Gotta learn it at some point...

So, I decided today to share with you all how I got from being a normal teenager in New Jersey to preparing to live in Italy for 6 months. In short, my AFS journey. :)

It all began exactly one year ago. It was just a normal day, I was relaxing and doing my thing. Suddenly, I heard a friend of mine say "God, I just can't WAIT to go to Italy!" It sounded like an interesting conversation, so I joined. When I asked her why she was going to Italy, she told me she'd be studying abroad in Italy for the second semester of her junior year through the AFS program. I could slightly remember her saying something about studying abroad before, but I wasn't quite sure. I, of course, gushed on "how cool it'd be to study abroad in Italy" and how I was "soooooo jealous of her and hoped she had a good time." Fast forward a couple months, and it was a boring Saturday morning. I was home alone, nothing good was on TV and I felt like I needed to do something! So, of course....I surfed Facebook. -____- anddddd.....I came across my friend's most recent Facebook status. Low and behold, it was about Italy! It peaked my interest, and I had nothing better to do, so I pulled up afsusa.org and began reading. And reading. And reading. And READING. Ladies and Gentlemen, I was on that website for 4 hours!!! And I absolutely fell in love with the program. I quickly filled out the request sheet for a catalog and began writing down important facts. I made a decision that day. No matter what, I was going to Italy.  Soon after I got the catalog, I began to drop hints about studying abroad to my mother. She was pretty hesitant, but supportive. She discussed it a bit with my Dad, in order to warm him up for my "presentation". You see, I really wanted to go abroad. And when I really want something, I become so what of an overachiever. So, I did a bunch of research on AFS, which resulted in a 42 page power point. Yeah. If anyone is reading this and wondering how to convince their parents to let them study abroad, watch for my next post, I'll put it up for ya! :) Anyways, I sat down one night, and asked if my dad could watch my powerpoint and decide if I could send in my preliminary application, which was due that night. Surprisingly, he said yes - and didn't even see the powerpoint! I was kinda disappointed that he didn't look at the powerpoint, seeing as I had put SO much work into it, but my excitement at having permission to study abroad far exceeded that! :D The past 10 months have been a whirlwind of guidence department meetings, rushing to meet deadlines, and stressing out about grades. But this Wednesday, when I get to Doubletree hotel and officially begin the AFS study abroad program, it'll all be worth it. 

This past week has been the beginning of the end for me in so many ways. I've started packing, getting my school work done, finishing classes. I've begun to say goodbye to friends that I won't see again till school starts in September. Today, the 4th grade sunday school class I assistant teach threw me a little going away party, complete with a very cute bag, chocolate cake, and a homemade card shaped like a heart. I've been with these kids since they were in second grade and I've come to think of them as "my kids". I don't know what it's gonna be like waking up on sundays and not being able to go and see what kind of things they're gonna do today. And next year, I'm going to have my last year with them, me being a senior and them being 5th graders. I don't know if I'll be able to say good bye to them again. 

Honestly, besides realizing that I won't be able to see my kids once a week, it hasn't truly hit me that I'm really going to Italy. I'm not crying. I'm not nervous. I'm not getting homesick. I'm...indifferent. It doesn't feel like I'm actually leaving. Which, I guess, is normal for me. Usually, it doesn't hit me that something is happening until after it's already happened. So, expect a post in about a month with me freaking out. :P 

Now that I am in the final crunch, expect more frequent posts. I right to vent, so I'll be frequently updating, telling you guys what's what. Comment if you have any questions or just want to say hi!

La vita è bella.

Jacki 

A Bundle of Nerves

I'm not quite sure who reads this blog. So far, I think I'm the only one who reads it...and I'm the AUTHOR. But to anyone looking to study abroad, never, ever, EVER read random review websites about studying abroad. You'll psyche yourself out. I'm dead serious. Review sites tend to only give you the few, rare, dreadfully horror stories about studying abroad. They tend to skip over the hundreds of thousands of happy stories coming from students with amazing experiences abroad. And with my over active imagination, I tend to visualize the worst case scenarios and work myself up over nothing. But the biggest thing I am the most terrified of happening? Switching host families. The pure concept makes me shake. Having just gotten my host family, I already love them and can imagine all the great experiences I might experience with them. And I hope they like me. I'm just scared that when I get there I might do something wrong or upset them that causes me to get a switch. Not that I think that's going to happen. That's just the nerves talking. Right now, my host sisters and I have been facebooking each other nonstop, making me count down the days till when I get to meet them face to face. I feel so blessed to have been placed with such a great host family. I just think that with Italy being so close, my brain has finally realized that this is a reality, causing it to realize just how long I am going to be away from home. All the people I'm going to miss. And now my mind is playing tricks on me, making me doubt myself. >.< stupid brain! Be good! Anyways, I AM actually really really excited about studying abroad. My town's amazing, the school seems great, and my family is perfecto. I really couldn't ask for a better placement. So bad thought be gone! And make room for a semester of life long memories. ;D Ciao!

