There are two weeks remaining before I leave for the United States of America where I will be living for the next 12 months!!
It is only now that it is really starting to sink in that I am leaving behind my friends, family, pets and my whole life that I'm used to and comfortable with, for a whole year. I'm really looking forward to leaving and traveling on an airplane especially because I've never travelled overseas before. I have always lived in the capital of Australia, Canberra and this whole experience feels like it couldn't have come at a better time. I just graduated year 10 and I'm 16 years old which seems to me like the perfect time to become independent and set off to explore the world - with the guidance and help from the Rotary International Youth Exchange Program of course!
Since I was about 12 years old I have been asking my parents if I could go on exchange. Mum and Dad have always said no and it is only now that I'm grateful for this because I still don't think I understand 100% the extent of what I have gotten myself into! At the start of 2010, my family and I were visiting my Great Uncle and Aunt and it was there that my Great Uncle who is a member of Rotary, gave my mum information about the exchange program which he believe I would be a great candidate for. This came out of no where but it was definiately an opportunity I couldn't pass up. The process started with us submitting a written application. From those applications people were informed that they hadmade it through to the interview process which was pretty intense and nerve wracking. There were three different rooms with a different interview being conducted in each. The next day, I was informed that I had been eccepted into the program and I would be a Rotary Exchange Student, Australian Embassitor and I would be living in America in 2011!
I was so excited and proud of myself for making it through and I've spent the year wishing that the departure date would just hurry up and come!! There has been two breifing weekends with the other Rotary 'Outbound' students for 2011 as well as the 'Inbound' students who are on exchange in Australia at the moment, members of Rotary and our families. Those weekends were great to really get to know eachother and learn about what our lives will potentially be like while on exchange. I expect that I will get homesick and that there will most definiately be hard and not so fun times while I'm in America, but I'm sure all the good times and the over all experience will outweight the bad times. Before I had even left to go on exchange I had a few moments where I felt like I was already on an emotial rollercoaster and I hadn't even left!!
As quickly as I was told that I would be going on exchange, I got told that America would no be where I would be going anymore for reasons including the school year different. I was really, really upset to hear this. Instead I was given the opportunity to choose from going to spain, sweden, norway, italy and a few other places. Italy was very tempting because it has always been a dream of mine to go to Italy! But after I had been thinking about and imagining my life in America, that was the only place I wanted to go. After a few uncertain months, I was told that I WOULD be going to AMERICA and I couldn't have been happier!!
So, now I will be living in a town called Peekskill which is about an hour outside of New York City! I'm very happy with where I will be living, and being so close to the big apple is incredible! I have been talking really closely with my guidance counselor at my school in Peekskill and he has been fantastic! He has even helped mum to come to the conclusion that she isn't worried about my safety and such because he will be looking after me. I have also been talking to members of my host Rotary club and I can't wait to meet them all in person!!
For the next two weeks of my time left in Australia, I will be spending as much time as I can with my friends, family and pets. I am having a going away party which I look forward to as well. Apart from that I will just be relaxing and slowly packing before I leave!! :)
