First post, oh!

Okay, so, hi!
I've read about a million of these little blogs by foreign exchange students and I decided to make one. I figure it'll be a good way to keep everyone updated, since time zones/homesickness/AFS suggestions will mean I probably won't have a lot of time to. Slash it's fun.
Sooo a week ago, I got OFFICIALLY accepted by AFS Italy to go for the 2009-2010 school year! I leave in September, which is still five months away, but so much happens before then.

Namely, the wonderfully grueling application process. (Actually, mine wasn't that bad, compared to some others, which took months.)

While some people who are organized and responsible apply a year in advance, I only found out about AFS in February, 7 months before the 09-10 year departure date. Honestly, I didn't really look into other exchange programs, because the deadlines were coming up pretty quickly, and I definitely wanted to go next year, my junior year.

I sent in my preliminary application (which is the first "I'm interested!" part), and convinced my parents to let me go in the first week of February.
I got my full application a few days later, and almost collapsed on the floor.
The next month and a half consisted of doctor's visits, a blood sample at a reaaalllyyy shady clinic, bugging Ms. McCullohs for a letter of recommendation, applying for jobs, and getting a passport. (Also, trying to figure out the difference between "previous" and "prior" on my academic sheet... what?) I also had my interview, which I was really nervous for, but it actually ended up being... fun!
I sent all of that in the last week of March, got it sent back to me (hahaha) corrected a few missing things, then resent it.
Even though AFS Italy is notorious for being really slow (as far as waiting to see if you got accepted), I heard back from then in a little under two weeks!
(It seems like it's all happening so fast. A little over two months ago, I didn't even know about any of this, and now there's a group of people out there looking for the family I'll be living with for ten months of my life.)

So it all went very well, except this whole process is making me hate my school a little more every day. I'm pretty sure we have about 234982398 exchange students here this year (yes, exactly!), and I even learned about AFS through my French class, but when we called them, they sounded very grim about it all. So far, they're not going to give me ANY credit for the classes I take next year. And they're more than likely going to try and make me retake junior year. My parents and I are like, nope, so we have this conference planned with them and I'm going to take summer school. I want to graduate with my class, thank you!

Anyway, needless to say, I'm so so so so excited.

Things left to do...

1.) Get a job, since I have 5 months to raise 10 months worth of spending money and some of my tuition.
2.) Have a conference with the abomination known as my school administration.
3.) Go to a pre-departure orientation next month in Richmond.
4.) Wait for them to find me a host family and school (which could take as long as 2 weeks before I leave!)
5.) Go to summer school for English 11, which is actually online. Blaaakdkfds.
6.) LEARN. Some. Italiano. Because right now, I'm limited to... Salve! Ciao! Come stai? Bene, e tu? Which will get me through my first 30 seconds there... maybe. xD
7.) Find out how to pack for a year in one checked bag of 44 pounds, a carry-on, and one "personal" item.
8.) Travel to my gateway city! Which is either D.C. or New York. If it's D.C., it'll cost about $1.60 tops and take under 20 minutes. And I don't know how much a train ticket to New York costs. o.o
9.) Meet the other AFSers. (:
10.) Gateway Orientation.
11.) Then we're off!

...I think? Something along those lines.

My summer will be all school and work and goodbyes, but I'm pretty much positive that this is all going to be worth it.


Oh, and I guess I should talk about why I chose Italy. I originally wanted to go to Germany, and that's why I was going to do it, but AFS said that Germany has a language requirement. And I know about two sentences in German. (I actually didn't look closely enough: the language thing was only for the semester program, so I actually didn't need to know much beforehand since I'm going for a year).
ANYWAY, I didn't know that, so I started looking at other countries on the 50+ list. I narrowed it down to India, South Africa, Sweden. Egypt and Italy. I chose them because they all looked the most interesting to me. I really wanted to learn a language, so I crossed off India (I'm pretty sure their schools are in English). And I can't believe myself sometimes, but I decided Sweden was too cold. My mom absolutely hated the idea of me going to Egypt, and I just steered away from South Africa. Italy had the weather, the culture, the language, the food, the everything.
I'm already in love with it and I haven't even been there. <--- Cheesy but true.

That might've been overly long but ohhh well.

To sum it all up: I AM EXCITED.