Sorry I haven't posted anything in a while, I've been busy with school. This blog post should be a pretty good update on my life.
Well, it's official. I am officially an AFS Italy student. A few days ago, I got an email saying that I was accepted to the Spring 2015 program. YAY! I started this crazy process in March of 2012, and have been looking forward to this day ever since. This is a big deal to most people, but this is monumental for me. With the amount of work and time I have put into this, it feels incredible to finally see it pay off. As of right now, I am just about 4 months away from departure, but it feels like two weeks. Everything became so real when I read that email. I'm ready to just pack my suitcase and go!
So where do I go from here? Well, the only thing AFS Italy has left to do is find me a host family. I hope that they find me one fast, but I know that this is probably the longest, most unpredictable, process. I could have a host family next week, or I could have one 2 days before departure; no one knows for sure. I am very excited to meet the family. I want as much time as possible to learn about them before I go, it would make the adaption process that much easier.
That is the big next step for me. There is a lot of small stuff that I have to organize, but I have been trying to get ahead on those for like a year, so I'm not worried about it. I need to make sure I am up to date on all my vaccinations (done), start learning the language (done), start looking at flights to New York (done), and emotionally prepare myself for leaving, (not so done).
Now that I know that I am going for sure, I am trying to prepare myself to leave everything behind. I am already trying to separate myself from social networks, and attempting to be as independent as I can. I don't want to completely cut ties with everything quite yet though, because I know I will miss them when I'm gone. It's rough.... haha
Well, that's about it. I will try to update this more often as things happen. It should start getting interesting now!
Friday, September 26, 2014
Friday, September 12, 2014
Quick Update
Just to keep you guys informed, here is what has happened in the last month.
It was around mid-August when AFS informed me that my application was ready to get sent to Italy. Of course, I told them to send it ASAP, and they said I should hear back 6-8 weeks later. Well, that was about 4 weeks ago, so I should be hearing back from them pretty quick! (hopefully). It was around that same time that my financial aid went up for review. They sent it to "the committee" (which sounds super threatening by the way), and about a week later they sent me an email. They awarded me a generous amount of money, and I'm very appreciative. (Thanks AFS!)
So that's about it. I'll keep you posted when things change. Things should be picking up here pretty quick.
It was around mid-August when AFS informed me that my application was ready to get sent to Italy. Of course, I told them to send it ASAP, and they said I should hear back 6-8 weeks later. Well, that was about 4 weeks ago, so I should be hearing back from them pretty quick! (hopefully). It was around that same time that my financial aid went up for review. They sent it to "the committee" (which sounds super threatening by the way), and about a week later they sent me an email. They awarded me a generous amount of money, and I'm very appreciative. (Thanks AFS!)
So that's about it. I'll keep you posted when things change. Things should be picking up here pretty quick.
Thursday, August 7, 2014
Good job Colin
Well I did it again. Another month and a half with no blog update. Well here it is, but don't get too excited.
Not much has been happening. By not much, I mean absolutely nothing. The one downside of being ahead of the game is that THERE IS SO MUCH WAITING. This is the only reason I haven't really been posting much. One noteworthy things is that I believe I will hear back next week from AFS on whether or not I am qualified for my financial aid. I will let you know more about that when I hear back from them. I was told that August would be the month that I get accepted by AFS Italy, so I am also anticipating that as well. Sorry for the boring blog post. Hopefully something interesting happens soon.
I want to take this paragraph to wish all my fellow AFS'ers who are departing on their year programs GOOD LUCK, AND HAVE FUN! There are so many that I know are leaving, but I'll give a shoutout to the ones I know the best here. Axelle, Dzenita, Elena, Konrad, Tami, you guys are about to embark on what could perhaps be the defining year of your life. I encourage you to fight through the inevitable struggles when you first get there, and fully appreciate what your doing at all times, even if it's just sitting in your room doing homework. It's starting to hit me how lucky we are to have this opportunity, and I am so excited to see how it impacts each and every one of us. Have a good trip, and I'll see you in January! PS. I know that I am forgetting people, so this message goes to anyone who I have forgotten, or have not met. Have fun!
Not much has been happening. By not much, I mean absolutely nothing. The one downside of being ahead of the game is that THERE IS SO MUCH WAITING. This is the only reason I haven't really been posting much. One noteworthy things is that I believe I will hear back next week from AFS on whether or not I am qualified for my financial aid. I will let you know more about that when I hear back from them. I was told that August would be the month that I get accepted by AFS Italy, so I am also anticipating that as well. Sorry for the boring blog post. Hopefully something interesting happens soon.
