Short Story

So... My story in a nutshell:

Around March I was browsing the internet and I found an article on exchange students. It seemed interesting. Shortly thereafter, I forgot about it.

A few weeks later I stumbled upon a blog by an exchanger. I read almost the whole thing. It was amazing- I'd never heard of anything like it before. After reading it, I decided to, you know, maybe look around at what study abroad programs there were, find some more articles, etc. It was a passing phase.

Or so I thought.

Everything I found about exchanges was awesome. It sounded like an unforgettable experience and a life changing adventure. At some point, probably around May, I decided to try for one. I had absolutely no idea how hard it would be to find a suitable program, then apply, then fill out mountains of paperwork, ugh. I just was interested in going, not doing preliminary stuff.

I brought up the topic with my parents, who said something along the lines of "Oh yes, that'd be fun, now do the dishes." My chances of convincing them were slim, especially with the rather large price tag hanging in their faces and the preposterous notion of sending me somewhere as far away as Japan (which I'd decided would be my country of choice). I proceeded to do all of the research alone. I found literally hundreds of programs, the top ones being Rotary and AFS. But, every one I looked at had problems for me and my family. Be it price, timing, poor chances of getting in- you name it. Still, I signed up for newsletters and contacted representatives through email. That, I think, was the first step in convincing my parents.

I found a decent program called CIEE. Everything about it seemed perfect, aside from the price. I showed it to my parents, who were now saying "...Maybe...". They even contacted the representative with me, asking a few questions and the like. But then summer vacation came up. We were off to Europe for a week, and any internet connection I had was lost.

Going to Europe was actually the thing that changed my parents minds. While we were riding a train off to I don't know where, we ended up next to a Japanese couple. They asked my mother for her suggestions on trip highlights, which she was glad to give. I stealthily sneaked over next to her, and gave my own suggestion- In Japanese.

The couple was delighted and asked me How did I know how to say that? and Are you planning on going to Japan? My mother looked at me like I was some sort of demonic child dropped from Saturn. But, that's what convinced her I was serious.

Now that I had my parents convinced it was only a matter of finding a suitable program. CIEE was out of the question. Too expensive. AFS was out, too, because it didn't fit with my school schedule. All that was left was Rotary, which I was nervous about. It was decently priced and got brilliant reviews, but you didn't have a 100% chance of getting your number 1 country, or even getting in at all. I was much more likely to not study abroad with Rotary than any other program.

Nonetheless, we contacted a representative and started the ball rolling. It was intimidating at first. There were a lot of if's and or's, and the application was a lot of work. I had to get doctor, dentist, teacher, and I'm not sure how many other forms filled out, and then write a letter to my future host club and families. It took about a month to complete, but that was only because, quite frankly, I had a lot of time to do it. It wasn't due until November, and it was only August. I got it in a tad bit early, and then I had to wait.

And wait, and wait, and wait...

'Twas very stressful.

I turned in the application around early November, and I got results back two days before Christmas.

BEST. CHRISTMAS. PRESENT. EVER.

I'd gotten my number one choice, Japan. I was, and am, so ridiculously excited (and a little bit scared).

And that's my short story. I don't know anything really, other than that I'm going to Japan around next August. And I'll be there for the entire year. This blog will (If I can keep up with it) be my record of my exchange. I'm doing it not only for my friends and family and such, but also for any students who are thinking about exchanging, especially to Japan. When I was making a decision about whether to go or not, I relied heavily on the blogs of past exchangers and their experiences, so I'm making my own to help any others who need help making their decisions.

So, thanks for reading! If anyone has a question about Rotary exchanges, I'll see if I can help (no promises, I've only just gotten in. I'll learn more as the year progresses.).

Happy New Year!!!