So just a couple days ago I got my host family :) Im so happy to be saying that I'm going to MILAN! I come from a town with 8,000 people so living in the second biggest city in Italy is going to be AWESOME! Also, my mother lived in Milan when she went to Italy in college so it will be verycool to be able to see what she did. I have a dad named Andrea (who I first thought was my mom, sorry pappa!), a mamma named Alessandra, and older brother named Lorenzo, and a sister who is younger than me by one year named Francesca. I'm so excited to live there! They have a 130 sq. meter flat in like, the MIDDLE of the city and I am unsure if it gets any luckier than that! They live right next to San Siro, a HELLA famous soccer stadium! They also have a little dog named Isobel which is really cool because I'm going to miss my pets a lot when I leave. All my friends are waiting anxiously for their host families and I didn't even know I had one until me and my dad went to make a payment on my tuition and I said .. that link wasn't there before.. It was really funny because I started screaming and it was in his work office and then I went downstairs where my friend Mary, who is going to argentina for a year with afs, works and I told her and she freaked out! We danced around the store where she works and all the tourists looked at us like we were freaks :P but it's okay, because I'm going to MILANO! Words cannot even express how excited I am. I have been talking to Francesca on facebook and Alessandra over email and they sound SO nice and I can't wait to meet them and I think we're going to get along great! I am also getting my visa done... I think it is a lot easier for people that live in Alaska because we just fill out a bunch of paper work, send it to AFS, and they go get the actual visa for us. I would have to fly to San Fransisco to get it myself so I am very grateful they do this. Other than that I have just been working and reading blogs, and looking up EVERYTHING about Milan that I can possibly find on the internet and it is awesome. I can't wait to leave and I only have 71 days left! I hope it goes quickly!!!
My name is Katie Riley, and I live in a small town in Alaska called Sitka. Sitka is on an island, we have 17 miles of road, 8500 people, and the only way to get here is by air or sea. Needless to say, I am a bit of a travel addict. I want to go on AFS because I love experiencing new cultures and ideas and learning new languages. I am very excited about learning a new language, and I hope to travel to Italy this fall. From this experience, I hope to gain a higher appreciation and understanding of a new culture, and also to have the time of my life. I don't think anything would be more refreshing than leaving home for a year and traveling abroad, and thus returning a more educated and valuable person. In return to AFS, I will keep this blog going to inform everyone of my adventures while I am away, and I also hope to present some of the things I learned while away when I return.
My family and friends have been very supportive of my descion to become an AFSer... I must say that my family has been a little more supportive, while my friends kind of want me to stay. I will keep in touch with everyone hopefully, and see how school goes when I am gone. I can't wait to share my experiences overseas with my friends back home :).
My biggest challenge on my way to becoming an AFSer was PROCRASTINATION! I had so much paperwork to do if I wanted to be accepted and I would procrastinate getting it done like no other, but I really wanted this so I got all of it done as quickly as I could in hopes that I would get the country I dreamed of. Another barrier I have yet to over come is how to pay for my trip... I got a great scholarship ($800) from a donor that I would like to just say; thank you immensely! This was such a help. I will also be working all summer to help pay for my trip, but I know that it will be worth it. The only other challenge I can think of is not getting to see my friends, some of my closest pals are seniors and I will be missing their graduations; but I know I will make new friends and keep contact with the old :).
To contribute to my fundraising efforts I have applied (and recieved!) a scholarship, and I will be working this summer to contribute to my funds also. I hope to have some sort of fundraiser at sme point, but there is another couple girls in my town going on AFS and we might do a conjoining fundraiser! I think that it would be really beneficial and a lot of fun. Beyond that, thaks for reading my blog and I hope you continue to as I venture on the experience of my life! Peace!
My family and friends have been very supportive of my descion to become an AFSer... I must say that my family has been a little more supportive, while my friends kind of want me to stay. I will keep in touch with everyone hopefully, and see how school goes when I am gone. I can't wait to share my experiences overseas with my friends back home :).
My biggest challenge on my way to becoming an AFSer was PROCRASTINATION! I had so much paperwork to do if I wanted to be accepted and I would procrastinate getting it done like no other, but I really wanted this so I got all of it done as quickly as I could in hopes that I would get the country I dreamed of. Another barrier I have yet to over come is how to pay for my trip... I got a great scholarship ($800) from a donor that I would like to just say; thank you immensely! This was such a help. I will also be working all summer to help pay for my trip, but I know that it will be worth it. The only other challenge I can think of is not getting to see my friends, some of my closest pals are seniors and I will be missing their graduations; but I know I will make new friends and keep contact with the old :).
To contribute to my fundraising efforts I have applied (and recieved!) a scholarship, and I will be working this summer to contribute to my funds also. I hope to have some sort of fundraiser at sme point, but there is another couple girls in my town going on AFS and we might do a conjoining fundraiser! I think that it would be really beneficial and a lot of fun. Beyond that, thaks for reading my blog and I hope you continue to as I venture on the experience of my life! Peace!
