hey everyone!

Hello, my name is Katie and I am going to go to Panama for the 2010/2011 school year. What appeals to me most about being an exchange student is learning and growing. There will be plenty of challenges, the biggest being the language. I don’t speak Spanish. But, challenges are gifts. They are opportunities to learn and the only way to build self-esteem. I love hanging out with my friends. I am very social. I love to listen to music; I pick up the lyrics very fast! I am a member of 4 high school sport teams; cross country, gymnastics, indoor track, and spring track where I pole vault.I am excited about the opportunity to “enlarge my family.” Through AFS, I know I will be placed in a loving family that will welcome me in as one of their own. I hope to build a relationship with them that will last a lifetime. I am excited about learning a new way of life. I only know my family’s and community’s culture. Being an exchange student gives me the opportunity to learn about another way. I want to broaden my life. I’ve heard this saying. You love what you know; you know what you’ve learned. I’m thirsty for knowledge and the love of life it will bring.At church, they recently talked about the difference between consternation and courage. Both words have fear as the major part of the definition. With consternation, you are frozen and can’t move. With courage, you move ahead anyway. I have fears about going abroad for a year. I will miss my family and friends. I worry about returning to my relationship with my friends and wonder if I will change and move emotionally away from them. Will I still be able to meeting the graduation requirements of school? Will I have a hard time learning at the host school? Who will help me if I need it? Will my host family’s life be easy to adjust to? Of course I have fear. But I have courage too.I am sure there will be times I lock myself in the bathroom to cry. Working through learning and growing pains are what build your self esteem. Self esteem is a gift you have to give yourself through hard work and perseverance. There is a song that goes “I’m thirsty anyway, so bring on the rain!” Learning about a new family and culture will be worth any storm I have to endure.