Going…Going…
Hey everyone! So a lot has happened since my last post, so I’m just going to jump right into it. I was too emo to mention it in my last post, but I changed my layout style. Like it? For me, it’s much more comfortable to read dark on light than vice versa, and this layout is a bit cleaner. I may change it back sometime, or to something completely different. If one layout totally riffs you to no end, drop a comment and I’ll see what I can do.
Anyway, the host family situations mentioned in my last post have all been resolved. Very shortly after I wrote it, my AA called me to explain what he knew. According to AFS USA, there had been a typo on my Family information, saying that the Chens were my permanent host family, when in fact they were my ‘Welcoming’ or temporary family. They will be hosting me for the first month or so, until my second family is found. While he made it sound as if that had been the plan all along, I think they were supposed to be my host family, but because of aforementioned constraints/perhaps a change in heart, something changed and someone else was going to host me. Since they haven’t found anyone, I’m allowed to stay with the Chens until they do. My AA was super apologetic about the fact that’d I have two host families, trying to put it all in a shining light, when in fact I couldn’t be happier! I get to see two different families, one with a host sister, one without. He promised I wouldn’t be changing schools or classes or anything, so no worries there. As he put it “The only real switch will be changing bedrooms” XD. I’m so excited to get to be with two caring families. The Chens seem to be the perfect ‘welcoming’ family for me. Their daughter is abroad, so we’ll both be able to experience the ‘other side’ of exchange and they both have the same professions as my parents, so it will be nice to ease into life a little bit. As much change as there’s going to be in the next few weeks, any little similarities are a comfort. On the other side, when I’m more adapted and have a few conversational skills, I can experience life with a host sister. Best of both worlds, if you ask me. 😀 Melodie’s family is also going well. After receiving Siyu’s (her Chinese friend) call, Melodie’s host sister emailed her right away, apologizing for scaring her and saying that they’re very happy to be her host family. She and her sister have been emailing near daily. Her family even chose her Chinese name! Since she’ll be living with the Mu family, they decided to call her Lan, so that she’ll be Mu Lan. How adorable is that! Her sister went on to explain who Mulan was in Chinese folklore, (as if we all don’t know from Disney xD). It’s a beautiful name, and her family sounds great, so all’s going well in that sense!
Also after my last post, I went downstate to Woodland to spend a few days with my mom. We shopped for the first 3 days, and then I spent the last two at her work. It was so beautifully amazing; after weeks of feeling anxious and depressed, it all just went away while I was with her. I can honestly say I almost never thought about China the entire time I was there, which was such a relief. It was just like any other week, just having fun and soaking everything in. We could just talk about things, going on for hours and enjoying being in the same room. We went to the bookstore, Fry’s, and tons of entertainment stores, and bought to much stuff! Seriously, I have so many DS games now, I dunno what to do with myself. I also bought 5 books, including Palaniuk’s Choke and all the books in the Uglies series, but in the course of the week, I’ve finished all but two of them. I’m trying to get Extras and Augusten Burrough’s Wolf at the Table done before I go too, so that I don’t have to pack them. My mother even surprised with one of the best shops ever; Panera! Seriously, I didn’t know the west coast had any (which is beyond a bitter shame). It’s a bakery/cafe that makes the most amazing soup bread bowls ever, and their bagels are awesome. I swear, I was so happy, I felt all mushy. It was one of the best moments in the last few weeks. Leave it to mothers with their maternal magic to know how to make you feel safe, warm and loved. On top of that, Tindabaa and Jinji, two of her dogs, went missing for a few days. Between shopping, reading, and that, there was no time to think about missing people. The next few days, we went in to my mother’s lab. It was really fun, actually, which isn’t what I expected. The picture above are the different chemicals and foods added to vats of bacteria so that they’ll grow. Fascinating, right? XP
It’s been great seeing everyone before I go. I’m gonna miss these guys tons and tons, more than they’ll ever know. Anyway, pictures are here, without much description. No need to get emo again.
