Just to Keep You UP to DATE.

Hello there:)

January has definitely brought new things. Great things:)
This month I went to visit my grandmas in California. One of my grandmas hosted a student a while back (I don't remember the year), and so she has been all for this. She read and approved of my essay that I am writing for the Viaggio Italiano Scholarship. Or already wrote... since I turned it in yesterday! My other grandma (who I am so grateful for, words can't describe) gave me a generous donation of 500 DOLLARS. I was so surprised and overjoyed. She is amazing. I love her to pieces.

I am so happy that my family loves and supports me with my dream the way that they do. It is amazing. Thank you so much Mom, Dad, Robbie, and everyone else:) You are all the best.

Another thing happened! AFS got back to me!! Sometime last week, I am pretty sure that it was the 24th, I got an email from AFS saying that they had reviewed my application, and I had a few things to fix on it. Even though I had to fix a few things it still meant that they were looking at it, and I was so relieved, I can't even tell you. So, I fixed those items, and re-submitted it the next day. Well, last night I received another email saying that I had to fix more things, and that there was a misunderstanding. Lovely. Well after about an hour on the phone with an AFS representative everything was all solved, and I re-re-submitted it again!

I know that AFS just wants all the possible information that they can get to clarify things, but I sure do hope that it was the last time I needed to revise anything on the application!

Hopefully everything will go smoothly from here on out! Fingers crossed.

Arrivederci 
-Rachael

This New Year, Well, I Think It's Going to be GOOD!

Why Hello There!

It's been quite a while, which I am sorry about, I was just unsure about what to write! And even now as I write this I am a little confused about why I have decided to write this tonight. Probably out of sheer boredom.

Well guess what! This is THE month. The month that I figure out whether this entire process was just an illusion, or if all my hopes and dreams are actually coming true. Oh man, I hope that this all works out! It is also finally 2012. And whether or not the world ends this year (highly doubtful), this is going to be one of the BEST years of my life, if everything works out that is. If you are an exchanger, I think you understand what I am saying.

I could swear that I had something more productive to say, but I am sure that I forgot. There are too many distractions as I am writing this, and I easily lose track of what I want to say. Sorry!

On the fundraising note, I raised 135$ over Christmas break, and put it all towards my exchange. That leaves me at $3,535.00 raised, and I still have to raise $3215! I am pretty dang sure that I can do it. Especially with the new "Viaggio Italiano $2000 Scholarship" available on the AFS website. 6-12 people will be given the scholarship, and I am hoping that the essay I write, and my application are satisfactory to the scholarship-giving people. It would help out so much. Do you know another thing that could help out? You could sponsor my travels, by clicking on the 'chipin' button to the RIGHT of this post. All the money put into that goes straight into my tuition, and every dollar counts. It could be so so so cool if you gave a dollar or two!

In the meantime I will keep babysitting, and planning fundraisers!
Arrivederci <---- I always forget how to spell that, so that is why there are different spellings!
-Rachael


Thanks for reading!