Accepted! My formal acceptance was about a ten days ago, but oh well! I was on spring break at the time, and was at the beach with some friends, when my mother calls me frantically, I can't hear her in the phone, so I listen more carefully and then my mother shouts, "JAMES....*pant*, YOU GOT ACCEPTED!" I was in an equilibrium between crying out of pain for my victimized ear and tearing from the joy! Since then, I have been OBSESSED with watching youtube vlogs, reading others' AFS Italy blogs, and I am stuck in a constant state of excitement! It is so great to read about others' personal experiences, learn from them, and to watch them go from being a walking american vegetable to being fluent in Italian! I just cant believe that I'll be going to study in Italy in 135 days!
So I guess I do kind of feel bad for my parents, since I decided not to fundraise, since I applied about 10-15 days before the deadline and it's so tedious to fundraise this late! I guess I am a little lazy, since I seem to think "This is half of my private schools semester!" is a valid argument. Since I only got accepted about two weeks ago, I have to wait until late May or early June to receive my host family; it isn't fair! Since my acceptance, I joined the Facebook group for all of the AFS students going abroad, and two girls (Ella and Ariela) are going to Italy as well. They both have already received their placement, and are conversing with their host families and siblings! I am extremely jealous!
The other night, I received a call from Sabrina, my returnee advisor! A returnee advisor is someone who previously went to the country in which you are also going to, and they share tips about what to do and not to do while abroad based on their own experiences. Talking to her was a great way to alleviate stress, since I had no clue on what to do about my phone, packing, and of course, money! I found out that I cannot take my phone abroad, unless I want to charge a ridiculous amount to my parents. I actually met a foreign exchange student this week from Japan, named Hiro, and he told me that I can still bring my phone but turn off the data and use it just like an iPod! He also referred me to a cool app called Line, where you can call, message, and video chat with anyone around the world..for FREE! I'll probably try to use that when I do end up messaging my friends, but I guess I do have to stray from that while abroad, because what's the point of being abroad if I'm just going to be messaging my friends and family! I apparently need to pack stretchy items, since I'm likely to gain weight, stuffing my face full of pastas, gelato, and anything that looks edible!
That's all that's happening to me right now, I hope that you follow my blog so you can look forward to my next post! Ciao! Arrivederci! Goodbye!
No comments:
Post a Comment