Ceri and her girlfriend, Rachel, sitting outside of her work.
I’ve been doing a lot of henna tattoos lately. For those who don’t know, henna is a non permanent mud-like paste that dyes the skin for a few weeks. I’ve been doing it off and on for a few years, but I got a large set of it on my birthday, so I’ve had a blast using it up. Either than that, going out to eat, or hanging out in my room have been my main social activities.
The henna tattoo I gave Yen on her lower hip
This weekend I get to see my sister’s new house, all furnished and filled, which I’m looking forward to. It’s nice, because my last few days here are relaxed and just normal, which is all I want right now. I swear, just sitting and talking with my dad before/after dinner is going to be one of the things I’m gonna miss the most.
Anyway, enough of this mushy chatter, back to EXCHANGE stuff. That’s what I’m writing this for, right? My bags are mostly all packed. I’m having my dad come in and see if her can make it better, because according to everyone he’s a packing God. I’m shocked about how things fit. I tried to stick to the 5 rule, and found that I naturally had between 5 and 7 of nearly everything. (Except for socks, underwear, and tank tops; I have a ton of them, funnily enough…). I brought way too many shoes, with a set of boots, flats, converse and heels, but they fit so *shrug* why not? Also, being packed 6 days before going means I’m going to be wearing all of the things I’m not packing for the next week, save the outfits for next Wednesday, Thursday (which will prolly lead on into Friday thanks to the time change) and the spare in my carryon. The good news is that it’s fairly easy to pull out clothes or repack them into my bag for Saturday and Sunday. I got my Survival orientation schedule this morning (a few days after Melodie posted what it was on CS xD). Basically, Friday we’ll be picked up in Shanghai and check in and get to know everyone. Saturday morning we go over AFS rules, China study, and exercises like eye massages (x3). In the afternoon, we separate by countries (so I guess like AFS USA is all together?) and we do a run through of a Chinese school day (in an hour…) and hear volunteers. Then we get to go on a tour of the city after dinner for a few hours. Sunday morning we all head out to our areas and meet our host families! It’s insanely hard to explain how excited I am to be able to meet everyone in person!
I’ll admit, I’m a little anxious with the good ol’ “what if no one likes me?” fears, but I’m hoping they’ll pass. Not helping is the fact that I just dyed my hair last night to the color of my roots, which were way darker than I imagined. I’ve never had hair this dark, and right now I hate it. Most everyone will be rolling their eyes right now, since I’ve been complaining out having to dye my hair since I heard about it. It’s just hair, I know, but I still think it looks stupid. [rant] It’s way too dark, it doesn’t match my skin tone at all! I look like one of those pale-beyond-belief kids with died black hair. It’s too intimidating.[/rant]. Ok, so I’m pouting a bit, I’ll get over it. Anyway, right now I’m feeling mostly happy excitement (though not much, there’s still that giant mental wall there…) and I can’t wait to go.
I’ll prolly update this either the day before I go, or after I’ve left. In case this is the last time I write while in the US, I’ll see you all later!
Sucking It Up and Counting Down
It’s been quite a while since my last post, so I thought I ought to fill you all in on any updates. There hasn’t been too much that has changed, really, just small things here and there. I have a feeling this post is going to be more emotional than informational, so unless you think reading it could color your full view of the experience (which is why I’m posting it) you should skip it.
Anyway, on to business. I’ve been very busy lately getting things in order for the 11th. I need to collect all of my college applications, talk to my counselor and teachers about recommendation, and finish my first semester of BYU Trig. It would be such a nightmare to have to ask someone to proctor my final when I’m new there, especially considering they have to fill out a few forms and be able to read the instructions, which are only in English. College applications are in the same place. Because I’ll be in China during the application window for UCs, and there’s a chance I won’t be able to apply/reach the site while I’m there, the majority of the work will be placed on my parents and counselor. I’m trying my best to make them do as little as possible, which means getting everything in order while I’m still in the States. Luckily, everyone’s been super supportive along the way, my counselor and I had a meeting yesterday to discuss my arrangements and set a date for my BYU exam. She emailed the BYU people, asking them to rush the post so that I could take the exam before I leave (thank you Mieske!) so I’m taking it next Thursday. The college apps have been nice as well, the essay prompts are all ones I am prepared for, and no one asks for anything out of this world (actually, none of them ask for teacher recommendations, I’m just getting some for scholarship backups.) I’m mainly applying to UC campuses, and the three private colleges I am applying to all accept the Common Application, so overall I’m going to fill out 2 applications and write a maximum of 4 essays. Not too bad, really.
