The Big News

This is the moment you've all (well, at least I) have been waiting for... the grand beginning... my country assignment....Chile!!! This lovely, long and skinny country on the Western side of South America will be my new home for next year!! I'm so exited! It was my second choice, so I can't say I didn't expect it, but I'm so exited!! I so want to go to Chile that I can hardly wait! I'd like to leave now!!!!!!!! On Saturday when we got to the conference, we stood infront of our parents and everyone else, and the inbounds stuck the flags of our host country on our backs. Then, we had to get the other outbounds to tell us where we were going. It was a lot of fun. This is the Grand and Official Beginning to my adventure. Please follow me though out it, and this blog is the best way to do that.

Excited for No Reason

Oh my gosh! I'm soooo excited for my trip I could go right now! I don't think it will be that bad, and the things I think about make me even more excited! I think, "What will I be doing this time next year?" , "What should I bring my host family as gifts? " , "What should I pack? ",  "Will I get to go to carnival?!" etc. etc. And then I commence to coming up with crazy amazing ideas that make me shake with excitement!!! (This is quite a change from last week when all that I could think of were all the possible disasters that could occur. So I wonder if this will last long. ) However, for right now, I am pumped!!!

Outbound Probs

When you don't know what you're doing with your life for a year.

Me: Yeah, I'm going to be an exchange student next year.
Person: Really?! Cool! Where are you going?
Me: I don't know.
Person: Oh.
Me: Well, probably either Spain, Chile or Peru, but they haven't told me yet.
Person: Well, how long will you be gone?
Me: I don't know. Probably 10-12 months.
Person: Wow, that's a long time! You're going to miss... this class, us for a whole year, cross country, etc.
Me: Well yeah.
(Sigh)

A Helpful Friend

As I was looking at other people's RYE blogs, I saw a post in one of them about a book called The Exchange Student Survival Kit. As much as I don't want to admit it, I am quite afraid of going abroad, and I figured some extra advice wouldn't hurt. So, I purchased the book, used, at Better Word Books for only the $3.50 it cost for shipping and handling. When it arrived, I was very excited and began reading it immediately. The book brings up many, even some taboo, points and subjects and explains what to do in different kinds of situations. I recommend reading it if you're  going abroad. If you would like to barrow my copy when I am done, you are welcome to. I also find another helpful source to be the Central States Rotary Youth Exchange (CSRYE) Out Bound Student Handbook. 

Helpful Blogs

I was pointed in the direction of some of the great blogs of people who are abroad this year. They are good not only at getting me exited for my exchange but also for comforting me. They show me what others were feeling when they were at my point in their exchange. This lets me know that I am not alone in my feelings, hopes, and worries. One of my favorite is the blog of Maggie who is currently in Turkey. This is the link to her blog http://myyearabroadmaggieb.blogspot.com/. I hope that my blog provides the same reassurance to you, if you are going abroad in 2016-2017, that Maggie's provided for me.