Monday, January 12, 2009

Orientation #1, Visa, School...

It is January the 12th, which means that I am only 16 days from New York and only 18 DAYS FROM ITALY!!!  

I went to my pre-departure orientation last Saturday in Scottsdale. It was only me and my parents plus Sydney (she's going to Brazil!) and her mom with the two volunteers. At one point A girl from Brazil came and chilled with us for a couple hours. It was really fun talking with other AFS students, but the orientation itself wasn't too exciting. We spent seven hours going over what we could have done in one hour. It was exceedingly tedious.

My favorite part of the orientation was probably talking to Sydney and John (one of the volunteers who went on an AFS trip to America from Australia when he was in high school and eventually moved back to the USA) about what will be weird and different. Sydney said that her school in Brazil has a hideous uniform, and I hadn't even thought that my school might have one! She can only wear baby blue sweatpants, sweat-shorts, T-shirts and sweatshirts. All that same baby blue! yikes!  I might have a uniform, but then again, maybe not. Who knows!

I made an appointment to go to the Italian Consulate in LA (8-9 hours away!) on Friday at 11:15 even though I haven't received my support documents from AFS yet. I really hope that they come in time so that I don't have to reschedule and possible not fly to Rome with my group! I don't know how all of the orientation business in NYC and Rome would work if I missed my flight. 

I have decided that tomorrow will be my last day of school even though I don't leave for another 16 days. I have an online history course that I have to finish by giunio (June) and really want to get it over with before I get to Italy. But more importantly, I have to learn Italian! I think I will have plenty to occupy my time with when I am not pacing with anxiety about my papers coming from Italy.

Now, This is the plan:

Get papers from AFS Italy by thursday

Friday the 16th: apply for visa

Saturday the 17th: farewell party

Tuesday the 27th: drive down to Pheonix

Wednesday the 28th: Fly to New York City for the 2nd orientation

Thursday the 29th: get on plane to Paris and then to Rome

Friday the 30th: ARRIVE IN ROME! Spend four days there for orientation #3

Then I... MEET MY HOST FAMILY!!!

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