Aside from school, there’s a great deal to think about in packing. I’m allowed by AFS 1 suitcase weighing no more than 20kg (44 pounds), a carry on suitcase and a personal item, which will most likely be my purse. It’s not much by any standard, I’ve packed more for summer trips, but it’s fair. After all, we have to be able to carry all of our luggage ourselves through airport terminals. Nevertheless, 44 pounds means slimming down a lot. There are countless methods of how to fit your stuff into every last crevice of the suitcase, but in the end, the weight limit still calls the shots. You start looking through your room in terms of “Am I packing that?”. Clothes haven’t been too much of a problem. As fate would have it, this summer has done quite a run with them. Between henna and bleach stains alongside holes appearing from wear and tear, my clothes have essentially naturally selected themselves. Those that survive the summer come along. The real killer, however, has been non-clothing goods. How much space can I allow for mementos, which are naturally fragile, or should I be using that for books, which are quite heavy? Does practicality or emotionality win out, and will I regret an imbalance of the two? There’s also host gifts and references to home. I made the mistake upon moving here from Chicago of not having anything about where I was from at all. This time I’m packed with California pictures, music, and Chico specialties to distribute. My dad got prints of 100 of his photos, which made me so happy, I nearly cried. He even included some photos of himself, which he prolly hated, but I’m so happy for. What would my host family like? It’s so hard to think of what to give them, to express how happy I would be to stay with them.
Of course, it would be much easier to choose thoughtful gifts if I had a host family. I guess that leads to the first big update. Shortly after my last post, I contacted my AA to see if there had been any updates in getting me another host family. Turns out, he had no idea that my other family fell through, or that as of right now, I have no one expecting to host me. Sometimes you just have to adore the communication between AFS, really, but more on that later. Anyway, so my AA has been on vacation for the last weekend, and came back yesterday. I still have no news, but I know that most likely it’s because he has no information yet. After all, he can’t fill me in until AFS China fills him in. To be succinct, I haven’t a host family that I can guarantee will be there, my AA is working at it, and I have 2 weeks before I’m leaving.
Honestly, I’m not half as worried about it as I probably should be. Lately, it’s very hard for me to think about exchange for very long before my mind switches out. It’s like there’s a giant wall there, which is preventing a giant wave of panic. My body seems to be taking the stress away from my mind, as I’ve come down with a minor fever and have been sore all over, which I blame on stress. Anyway, if I’m not feeling it, my parents sure are. My dad’s been anxious about my host family, and hesitant to buy my domestic ticket to LA until he knows that this won’t stop me from going on the ordained date. We haven’t received any guarantees of it, but we thought it necessary to get on with it anyway.
