Getting Ready

I'm leaving for India in about two months. In response to any confusion, I did receive the full scholarship through YES Abroad to go to India for a year. This is a great honor as it was a very competitive process and I expect with each year it is granted to more US students, the more competitive it will get (to learn more about YES, go to http://www.yesprograms.org) .

Info on being a YES recipient:
As a YES student, I'm expected to attend a total of 5 conference calls, 2 of which have already happened. Each conference calls talks about different aspects of our exchange, what we should expect and what we are required to do. One of the conference calls is country specific so that the recipients of each country scholarship get a chance to talk to their peers and supervisors about being in that country. Along with me are four other recipients of the scholarship to India like all of the other countries (35 scholarships= 5 scholarships per country).

Along with this, like all exchange students, I have attended a Pre-Departure Orientation with AFS in my local chapter which is one day long (it is required!). AFS also provides a program called Culture Trek that YES supports us using in order to prepare for the exchange experience. These are very good programs read through and participate with. Although AFS and YES will not be checking up on our progress with these, it's a good idea to look at them. We all think we'll be just fine but I read through the booklet provided and was stunned with how much I have to consider! Being an exchange student is not an easy task.

For prospective students:
As with any commitment, being a YES scholar becomes a priority over everything. Receiving money does set you up for many responsibilities. You are expected to stay with the program the entire year unless there is a severe medical emergency or a death in the immediate family. I'm not trying to scare you but this is something to consider. You will hear this over and over again but even if an important event like prom or a meet is happening back in America and you want to attend, you can't. You are going to be an unofficial ambassador for your country, community, gender, ethnicity and this goes for being an exchange student anywhere. You should be prepared and you have to want to be in your host country.

Okay enough with that lecture :D and back to YES. While in India, in addition to being with a host family and going to school, the recipients also get to participate in community service type and culture activities. I'm not quite sure what this entails, but it sounds interesting and fun. I'm looking forward to experiencing as much of India as I can. Since I got the scholarship, the host family previously selected for me has to change since they want us to be in "clusters" for support and so that we can readily get together for activities. Atleast that's what I got out of it. It's always good to have others that you know in the area.

Personally, I have started to learn hindi slowly along with thinking about the packing and other miscellaneous things. I won't lie, it's sad to think about leaving everything and everyone I know to go live in a different country. I probably already mentioned this but I hope with this exchange I become much more confident with myself and others as well as being more worldly aware. Starting over with a clean slate in a new country where no one knows you is a refreshing and scary thought but it also means that you can just be. You may not be happy all the time but this is just one chapter in your life that will affect everything.

To my fellow YES recepeients, congratulations on making it here. I'm sure we'll have loads of fun mixed with misunderstandings and mayhem. Let's keep an open mind and listen to everyone we meet. I'm sure that there will be a story to tell at the end of every day even if it's a short one. And let's be realistic here. We're going to change and having any expectations about what will happen in our host countries is a silly idea. We can't always change others no matter what we do so trying will not help. The best we can do is participate and observe, making the most of our experience.

Hm well I don't know how enjoyable my blog will seeing how I keep getting serious :] I will try my best to be as accurate about my exchange process as possible to help you see what I'm going through. This might just be my main way of telling most of my friends what is going on but I would love it if people will send me letter while I'm over there. As soon as I find out my host family, I will give you the address to send letters to.

Until then, shantih

-Annah

Hello :]

Hi, my name is Annah and this is going to be my blog while on my exchange experience. I am currently in 10th grade and hope to spend my junior year abroad. I applied to and was accepted by India through AFS and hope to be able to fulfill this dream. 

I say hope because we all know about the financial situation currently and I know personally I do not have $10000 lying around. So I thank AFS for already providing me with an $800 scholarship but I still need much more money. To help cover it, I have applied to the YES and NSLI-Y scholarship programs and will find out soon whether I have received one. The reality is that although I did apply with my first choice as India for those scholarships, the evaluators might decide that if I do get it, it might not be to India. But I feel that going to any location to represent my country and experience a new culture would be very valuable, if to India or not. So to all of you prospective exchange students who are reading this blog and are interested in getting those scholarships in the future, remember to be open to any location even if it is not your first choice. I met a lot of amazing people during the selection camp who were alumni of the program and from those countries, which gave me confidence to see that going to any place would awesome. 

In regards to fundraising, I'm planning to have a donation party inviting the community and family friends. My birthday is coming up as well so I'm planning to ask that my friends bring money instead of presents (because, honestly, I have too much stuff anyway :]). Other things include a possible garage sale and letters to prospective donors. I love how AFS has so many ideas to choose from and that they all sound fun. Ahaha how promotional am I? Anyways, I'm in the planning process right now but hopefully, it will all turn out cool.

Okay let's step away from the money issue and talk about the big question "why?". Well, like most students, I've dreamed of traveling and living abroad for quite a while. Unfortunately, I've never gotten a chance to before and have only been to Canada, which doesn't count in my book. You must be thinking "she's crazy, wanting her first abroad experience to be for a year!" But to me, I think that even if I went to, say, France for a week or every year travelled to a different country for some period of time, that would never set me up for a whole year abroad without my family. Not to mention that it is very difficult to see and become a part of a community if you are there for only a month.

In a way, that is one of my goals for going on this exchange. To me, it is crucial while on my exchange, that I make bonds with those around me and those that I meet. I hope to stop negative stereotyping of Americans and other people. I want to create a lasting connection with my host family so that I know I will always be welcomed in their home and they are welcome to come to mine. Along with this, I want to increase understanding of world views and assists, which is definitely crucial in today's global classroom. Or perhaps playground is a better word. hmm it's your pick.

Well, this has become a rather serious post o.o I wasn't expecting my first entry to be like this. Oops! I'm not always this serious, trust me! ahaha If you have any questions about the process I've been going through so far, please ask!

So a little about me: I have wanted to go to India for quite a long time, although I'm not sure when. I love elephants, they are my favorite animals mostly because their memory is way better than mine (just kidding!). Some of my favorite films are bollywood, and if you have never seen one I suggest Marigold first (it stars Ali Larter and Salman Khan, a big bollywood star. It's in english and gives some basic groundwork that is in all bollywood films). After that, see Jab We Met, means When We Met, starring Karina Kapoor, which is cute with some more culture thrown in. If you really just want to throw yourself into it, see Om Shanti Om, starring Shah Rukh Khan, and is, essentially, an homage to bollywood.

Ah that got a little off track... Anyways, I hope this becomes an informative and true representation of my exchange abroad. I don't know about the picture situation yet. I have an idea to buy 100 kodak disposable cameras and use those instead of my digital camera. Really nice and old school, and when I come back, I could just post them all up on here... well tell me what you think, hmm? 

Sorry this post is so long and pointless especially being the first one in a hopeful series. I will keep you updated!

Annah