I want to take this paragraph to wish all my fellow AFS'ers who are departing on their year programs GOOD LUCK, AND HAVE FUN! There are so many that I know are leaving, but I'll give a shoutout to the ones I know the best here. Axelle, Dzenita, Elena, Konrad, Tami, you guys are about to embark on what could perhaps be the defining year of your life. I encourage you to fight through the inevitable struggles when you first get there, and fully appreciate what your doing at all times, even if it's just sitting in your room doing homework. It's starting to hit me how lucky we are to have this opportunity, and I am so excited to see how it impacts each and every one of us. Have a good trip, and I'll see you in January! PS. I know that I am forgetting people, so this message goes to anyone who I have forgotten, or have not met. Have fun!
Sunday, June 22, 2014
Phone call and $$$
Hello everybody. Another short post today. Not much has happened, other than my phone call with AFS. Having read every word of the website, not much of what he said was new to me, but it was still worth while.
The main purpose of this post is to ask for your help. The closer I get to leaving, the more I feel like this trip may not be a possibility because of finances. I broke down the cost in an earlier post, but as I look back at that, I laugh a little. The tuition will not be NEARLY as low as I thought. I am probably looking at around $5000-$8000. Even though I am working as much as possible, this will be nearly impossible to make on my own. Like I mentioned before, I have a Sponsor an AFS'er widget on the right hand side of my blog. This is a safe, secure way to help me have the experience of a life time. I am asking you to donate if finances allow it. I will be forever grateful for any donation that you give. I don't want this post to sound like a sob-story, but with the amount of work I have put into this experience, I would be crushed if I couldn't go because I couldn't afford it. Thank you!
The main purpose of this post is to ask for your help. The closer I get to leaving, the more I feel like this trip may not be a possibility because of finances. I broke down the cost in an earlier post, but as I look back at that, I laugh a little. The tuition will not be NEARLY as low as I thought. I am probably looking at around $5000-$8000. Even though I am working as much as possible, this will be nearly impossible to make on my own. Like I mentioned before, I have a Sponsor an AFS'er widget on the right hand side of my blog. This is a safe, secure way to help me have the experience of a life time. I am asking you to donate if finances allow it. I will be forever grateful for any donation that you give. I don't want this post to sound like a sob-story, but with the amount of work I have put into this experience, I would be crushed if I couldn't go because I couldn't afford it. Thank you!
Sunday, June 8, 2014
Quick Update and an Awesome Picture
Hello everybody
Just wanted to let you all in on some recent events. In late May, I finished making my changes on my application. I turned it in a few days ago, and heard back a day later saying that my application was ready to be put through to Italy for final review. After they look though it, I will be accepted, and they will start the look for a host family! All I have to do now is have a informational phone call with AFS to talk about what happens next. So there you go! More exciting updates coming soon hopefully. Also, here is a picture of Ronald Reagan riding a velociraptor. You're welcome.
Just wanted to let you all in on some recent events. In late May, I finished making my changes on my application. I turned it in a few days ago, and heard back a day later saying that my application was ready to be put through to Italy for final review. After they look though it, I will be accepted, and they will start the look for a host family! All I have to do now is have a informational phone call with AFS to talk about what happens next. So there you go! More exciting updates coming soon hopefully. Also, here is a picture of Ronald Reagan riding a velociraptor. You're welcome.
Wednesday, May 14, 2014
Oops
Oops. So I haven't updated my blog in like 2 months, so I figured I should probably get all of you caught up. So much has happened since the last blog post; probably enough to do a couple of blog posts, but I'll cram it into one. (I just read my last blog post to see where I left off, and I ended it with "hopefully it's not too long before my next post"... Good one Colin). I will do my best to catch you up on every detail, but no promises. Anyway, here goes....
Italy
Still a country.
Application
In my last post, I walked you through the application, and shared that I had submitted it. From that time on, I have just been waiting to hear back from AFS. Well, on May 5th, I received a call from one of the volunteers. They said that they had reviewed my application, and were going to send me an email. I was expecting a LONG list, but fortunately, I only have to change like 5-6 minor things. Mostly just stupid mistakes, like not signing a health form (oops). Compared to some others that I've heard of, I got off pretty easy.