Which leads to my flight plan and second major update. As of now, the plans are thus: I will leave around 8:00am from home to arrive to Sacramento Airport at for a flight to LA at 10 am. I’ll arrive in LA around 11:30 at the earliest, giving me a bit of time to catch my bags and call a shuttle to the orientation hotel. I have to be at the hotel by 2pm at the very latest, so I’ll be there in plenty of time. Once there, the 3 American China outbounds (Erica, Jesus, and I) will be attending what may turn out to be one of the smallest orientations ever. Usually, outbounds to countries in the same area go to the same orientation, resulting in a semi-large to large group (I’ve heard of orientations in the 100’s). Well, all of the countries leaving out of LA or in the Pacific rim have already left, or will have by the time September comes around. So that leaves AFS China outbounds, which totals to 3 (as far as we know). I can’t say I mind terribly, after all, I already know and like Jesus and Erica, so it will be nice to be with people I’m comfortable with the night before and the flight of. Though it does make me feel odd, after all, from what I’ve heard of pre-flight orientations is that they’re full of get-to-know-you activities and lectures on rules, so that may be interesting with only 3 of us. Not to mention, there are no guarantees that is WILL be just the three of us, as no one has come out and told us how many China outbounds there are. According to my AA, no more than 6 people had applied to China at the time of the deadline, and a few have dropped out. Perhaps we’ll meet someone completely new while we’re there, which would be an awesome surprise. Anyway, at 8:30 the next day, we have a flight from LA to San Francisco (yes, I’m flying downstate and then back upstate), then from San Fran to Beijing. Now here’s where once again it’s complicated. The Europeans, Melodie, Yiney, and Ivan all have flight plans to Shanghai. For the longest time, we thought this meant that we would be separated for our arrival orientation, with Americans and unknown others landing in Beijing while Europeans landing in Shanghai. This barely made any sense, why have 2 orientations, especially considering AFS China is relatively small. Anyway, Jesus figured out from the AFS Shanghai student group that we would not be separated. In fact, we fill be taking another plane in Beijing to Shanghai. The orientation spot was moved because of the Olympics, with AFS America being the last to know. Now, again, none of this is guaranteed, because no one has yet to tell us anything. Were it not for the internet and the great minds of the group, we’d all be sitting on our hands about to get a few huge shocks come September. I love AFS but I wish they kept us informed a bit more, or at all. It’s not AFS America’s fault so much, as my AA knows little to nothing either. Today, I found out that Melodie’s family never knew about hosting her at all. The story is that she’s been emailing them over and over for the last 2 months, getting no replies. Finally, Melodie asked her friend Siyu in China to telephone her host family and see what’s going on. Turns out, they’ve never heard of her, or of hosting anyone. They had received her emails, but assumed they were spam because they didn’t know who she was. This whole situation is complete bullshit. Two weeks to go, and neither of us have host families, neither have been told that we didn’t have host families, and there are host families that don’t know they’re supposed to be hosting us. Somewhere along the line, someone is lying to protect themselves. Perhaps it’s someone within the school, AFS Harbin, or all the way up to AFS China. My AA won’t return any of my calls or emails. I assume it’s because he doesn’t know anything, but it’d be nice to have him tell me that. Right now I’m angry instead of scared.
I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t frustrated, but I have a feeling it’s a great deal more than anything AFS. It’s been a difficult month, which I anticipated, but didn’t quite prepare for. All of my friends returned to school August 13th, while my parents and sister work, which means that for the majority of the day, I’m alone. Sometimes I take bike rides to run errands or rent a few movies, but most of my days are pretty dull. Wake up, work on trig, check email, play video games, look over my packing list for the billionth time, swim, nap, repeat. “The month of transition is always hard, because you don’t really belong anywhere.” I certainly don’t feel like I don’t belong here, because everyone’s been really supportive and close, but there’s still something in it. It’s hard because you want to shout “I’m leaving so soon! Why am I alone?” but you know that you’re leaving soon. While I sit in this laid back limbo with no real responsibility, the people around me have to get on with life. School goes on, exams must be taken and studied for, other relationships have to be fostered. After all, how horrible would I be to try and keep everyone to myself when I’m the one leaving them? This month is full of frustration, restlessness, and self pity, but it will pass, like all things. So the important thing is to suck it up and make sure everything fits in place here before I leave.
Oh, and because I haven’t posted it yet, here is Melodie’s blog (http://mel-in-china.blogspot.com). It’s in French, but somethings are in English. She has the best taste in music too x3.
I Have a Host School! (But Do I Have a Host Family?)
