Scholarship and Other InterestingThings...

Hello World! I came home from the movie Coco before Chanel this afternoon anxious to log into my email and see if there were any important updates from AFS. Fortunately, when I looked in my inbox at the top there was an unread message... Hooray! I then found out I had received a scholarship from AFS. Now I just have to get in my full application by November 16 and I will be able to use it towards my tuition. Thank you AFS!

In order to help with fund raising, I would like to tell you a bit more about myself. I want to study abroad with AFS next year not only because it is a fantastic way to learn a new language, to delve into a new culture and to learn more about myself, but also because I value adventure and being able to adapt to new surroundings. I expect that coming out of this program, I will be a changed person mentally and physically without even knowing it. In return, I want to bring France (Or another place) and its people a glimpse of American culture and promote understanding of other countries and lifestyles. And hopefully someday I will be able to volunteer for AFS and help others achieve dreams similar to mine. Some challenges I may have to overcome include leaving friends, family and loved ones behind for an entire semester or year, having to make new relationships and of course the language barrier. But all of these challenges can be overcome because I know that the entire time I spend there will be a learning experience that is difficult but rewarding in the long run. To help raise money to go to AFS, I have tried a couple of things and plan on doing some others as well. For now I have had a bake sale/garage sale and also I have started to babysit more often. What I want to do in the future is to try to fund raise on this blog and also try to sell t-shirts that my friends and I make sometimes. I know that I will be able to get where I want to go no matter what obstacles I encounter if I stay strong and try my hardest, so I look forward to starting this adventure now, almost a year from when I might leave. So long for now! Have a good Halloween!

France Perchance....

Well, As you might already know, my name is Carly. For this blog I have decided to talk about next year.... I am hoping to do a foreign exchange program to France with AFS. I will be a Junior in high school, and it would be one of the most life-changing years of my life. Hopefully this dream will come true! I have worked pretty hard at the application etc. and I sent in my letter of recommendation for a merit scholarship, but I will have to wait and see how that turns out. I already had the in-home interview (which went pretty well! ), but I haven't sent in my full application so nothing is for certain. Well, I'll be sure to update if anything major happens, but other than that, Au revoir!