La Vita è Bella

Jacki

Fun times with Skype

So, as many already know, I have a host family! And today, I actually got to TALK to them! :D! How crazy is that? So, today after church, I finally sent a couple facebook messages to my host sisters, as well as an email to my host parents. I didn't expect any response right away, but to my pleasant surprise, I got an email back from one of my host sisters within minutes! i was so shocked I had to check my phone screen a couple times to see if I read it right. But sure enough, right there in black and white, was a response! I think I scared my little sister by shrieking. Ooops. :P  I feel kinda bad, I was asking her so many questions, and in english no less! I was kinda of afraid to speak to her italian, afraid that I might make a big mistake or something. Let me warn you now, just because you took the language in school does NOT mean you will be prepared be detailed conversations in that language. I am going into my 5th year of studying Italian and I have to say, I have absolutely NO idea what my host family is saying half the time. And I am still in America! God, when I go to Italy, am I going to have just as a hard time speaking in Italian? Hopefully the Rosetta Stone course I have to take and talking to my host family will help! After all, I don't want to be completely clueless when I get to Italy!

Ok, so back to my conversation. My host sister and I chatted for a bit, asking each other questions. I learned that Italain teen have the basically same style as Americans, they're just a bit more put together, which is comforting, to say the least! I also learned that she and her sister are pretty athletic. She plays vollyball 3 times a week at the towns local sports center and her older sister does athletics, the italian equivalent of track and field. Maybe I can do a sport after school, like my host sisters! They told me that there are dance classes in Montebelluna. If I could take a dance class in Italy, I would be so happy! I have been dancing for 13 years now. I have taken classes in jazz, tap, modern, ballet, and street funk. In December I am going to start going into New York City at the Broadway Dance Center, I am so excited! Just to dance abroad would be...amazing.

Montebelluna is located in Northern Italy, in the province of Treviso, in the Veneto region.                                                        I wonder if I should learn how to ski. :)

Che bella, no?

Those mountains....gosh, isn't it breathtaking?

Today, it just occurred to me that this is actually happening. It's not some fantasy I'm holding onto, or a dream that I'm about to wake up from. No, it's REAL. I am going to become a part of the italian culture, I'm going to study in Italy, I'm going to be exploring what the world has to offer me on my own. I feel like when I step on that plane bound for Rome, I will be letting go of so many things. The safe haven of my family and the town I have spent nearly 17 year growing up in. Familiar faces. And yet, I will be embracing so many things at the same time. Independence. Responsibility. A huge culture shock. Friendships I hope to keep for a life time. For most teenagers, their lives start when they turn 18, get that driver's license, and go to college. For me, I am going to be freshly 17, just a junior in high school in a small town in New Jersey, and I'll be in Italy experiencing the biggest and most fulling challenge of my life. And I wouldn't have it any other way. :)

La Vita è Bella

Jacki

Montebelluna.....

*Sigh* I just want to repeat a thousand times. It just sounds like a dream. What's Montebelluna you might ask? Well, it just so happens to be where I'll be spending my second semester abroad!!!!!!!!! :D yes, I have received my host family placement! Now, out of respect for my host family, I won't be mentioning their last name in this blog in an attempt for privacy for themselves, as I do not know yet if I have permission to mention it by the family. I will say this though, I will be staying with a wonderful family of 5, which includes two younger host sisters for me, who are 16 and 14, right around my age! I couldn't ask for a better placement. Their town seems lovely and different. Located in northern Italy, I'm sure to learn a lot. The best part is that both of my host parents are teachers, which hopefully means that learning Italian will be easier with two people who are so qualified to help teach one what she needs to know.

Righ now I am so excited, I am shaking. Some of that is probably nerves as well. I mean, it's all starting to come together. I'm going to Italy. It seems almost impossible. Is this really my life? Do I really get to live out this fantasy of mine? It's hard to believe that just a year ago, I had never even heard about the AFS program, and now it's preparing to help me embark on this new chapter in my life. And I can't wait to rise to the occasion. To emerse myself in this other culture. I know that it's going to be tough and sometimes I'm going to miss home so much I might want to cry; but to me, it's all worth it to experience this new adventure. I know I will grow so much as a person while in Italy and I am so excited to see what kind of person I will become from this experience. I just know it'll be someone amazing.

La Vita è bella

Till next time!

Jacki

And now we wait...

So less then 20 minutes ago, this all became a reality. I clicked the "submit complete full application" button to my AFS application and put myself out into the world. It makes everything official. And now...I wait. Wait for confirmation, wait for acception, wait for my new journey. Mostly, I hope that I get in. I mean, my interview went really well yesterday and she said that since I was submitting my application so early, I had a good chance. That gives me some hope, but I doubt that I will calm down till I get a call saying that in 5 months I will be studying abroad in Europe. Thanks for everyone's support and help in getting my application done and submitted. I love you lots! Well, I am being told to sleep now, so I'll post again soon with an update. Night!

Love ya Lots,

                      Jacki

Baby Steps

Hi! So I made this blog to keep my family and friends updated with my process of preparing to go to and living in Italy. Today marks the day when the study abroad ball gets rolling. My application to AFS gets filed today and at 7pm a lady is coming here to interview me and get a "feel for my personality" so that they can better place me into a host family. :D I am so nervous and excited all at the same time and I really hope it all goes well. Of course, that does mean that today is devoted to cleaning and I get to make sure everything is "spick and span" :P How Fun! I really hope that there is still room in the Italian program, the lady I spoke to said so, but things could have changed between now and...sunday. Hey, you never know! In that case, my second choice country is New Zealand, partially because they speak english, but also their culture seems interesting. Well, I should really get back to cleaning bathrooms. Wish me luck!

Love ya Lots,

                       Jacki