Hello all! There’s quite a few posts here that are Pre-Departure, I suppose that makes me a bit of a hypocrite, but I guess I’m willing to accept that. As soon as I start going off about naps and dinner schedules, however, I expect one of you to stop me.
Anyway, on to business. This past week or so since my last post have been interestingly complex in such a way that you’re not sure whether to be excited, disappointed, or anxious. I’ll start with the most plainly happy news; I have a host school! I have known the name of it since I was notified of my family, but thanks to Anna (Glimorized on CS) I have found my host school’s website. Or, at least, what most likely will be my host school. Interestingly, the name produced in my information email for my host school said that I would be going to the Heilongjiang Provincial Erperimendal High School. Well, Melodie (Mel…Moi on CS) was also placed in Harbin (which is awesome) and she’s going to the Heilongjiang Provincial Experimental Middle School in the same area. We’re both the same age (actually, she’s a tiny bit
older) so there would have been no reason to put us in different grades. Anyway, after a bit of confusion and some help from a few friends on CS and Facebook, we figured that, most likely, my school information had a few typos in it. HPEMS (that’s how I’m going to refer to it as of now) has hosted AFS students before, (there were apparently 6 last year) and is in the same area as where my school’s address info is, so I’m guessing this much. It may end up that I’ve taken too much liberty with my assumptions and am horrendously wrong. If so, well, *shrug* at least it’ll make for an interesting post. After all that blather I best get back to the point. Here (http://www.hljsyzx.cn/index.asp ) is the school’s website. Bits and pieces of it can be put into English using web translators like WorldLingo. The school is beautiful (and so freaking POSH!) Seriously, they have a dance studio, a lecture hall, and a pottery lab. I swear, I’m afraid to bring pictures of PV in case they think that Americans don’t put any money into education. Not that we do, really It’s a private school for sure, but even the public high school’s are stuff only of legend here in the US. *shrug* Maybe it’s just all of the schools I’ve been to.
The Library
So I said in my last post that I had gotten into contact with my host father through email. Well, I’m half right. In fact, the person who wrote the email was Dianhong, my host Sister, who was translating for her dad. When I asked for “him” to give me her email address, she switched to her account and emailed me. Well, because her address was in Chinese, my mail carrier took her email as Spam, so it sat in my spam box for a week. You have no idea how silly I felt after I found out, because I had been really scared that I had said something that made them stop emailing. Anyway, my host sister is ADORABLE. I’ll add pictures of everything when my computer’s being less…weird. Anyway, so part of the email she sent me was a bit confusing.
In China, we study senior high school for 3 years,in September this year,I’ll be a Senior 2 student.But in my school, host family should be Senior 1 student,so in September you’ll know your genuine host family. And,it’s a pity that maybe we can be your host family…:-( But don’t be worried about this,you’ll know your host family in September soon.
So, from the sound of it, they’re not going to be my host family after all. I don’t really understand her explanation, so right now I’m just waiting for her to email me back, then I’ll call my AA and see what exactly is going on. I can’t say I’m not a little disappointed. The Chens sounded like an amazing family, very nice and a group I could slip into. Apparently, they are either my “welcoming family” until I get another one or I’ll have a whole new host family before I leave. *Shrug* What can you do?
The Gym
UPDATE: Jul 22nd, 2008 – So I’ve gotten in contact with a boy named Erik, who was in Harbin last year. Turns out we’re going to his school! First of all, apparently the name of the school has been recently changed, thus there’s a great deal of confusion about translation. In China, there are three levels of school. The elementary levels are called “Small School” our middle and high schools are meshed to create “Middle School” and “Big School” refers to college. Thus when someone translated the name for Mel, they went literally and called it a middle school, whereas for mine they referred to it as a high school, which is the level translation. So unless logic means nothing and the sky changes to bright emerald green, that’s the school I’m going to. Yay!
