July

Getting ready to leave!
Most teens have no idea what a Notary Public is and most adults don’t know what an Apostle is; but through my preparation to leave, I have had to learn about and request both. I have applied for a passport, and will be applying for a tourist card and visa within the next few weeks. As a part of my Visa regulations, I will not be able to work while I am in Panama so I have created a budget and coordinated ways to have access to my account here in the USA. I found out which credit/debit card would be accepted in Panama's debit system and what cards would be safest for me to use in Panama.

AFS is a cultural exchange program. My "family" will share their culture with me; I will share my culture with them. While I am in Panama I will be expected to host presentations about my family and community’s culture as well as the culture of America. I have made a power point presentation to do this and have decided upon and have collected small tokens of American culture to show and share. I will also be expected to share my Panama experiences when I return. Experiences like the food, language, religion, celebrations, my host community culture as well as general Panamanian culture. I have set up an outline that I will be able to fill in while I am gone.

This, along with all the vaccinations and a mountain of paperwork, is what I have done in the last 5 months to prepare to go. In the next week, I need to pack a years’ worth of life into a suit case -a 44 pound limit including unique gifts and foods to take and share with my host family. I need to say goodbye to my family and friends.

When I look back and think of the work that went along with “apply to be an exchange student” I can only imagine what work there will be to actually being an exchange student. I have learned so much from the preparing process. I have learned, I have grown, I have found answers to questions that just lead to more question. And I have found answers to those questions. I have worked alone, I have organized teams of volunteers, and I have worked with community members, from local business owners to the Secretary of state. I have read and I have researched. I have made decisions. And I have only just begun. My “year” abroad will officially start on July 30th.

June

Fundraising! It was kind of Fun! My family and friends were a great support. I learned to organize events and volunteers to make these events successful. I applied for scholarships, and earned one! I made brochures to hand out to people and business about the program and why their donation will help me out. I have researched companies to see who has ties to Panama and written letters to these corporations asking for donations. I have solicited local businesses by call them or going to their business and explaining my cause and asking for donations. With all of this hard work, I have earned over 4 thousand dollars. My friends and family have been a big help. They have been there 100% of the time to support me and help me in my fundraising. So far we have held squeegee's, which is when we stand in the drivethu line of a fast food restaurant and ask people if they would like to donate and in exchange we would wash their windshield for them. this was our most successful fundraiser yet! I have also been doing car washes, grass cutting, babysitting, and a one week mini day camp. And I'd like to give a special thanks to AutoZone, McDonalds, and Burger King for letting me hold fundraisers there.

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.