New Friends
So back in like March, I was looking at some posts on the Ask an AFSer facebook page (if you are not on it, go like it right now, I'll wait...), and saw that some people were asking about a page specifically for AFS Italy students. So between a few kids and I, we created a new page. We have 80 members as of right now, and we are kind of like a little family. We decided to start a group chat so we could get to know each other better, and it turned into something huge. I have 2 different chats going of Italy kids right now, and there are constantly messages. I will tell you about some of the ones I know pretty well.
Tami: Tami is from Texas, USA, and is going to be staying in Sorrento, right by the Amalfi Coast. (Still haven't really gotten over that yet... you are sooo lucky). She is probably the most active member, and is quick to make friends with the new kids. When she talks with Axelle, I have to just sit and watch their messages. They are so funny.
Axelle: She is from Brussels, Belgium, and I'm not sure where she is staying to be honest. She is essentially a Belgium form of Tami; quick to make friends, and one of the funniest people I've ever met. I usually wake up to about 300 messages on the group chat, and 90% of them are from her... haha! Also one of the more classy members.... (totally joking, but you're still awesome...) (PS, if you are reading this, you actually owe me some chocolate.)
Konrad: Konrad is from Poland, and must have a broken keyboard because EVERYTHING HE TYPES IS IN CAPS LOCK! He is unbelievably funny, and is usually the other 10% of the conversation. I don't know if he is placed yet, but if he isn't, he will be soon. The best part of his messages are his English mistakes. None of us even notice, but he always makes a huge deal out of it. It's so funny!
(By the way, I was definitely under the impression that Konrad was a girl for a while, but I found out that he is very much a guy... another oops)
(I would write about more, but I don't know many of them that well)
It does kind of suck, because all of these people are going on year long exchanges, or only 3 months in the fall, so I probably won't get to meet them :(. I would love to see them some day though...
Where do I go from here?
As of right now, I am working on refining my application. After that, I can submit it for final review, where AFS USA will review it for the last time, then send it to AFS Italy. There they will look over everything, and decide if I should be accepted or not. If I am accepted, though I'm not sure why I wouldn't, they will start looking for a host family for me! I can't wait to find out where I will be staying, it stinks not knowing.
Well, that all I can think of as of right now. Thanks for reading!
PS. My donation widget is still active. I would really appreciate any donations! Thanks again!
Italy
Still a country.
Application
In my last post, I walked you through the application, and shared that I had submitted it. From that time on, I have just been waiting to hear back from AFS. Well, on May 5th, I received a call from one of the volunteers. They said that they had reviewed my application, and were going to send me an email. I was expecting a LONG list, but fortunately, I only have to change like 5-6 minor things. Mostly just stupid mistakes, like not signing a health form (oops). Compared to some others that I've heard of, I got off pretty easy.
New Friends
So back in like March, I was looking at some posts on the Ask an AFSer facebook page (if you are not on it, go like it right now, I'll wait...), and saw that some people were asking about a page specifically for AFS Italy students. So between a few kids and I, we created a new page. We have 80 members as of right now, and we are kind of like a little family. We decided to start a group chat so we could get to know each other better, and it turned into something huge. I have 2 different chats going of Italy kids right now, and there are constantly messages. I will tell you about some of the ones I know pretty well.
Tami: Tami is from Texas, USA, and is going to be staying in Sorrento, right by the Amalfi Coast. (Still haven't really gotten over that yet... you are sooo lucky). She is probably the most active member, and is quick to make friends with the new kids. When she talks with Axelle, I have to just sit and watch their messages. They are so funny.
Axelle: She is from Brussels, Belgium, and I'm not sure where she is staying to be honest. She is essentially a Belgium form of Tami; quick to make friends, and one of the funniest people I've ever met. I usually wake up to about 300 messages on the group chat, and 90% of them are from her... haha! Also one of the more classy members.... (totally joking, but you're still awesome...) (PS, if you are reading this, you actually owe me some chocolate.)
Konrad: Konrad is from Poland, and must have a broken keyboard because EVERYTHING HE TYPES IS IN CAPS LOCK! He is unbelievably funny, and is usually the other 10% of the conversation. I don't know if he is placed yet, but if he isn't, he will be soon. The best part of his messages are his English mistakes. None of us even notice, but he always makes a huge deal out of it. It's so funny!
