Alright guys, I totally owe you all or anyone who reads this an apology. I've been slacking--but no more!
Let me start by getting you all up to speed:
1. I graciously received a need-based scholarship from the AFS foundation for over 8,000 dollars, which was phenomenal, to say the least! That, rallied together with funds from family and friends helped me get the job done in terms of the main tuition :)
2. Did I ever mention that I'm going to see Olympic events, Ireland, and France this summer for three weeks? Cause that's happening! I'll be leaving on July 19th (we're stopping in New York for a day of fun as well!) and returning on August 10th--I'll make sure to keep anyone or everyone who's reading posted!
3. Still haven't heard anything about where I'll be living in France, or my host family. So I'm antsy as ever.
4. We finally have an appointment for a student VISA!
5. Because this is happening my senior year, I'd like to warn anyone reading this trying to decide whether or not to become a foreign exchange student: beware the stresses of college applications in other countries. It's by far possible, but, still rather nerve racking--and unless you're highly organized, it's also a lot to keep on the calendars and notebooks.
Okay, now that you're with me for the most part, I'll let you know that I'll be posting mainly once a week or so while actually living in Europe, and otherwise I'll be posting maybe twice a week or once every two weeks--it'll all be dependent upon what happens and when things get sorted out!
Right now, I want to keep it short, but that's not going well. It'll be a long one this time, but I want to really talk about friends. Because, for those of you wanting to know how things are going for me so far (family) or those of you looking to become AFSers yourselves, I want you to be aware of how your friend pool can either diminish, or, in extremely unexpected cases, grow.
I had basically one tight friend group this entire year, and once summer came along, I was suddenly not invited to anything else, because I was never coming back! It was the freakiest thing, and kind of off-putting at first, but I guess I'm just a recluse so it didn't hurt too badly. I understood I would probably lose a lot of friends by leaving for my senior year of high school--I had picked my poison and I was fully aware.
The really interesting part was how I gained two totally new totally great friends! One of them, my good friend, is actually trying to get her parents into coming to France for Christmas vacation to see me (her family loves travel, so it isn't all about me, but it's still an overwhelmingly kind gesture I wouldn't have ever once expected). And another friend who's just been incredible in helping me through the less fun part of losing a friend group!
I just want everyone looking into this to know, that going away can sometimes be a gamble with friendships. But, the truth is that the friendships you lose by one extra year away--those are the friendships you would have lost in college as well. It's not like this changed anything, it just speeds up the process. So, if you're seriously thinking about this, be prepared to leave some people behind--and, remember, you're going to make friends in your new home, too! This experience is going to be worth a LOT more than weak friendships which fall apart anyways. Just understand what you're doing first. :)
I'll keep you posted with more--definitely uploading photos once the mother and I go on vacation! Three weeks of Europe? Yeah, I won't miss a moment with the camera!
Saturday, June 23, 2012
Saturday, April 14, 2012
1. The Basics!
To start off, my name is Emma Chong, and I'm a high school student who will be attending school in France next year! I'll be a foreign exchange student, and can't wait to experience the real differences with all the cultural changes ahead of me!
I've always loved language, and am currently trying to master my French as well as learning Spanish. It's been my dream to become a poly linguist and pursue job opportunities including linguistics, anthropology, and possibly sociology for quite some time now. After going to France and being submersed in an entirely different atmosphere for a 9-month school year, I'm hoping colleges will be able to understand my diligence and independence as a student--and my devotion to this type of work! It's also going to be a great experience for my own, personal understanding of the world and different societal behaviors--which is why I'm so excited! It's going to be incredible, and I do so enjoy incredible things.
Not only am I going to benefit from this year abroad though--it isn't just for college applications, and it isn't even just for my own personal gains in a comprehensive knowledge over the differences (mores, traditions, common courtesies) in other countries--actually, AFS is gracing me with an opportunity to really spread the American culture! As a student, and thus a representative of the upcoming generation, doors have been opened so that I may help spread awareness about my own country now. Not that there's any great need to terminate any ignorance causing problems in terms of diplomacy over America, however the chance to spread understanding must always be taken--and AFS is one of the leading organizations dedicated to helping students and young adults grab at such opportunities! My life long goal has been to travel, understand, speak, and learn--and for my senior year of high school, I finally have the chance!
With such ambition, however, the bills can tend to pile up sometimes. And the AFS program, as an act of aiding my family and I for my tuition payments for next year, has enabled me with a ChipIn button below, and if you were able to help contribute to my future, it would be so gladly appreciated! I've begun organizing ideas with people I know, including bake sales and selling greeting cards with my art on them online! (I am an aspiring artist as well, I love photography and can't seem to keep my hands away from any watercolors either!) My mother, a jeweler, also works at a weekend bizarre, where she will try to sell my art-cards too!
(The picture above is a photograph of me, in Australia, hiking up a mountain in the rain forest! My mother and I have family in Australia, so we try to visit as often as we can--and as an aspiring anthropologist, even just one week in another country is phenomenal!)
As you can tell, my family and I are making a great effort towards funding my experiences abroad, and if you'd like to help, I'd surely appreciate it!
To sponsor my AFS program now, please click the ChipIn button below!
I've always loved language, and am currently trying to master my French as well as learning Spanish. It's been my dream to become a poly linguist and pursue job opportunities including linguistics, anthropology, and possibly sociology for quite some time now. After going to France and being submersed in an entirely different atmosphere for a 9-month school year, I'm hoping colleges will be able to understand my diligence and independence as a student--and my devotion to this type of work! It's also going to be a great experience for my own, personal understanding of the world and different societal behaviors--which is why I'm so excited! It's going to be incredible, and I do so enjoy incredible things.
Not only am I going to benefit from this year abroad though--it isn't just for college applications, and it isn't even just for my own personal gains in a comprehensive knowledge over the differences (mores, traditions, common courtesies) in other countries--actually, AFS is gracing me with an opportunity to really spread the American culture! As a student, and thus a representative of the upcoming generation, doors have been opened so that I may help spread awareness about my own country now. Not that there's any great need to terminate any ignorance causing problems in terms of diplomacy over America, however the chance to spread understanding must always be taken--and AFS is one of the leading organizations dedicated to helping students and young adults grab at such opportunities! My life long goal has been to travel, understand, speak, and learn--and for my senior year of high school, I finally have the chance!
With such ambition, however, the bills can tend to pile up sometimes. And the AFS program, as an act of aiding my family and I for my tuition payments for next year, has enabled me with a ChipIn button below, and if you were able to help contribute to my future, it would be so gladly appreciated! I've begun organizing ideas with people I know, including bake sales and selling greeting cards with my art on them online! (I am an aspiring artist as well, I love photography and can't seem to keep my hands away from any watercolors either!) My mother, a jeweler, also works at a weekend bizarre, where she will try to sell my art-cards too!
(The picture above is a photograph of me, in Australia, hiking up a mountain in the rain forest! My mother and I have family in Australia, so we try to visit as often as we can--and as an aspiring anthropologist, even just one week in another country is phenomenal!)
As you can tell, my family and I are making a great effort towards funding my experiences abroad, and if you'd like to help, I'd surely appreciate it!
To sponsor my AFS program now, please click the ChipIn button below!
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