Application and Culture Trek

Hey, again.

So basically... I was so excited about applying that I sent in my pre-application in late August 2006. That was simple: name; birth date; parents' names; address; etc.

The full application was harder - 10 forms of medical information, tons of different numbers, and other things like that. I also had to send in a letter and a photo page to my host family. That was fun, as I got a chance to go through all of my pictures and have an afternoon of nostalgia. And some pretty cool people are on that page. :-) I finally sent in the completed application at the end of September... only to find out that it wouldn't be sent to France until January 1, 2007. The good part about getting it in early is that I got a $100 dollar discount on my tuition.

Later on the day I sent in my application, I realized what I had just done. It was exciting and really scary. It's been tough on my nerves, especially since I don't know a lot about where I'm going. All I can really find out is general info about France, but there are so many different places within France that it's hard to really be prepared until I have a specific town. But all the same, I'm ecstatic about being accepted.

In February, I got the Culture Trek workbook from AFS. It's basically a series of readings and activities designed to show you that all cultures are different and to better prepare the student for situations in which they may not know what to do because of cultural differences. There were also quotes from previous AFS students in it, and it was funny to hear about the people who spoke in French grammar for two weeks after they returned home and to think about myself doing the same.

On the host family front, I still have no idea who I'll be placed with. I hope I find out soon!!

I'm being called for dinner.

:-)

~Catherine~