Travel & Logistics

Good evening all.  (Or morning, day, afternoon, night...whenever should you read this.)

With my previous update, I had recently received host family information (which was extremely exciting, to be honest.)  Since then, I did request my host parents on Facebook which they accepted and told me they had just told their children about me that very same day.  (I feel somewhat guilty as I think I may have prompted them to do so because I attempted to make contact so early.)  Either way, my host siblings requested me the following day.  My host mother and I exchanged messages through email and Facebook and I absorbed all that I could.  Moreover, we exchanged skype names so we could chat through there.  My expertise in information-gathering through Google led me to actually have a really solid and decent knowledge about them before we even formally chatted, haha.  Nonetheless, they provided me with much more detailed information than what I was able to research on my own.  We even video chatted!  Yes, I think it went well.  They seem super friendly and really enthusiastic about hosting me.  Honestly, I think I was placed in a wonderful host family and that will make this an awesome experience that will be incomparable to anything in my life.  =]

So far, I learned that my host brother is around my age.  My host sister is the same age as my natural sister. I'll be going as a new student, along with my host brother, to the local high school in a nearby city.  Although, they said it might be unlikely that we will be in the same grade as I'm a year older.  I have to say I'm a little disappointed about that as I'll be utterly lost at the school without a guide.  (Not to mention, I had already devised a brilliant plan to divide up the schoolwork if we were to have the same classes. -tear-) With both those things likely to be out of the question, I guess the silver lining would be independence that I will be compelled to use.  There's a lot more information I have (and a lot more yet to learn, I'm sure).  However, if you're really interested to learn more, you can contact me through any means you know how. (My email/messenger name is on my Blogger profile page.)

A few days ago, I received an email from AFS about country-specific information that was made available on their site.  I read through it and it was informative, as expected.  Yesterday, I received another AFS email with my international itinerary as well as my Gateway Orientation information.  On the last day of August I'm to arrive at a hotel near JFK Airport before 4 pm.  Since I live quite close to New York City, I plan on driving there.  The Gateway Orientation doesn't welcome parents as it's to serve as buffer from life in the U.S. and life abroad.  There, we will have the orientation and lodge overnight at the hotel.  On the following day, September 1, I depart from JFK to Zürich, Switzerland. There will be a four hour layover in Switzerland.  (Silver lining?  I "visit" two countries in one day and can say I've been to Switzerland. ;D) Then from there we take a connecting flight to Charles de Gaulle International Airport in Paris, France.  By that time, it will be September 2nd.  The rest of the day is to be spent resting at a hotel nearby.  On Saturday, September 3rd, 300 AFSers from around the world (myself included) tour Paris in the morning!  During the afternoon, we're to have our arrival orientation for basic survival skills in France.  After one more lodging at a hotel, on Sunday, September 4, we all leave to our host families.  As of now, I presume to be travelling to my host family by train.  The day after we meet our host families for the first time, September 5, which is a Monday, is the first day of school.  Yikes, I arrive not a week in the country and it's already time for school.  I wish they would have given us at least a week to adjust to the household.

With all of that in the near future, I still have to nevertheless focus on the immediate future and its plans.  I have to finalize some sort of plan to receive academic credit with my school whilst also withdraw my enrollment. :(  I have to get started on obtaining my visa (although I need papers to arrive from France before I can obtain it.)  I still have that pesky tuition to pay off.  I need to start purchasing some things I'll need while abroad.  (For example, I had no idea I would need an electrical converter to charge my stuff over there.)  I would love it if I could miraculously land any kind of summer job.  I also need to start preparing myself mentally for this.  Right now it's a jumble of conflicting emotions.  I know there is numerous other things that should be listed, but alas my memory fails me.

Accordingly, I think I'll end my blog post here unless I magically remember what else I planned on adding to this post.  (If I do, the changes will most likely go unnoticed anyway, haha.)

Until the next one,

Gello.


(I really abused parenthetical expressions on this post.  Oh well. )