According to Erik’s description, it should be a fairly interesting. From the sound of it, the school sets everything up quite cleanly for exchange students, and it slowly falters out throughout the year. There are quite a few exchangers who go to the school (5 last year, not 6) comparatively. I’ve heard most schools there are usually 2 and PV never seems to have more than 3. Anyway, this means two things: Large support system and a greater chance I won’t integrate with my class. I’ll admit I’m a bit worried, in that all of my Chinese friends (and their family) think I’m not going to get much of anything in Chinese culture, as Harbin is quite separated from the rest of the country and has a great deal of European influence. On top of that, I’ve now had two inbounds tell me that most Chinese students do not get very close to exchange students, mostly because the vast difference in workloads. Can’t say I blame them, after AP junior year, most kids who were not in our classes sort of lost touch, just because the workload was in the way. I believe I’ll get a bit of the language, but I just have a feeling I may be a bit separated from the “Real Experience” my parents wanted. Again, *Shrug* who knows? It just means that I’m going to have to thrust myself in there while I’m still “a novelty” and work as hard as they are.
Second thing: HPEMS is a public school, not a private school. So scratch all that I said about it not being comparable to PV’s facilities because of that status. It really says something about a country that puts that much into education. In reference to teachers and student relations, the court will be out for quite a while, but so far facilities is a point to HPEMS.
The Lab Building
I Have a Host Family!
Hey all! I finally know where I’m going in the giant land that is China: Harbin! It’s a large city in Heilongjiang, the northernmost province in China. According to Wikipedia, Harbin is known as the “Oriental Moscow” for its Russian influence and architecture. The food is also supposed to have a Russian influence, with a specialty in bread and sausages. The average temperature in Harbin during the winter is a w
hopping -16°C (3°F) and 21°C (70°F) in the summer. It’s rated one of the most beautiful cities in China, which I don’t doubt at all. From the pictures and GoogleEarth I’ve seen, it’s absolutely gorgeous.
I’ll admit it, as soon as I found out where Harbin is I was like “Wait…what?” I mean, I’m from California. I’m dreadfully uncomfortable in 50°F, and my ideal summer day easily breaks 100 before noon. When I was asked, I said I wanted to be in the South for this very reason. I wasn’t really angry or upset, but I thought “C’mon, I didn’t ask for Beijing or Shanghai; it was a simple request!” Now that I’ve looked into the city though, I’m so sure it’ll be a great place for me. That seems to be a prevailing theme in my exchange experience; at first I’m skeptical and sort of forced in one direction, only find that it really is the best fit for me. I remember when I was told to go to China, I couldn’t imagine me being there of all the places, now I can’t imagine going anywhere else. So that’s that’s the lesson in this one, kids; have control of your experiences, but don’t bite and scratch too hard if you don’t get the exact specifications of your way. Chances may be that you’re getting exactly what you want, a few months before you realize you want it. I guess I should be thankful that I have people who know me better than I know myself for this sort of thing.
Anyway, back to Harbin. I’m in love! It’s, as I’ve mentioned, close to Russia. I’ve always loved Russia as a country, and it’s so cool that I’ll be able to experience the beauty of Russian architecture while I’m in China. I haven’t found a picture of my specific school yet, but the Harbin public schools are extraordinary. They’re like something out of a modern art museum, some even have courtyards and statues and fountains! *Gush* Compared to the *ahem* lacking architecture of Chico, it’s quite a nice change. It’s cold, yes, but it’s not as if I haven’t lived in the cold before. I’ll survive. So all in all, I’m really happy with my placement.
Ooh! Once again, I’ve gotten side-tracked and completely forgot to talk about the main thing I came to report! As the title says, I have a host family! I’m going to be living with the Chens. My hostfather, Chen Fangbin (like most Asian languages, Chinese place the family name first) is a teacher, while my hostmom, Wang Wei (women keep their family names after marrying) is a doctor. They have a daughter my age named Dianhong, though she’ll be in America during my stay. (If she decides to blog, maybe I’ll ask her to link it here.) I don’t know much more as of yet, but I’ve emailed Mr. Chen a few times, and he seems very nice. As always, I’ll update this page as soon as I receive more information.