(By the way, I was definitely under the impression that Konrad was a girl for a while, but I found out that he is very much a guy... another oops)
(I would write about more, but I don't know many of them that well)
It does kind of suck, because all of these people are going on year long exchanges, or only 3 months in the fall, so I probably won't get to meet them :(. I would love to see them some day though...
Where do I go from here?
As of right now, I am working on refining my application. After that, I can submit it for final review, where AFS USA will review it for the last time, then send it to AFS Italy. There they will look over everything, and decide if I should be accepted or not. If I am accepted, though I'm not sure why I wouldn't, they will start looking for a host family for me! I can't wait to find out where I will be staying, it stinks not knowing.
Well, that all I can think of as of right now. Thanks for reading!
PS. My donation widget is still active. I would really appreciate any donations! Thanks again!
Monday, March 3, 2014
The Long and Winding Road
Yes, The Long and Winding Road is a Beatles song, but it is also a perfect way to describe my past month. I believe I mentioned that I started my application in my last post, but if I didn't, I started it on January 27. By the way, sorry for not posting in awhile, I should keep up on this thing... Anyway, my entire month of February was devoted to working on my application, and after a VERY long (and winding road) process, it is finally done! I will briefly walk you through the application, just so you can understand what I'm talking about. This may be useful to you if you are someone applying, or will apply in the future.
Cover: This was the easiest section. All you have to do was upload a photo to use as a cover picture. Actually, this was surprisingly difficult! I have never realized that there are so few pictures of me! But I'll talk about that later.
Personal: This section is devoted to finding out more about you. You have to provide your legal name, address, and passport information, as well as information about your family. I also had to indicate what my country preferences were. Obviously, Italy was my first choice, and I am fairly positive I will be accepted into that program. My second choice was Austria; I have no idea why. I figured that I might as well just choose a random country that interested me a little bit, and go for it. After all, this experience is all about trying new things, right?
Placement: This may be the most important section. This is where you provide any information you think is necessary to consider when searching for a host family. This includes any health limitations, dietary requirements, and religious affiliation. It asks about whether or not you will smoke during your exchange, which I am confused about, because I thought it was against their policy. Apparently not! It also asks about language experience, and I was a little confused about what to put for that as well. I have studied Spanish for two years, so obviously I put that on there, but I have also been doing Italian Rosetta Stone as well, but I wasn't sure if that counted. I put it anyway; maybe it will look good!
Health Certificates: This one requires the most planning! If you are a person thinking about traveling abroad, it is very simple; all you have to do is schedule an appointment with your doctor, and give him/her the forms to fill out. BUT, sometimes you have to schedule weeks in advance, so DO NOT PROCRASTINATE this one!!! Repeat, DO NOT PROCRASTINATE.
Self-Intro: This is where it gets interesting. You finally get the opportunity to talk to your unkown host family! You are required to write a letter to them, about 2 pages long, to answer different questions about yourself. My immediate reaction was "ughhh, I hate writing papers", but it was actually really awesome! When you really put the time into writing it, you feel like you are having a conversation with someone you haven't met.
Photos: This one was easy. You had to upload 8-12 photos of you interacting with friends and family. Again, this was surprisingly difficult, so if you are applying in the future, and are not a picture person, start being a picture person! I had to really dig back into my photo collections, and wish that I would have had more recent ones to show my future host family!
Parent Statement: Allow your parents enough time to properly do this! I gave my parents this form two weeks ago, and told them that I was hoping to have it submitted by Friday the 28; I thought this would be plenty of time. I was wrong. Chances are, you parents are still a little nervous about letting you go abroad, and chances are you are plowing ahead with eagerness, (I know I am). It might take them a bit to do it, so don't rush them, and give them at least a couple of weeks.
Academic Record: This is also very simple to do. If you give your counselor the form, and be sure to specify that you need the last THREE years of class information, (yes that includes middle school), he/she should have it done in about a day.
Participation Agreement: Again, very simple. All you have to do is print out the form, sign it, and upload it. I believe it also has payment schedules, which is useful information.
Consent: I feel like a broken record, but it really gets simpler as you progress through the application. I do recommend actually reading all of the consent forms though. It is pretty long, but hey, it has some pretty important information.
Letter of Recommendation: This requires a bit of planning as well. Teachers are very busy, so you cannot expect to drop off the letter requirements, and get it back the next day. I would recommend giving the teacher a few weeks to do the letter.
