever see any of them again!
Overall, it was an amazing weekend. It opened my eyes a lot to the process and what exchange really means. I should find out next week if I made it or not :)!
Sunday, November 7, 2010
Not really exchange related..
I just looked at the date, and there's 12 days until my Rotary district interview! I'm seriously excited to see how that goes. In all honesty, if I don't get picked up by a club and don't end up making it.. I don't know what I'll do :/. I've been in the mindset that I'm going for so long now.. It's hard to imagine not being able to!
Besides exchange stuff, I seriously love forensics! At UOP for debate, I was 2nd place overall and my record was 8-2 :). Yesterday for speech I got third place in impromptu! Really amazing considering I never practiced or anything!
Other than that.. I'm super busy. I'm so stressed about grades and making time for everything. I'll write more after my interview!
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