Anyway, as of today I have 1 month and 4 weeks until I board my plane to China. I’ll post between now and then, most likely later on when discussing preparation and my goodbyes. *Sniffle* Until then!
Oooh, *psst* There’s a webring of other exchangers as well. So be sure to check them out!
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My Home Town is Awesomer Than Yours
H’ok, seeing as it’s going to be a LONG TIME until I get my host family (emphasis on ‘long time’ a grace de my AA). I thought it’d be nice to post some “Before” pictures. I have all the ones of solid things, like my house and school, on Yen’s camera, but I have no cord to upload those pictures. So, this looks like another Post-In-Progress (why do I have a feeling this is going to be a trend?)
My house in Chico, CA
Anyway, about my home in the USA. I live in a semi-small town in Northern California that’s nestled between the Sierras and Cascades. Nope, no surfing, no Hollywood, just a slew of old Hippies, some la vie Boheme college students townies, and wannabe back root farmers. I have to say, I’ve been around most of this country, and this town’s certainly up in the “little slice of heaven” category. It takes some getting used to, but it really grows on you. Everyone’s very chill. Too chill maybe, but that can be attributed to the pot smell that saturates the air in the evening.
My school’s pretty neat I suppose. The campus looks like a run-down penitentiary (like every school here) but when you look past all of the grime and lack of hallways/air conditioning/heat, it’s one of the best public schools in the state. Best sports in the region, academically distinguished, wonderful teachers, great inter-student relations (again, thank you marijuana). Seriously, everyone hates us. You prolly hate us by now.
I have to say one thing about going on exchange, it certainly opens you up back home. As soon as someone hears I’m going to China, they immediately have a direct interest in everything about me. Seriously, classmates who I’ve known for 3 years are like “Wow, that’s awesome. Are you going to buy fake Prada?”, the computer competencies librarian gave me her address for postcards, and a boy I’ve never spoken to before just told me to shop in Beijing for pajamas, because they’re the best in the world. As a fairly reclusive kid, it’s been a really nice way for me to learn to warm up to strangers. When the earthquake hit earlier this week, I had so many people tell me they were worried for me, and wondered if I knew if my host family was ok. It was sweet, really.
Well, I was going to add pictures of the important people, but my computer’s being a Mac (xP) so I’ll have to do a mass picture update later.
Pre-Departure
Ok, I told myself that even if I did decide to write a blog it wouldn’t be started ages and ages beforehand, where it’s stuffed with mundane ‘not-actually-on-exchange’ posts. (After all, this is an exchange blog, so I’m assuming everyone reading isn’t terribly interested in what I had for breakfast, or how much homework I have.) Yet as I progress through all the application and pre-departure process, I have a feeling this is a time I’ll want to look back [and laugh] at while/after my exchange. So, I’m going to make a quick post about my pre-departure, just about expectations, preparations, and stresses accompanying it. Forgive me and skip over it if you’d prefer.
So, my application’s all in and there are plenty of spots left for China. My AA called, and I need to get a TB test, check my immunization records, and hound down my counselor to write me a recommendation. Fantastic, because this whole process hasn’t been like pulling teeth from my father and counselor. To be honest, I have no idea when I last got immunized, so I’m prolly going to have to go to the doctor and get a ton of shots as soon as possible. That’s going to be a ball to ask my father about. My counselor has been lovely, but a bit preoccupied and lazy. It takes me 2 or 3 planned meetings to see her, and when I finally do meet her, I may not get what I need. After four or five of these false starts, she tells me “I know AFS, they don’t really need a recommendation.” -.- I knew she was just trying to avoid it when she said it, but I just waited for it to be brought up. I, not wanting to deal with it anymore, just gave her the email of my AA and told her to give it directly to him. Damn it people. I’ve learned something from this though, and that’s that I could never be a supervisor. Oh well, *Checks off list*
So I won’t post again until I have something more interesting to say (with pictures?). I’ll just revise this post when [knock on wood,] I get accepted for AFS USA, and later AFS China. Until then, have fun!