Passport: This, once again, needs to be planned out properly, (have you heard that enough yet?) I applied for my passport on January 21, and received it on February 26th. AFS does not require that you have a passport while applying, but it does make things much easier. If you are currently applying, I recommend applying for one ASAP. If you applying in the future, I still recommend getting one right now. I believe they are valid for 10 years, so it never to soon to apply for one.
Well, that is the application! It took some time, but I am happy. Also, before I end this one, I want to remind all of you that I have a donation widget set up in the upper right hand column. I appreciate that you took the time to read this post, but would REALLY appreciate it is you donated money to help make this all happen. Think of it as a subscription to a magazine, except a blog! Haha! Once again, sorry for not posting in a while, hopefully it won't be too long before my next post!
Cover: This was the easiest section. All you have to do was upload a photo to use as a cover picture. Actually, this was surprisingly difficult! I have never realized that there are so few pictures of me! But I'll talk about that later.
Personal: This section is devoted to finding out more about you. You have to provide your legal name, address, and passport information, as well as information about your family. I also had to indicate what my country preferences were. Obviously, Italy was my first choice, and I am fairly positive I will be accepted into that program. My second choice was Austria; I have no idea why. I figured that I might as well just choose a random country that interested me a little bit, and go for it. After all, this experience is all about trying new things, right?
Placement: This may be the most important section. This is where you provide any information you think is necessary to consider when searching for a host family. This includes any health limitations, dietary requirements, and religious affiliation. It asks about whether or not you will smoke during your exchange, which I am confused about, because I thought it was against their policy. Apparently not! It also asks about language experience, and I was a little confused about what to put for that as well. I have studied Spanish for two years, so obviously I put that on there, but I have also been doing Italian Rosetta Stone as well, but I wasn't sure if that counted. I put it anyway; maybe it will look good!
Health Certificates: This one requires the most planning! If you are a person thinking about traveling abroad, it is very simple; all you have to do is schedule an appointment with your doctor, and give him/her the forms to fill out. BUT, sometimes you have to schedule weeks in advance, so DO NOT PROCRASTINATE this one!!! Repeat, DO NOT PROCRASTINATE.
Self-Intro: This is where it gets interesting. You finally get the opportunity to talk to your unkown host family! You are required to write a letter to them, about 2 pages long, to answer different questions about yourself. My immediate reaction was "ughhh, I hate writing papers", but it was actually really awesome! When you really put the time into writing it, you feel like you are having a conversation with someone you haven't met.
Photos: This one was easy. You had to upload 8-12 photos of you interacting with friends and family. Again, this was surprisingly difficult, so if you are applying in the future, and are not a picture person, start being a picture person! I had to really dig back into my photo collections, and wish that I would have had more recent ones to show my future host family!
Parent Statement: Allow your parents enough time to properly do this! I gave my parents this form two weeks ago, and told them that I was hoping to have it submitted by Friday the 28; I thought this would be plenty of time. I was wrong. Chances are, you parents are still a little nervous about letting you go abroad, and chances are you are plowing ahead with eagerness, (I know I am). It might take them a bit to do it, so don't rush them, and give them at least a couple of weeks.
Academic Record: This is also very simple to do. If you give your counselor the form, and be sure to specify that you need the last THREE years of class information, (yes that includes middle school), he/she should have it done in about a day.
Participation Agreement: Again, very simple. All you have to do is print out the form, sign it, and upload it. I believe it also has payment schedules, which is useful information.
Consent: I feel like a broken record, but it really gets simpler as you progress through the application. I do recommend actually reading all of the consent forms though. It is pretty long, but hey, it has some pretty important information.
Letter of Recommendation: This requires a bit of planning as well. Teachers are very busy, so you cannot expect to drop off the letter requirements, and get it back the next day. I would recommend giving the teacher a few weeks to do the letter.
Passport: This, once again, needs to be planned out properly, (have you heard that enough yet?) I applied for my passport on January 21, and received it on February 26th. AFS does not require that you have a passport while applying, but it does make things much easier. If you are currently applying, I recommend applying for one ASAP. If you applying in the future, I still recommend getting one right now. I believe they are valid for 10 years, so it never to soon to apply for one.
Well, that is the application! It took some time, but I am happy. Also, before I end this one, I want to remind all of you that I have a donation widget set up in the upper right hand column. I appreciate that you took the time to read this post, but would REALLY appreciate it is you donated money to help make this all happen. Think of it as a subscription to a magazine, except a blog! Haha! Once again, sorry for not posting in a while, hopefully it won't be too long before my next post!
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