UPDATE: April 20th 2008– Alright, so it’s been a while. I’ve gotten my recommendation (All 4 sentences; Jesus Christ my counselor is lazy) and my med tests (as much fun as I anticipated) into AFS America. I was officially accepted by AFS USA on Tuesday, April 7th, 2008! It was so amazing, and so gut-wrenching, because I hadn’t heard from my AA for days and I was very very close to the deadline (April 11th, later moved to April 30th). Another step in the anticipation process was over!
Ah, but the work’s not done yet. I still need to make a picture packet about me and my life to send in for China (since, frankly, the one’s I put in my application sucked). It’s kinda hard, because I’m not really a camera type of person, but fun, because it’s a great excuse for going out and doing things! I’m nearly done with pictures of family, pets, school, friends, with only activities and pictures of me (*sheepish smile*) left. I’m taking my time to do it right this time. I hope my AA won’t mind the wait.
Well, I have another 2-4 weeks before I hear back from China, so I guess that’s going to be my next big update to this. Until then!
Another Update! May 9th, 2008- I love coming on here, because it’s always good news. Well, it’s been a while, so I’ll back track. I’ve received my Culture Trek packet that I was so excited for and it was…well, as lame as everyone told me it would be. xD, Seriously, I suppose I see why they issue it, but it’s pretty basic stuff: People will be different there, so don’t jump to conclusions, remember to read between the lines. The pre-departure was much the same.
OH! The Pre-Departure! That deserves a whole new paragraph, seriously. Ok, first of all, it was the day after prom, in Nevada city of all places. You want boondocks, that’s the place (sorry NC ^.^;; ). Anyway, so prom being the night before, we got NO sleep. I wish now that I was exaggerating. Anyway, we head up there, we being Yen, her mother, my father and I, and the two of us can’t keep our eyes open. So we arrive and I’m literally holding my lids up, so I tell Yen I need a caffeine pill. Y’kno, one of those ‘two cups of coffee’ things. Well, half of the people reading this are probably already laughing, but for everyone who needs a bit of filling in I’m hypersensitive to caffeine. I’m sitting in the chair like a little crack baby, with so much boost my leg wouldn’t stop moving. We were told to stand up, say who we were and where we’re going, and then say something in our host language. Me, on my caffeinated self, had only one phrase come to mind; Wo bu yao la! – basically “I don’t wanna” or “I don’t want it”. So basically the lady said “Lee, now say something in your host language” and I replied “I don’t wanna!” xD Yen and her mother started dying laughing, while everyone else smiled politely. I dunno if my dad knew what I meant, but he got the tone all the same, because I got that look I get when I tell a mean joke. ;D Anyway, about the people in our area, I don’t remember them all, as I was a bit out-of-sorts at the time, but we have about 15-16 people. A boy going to Norway, a girl to Switzerland, a girl to Ghana, A boy and girl to France, 4 (3 girls one boy) to Japan (*Waves to Alisha*), 2 boys to Chile and Costa Rica, a girl to Italy and…that’s all I remember. We talked about basic safety stuff, expectations and fears, the whole ‘Culture Trek’ shebang. Speaking of expectations, I’m going to write this one down, so it’s ON RECORD. I want to get more active in China. Riding bikes, walking more, doing taichi in the park with the old ladies, I don’t care!
Oh, now what I really came here to update for. I’ve been accepted by AFS China! Yep, now I have a guarantee that they’re gonna put me somewhere in the country. I’m going. It’s finally final. No more worrying about going back to school, no more freak outs about backing out. As long as I don’t seriously fuck up, I’m gonna be in China by the end of September. God, what a rush.
So I suppose the next update in this extraordinarily long post will be my host family or school designation. Maybe I’ll post some pictures of stuff here in California, just to give a feel of the shift. By the way, don’t expect a post this long coming from me ever again. I’m too lazy for it xP. Until then!
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