Okay, so at one point or another in every exchange student's journey they will inevitably freak out about leaving and begin to talk themselves out of going. I have been going through that recently, and I noticed there weren't a lot of blog posts out there about this aspect of going abroad. I was lucky enough to have a wonderful, amazing friend (Dani) to help me remember why I want to go abroad in the first place.
So, lately I had been feeling conflicted, because all my life I have dreamt of getting out of my town and traveling and just seeing the world (yes I do know how cliche that sounds but it's true), and now that it's finally happening I've begun to realize all the stuff I enjoy that I take for granted. I stopped viewing Spring as an awful prison trapping me here, and I realized this place isn't so bad. I've changed a lot this past year, and now I have discovered sides to me that I really like. I began to be happy and satisfied with my little bubble, where I would eat almost completely clean, fresh produce, go to yoga and meditation, go to work, etc. I began seeing the beauty in the long sidewalk lined with trees by my house and the familiar comfort and easiness of my life here. I started realizing just how hard it would be to have to create a new niche for myself if I left, and so it began. My cycle of ruminating, thinking the sam e string of thoughts over again, going back and forth between going and staying.
My lifestyle and beliefs are different to the majority of people, and my originality tends to sometimes create problems as people attach the "hippie" stereotype to me. However, here I've managed to surpass that stigma, but I'm worried that in a new place where I don't know the culture or speak the language it will be very hard for me to be able to express myself and show people who I really am. Plus, I thrive on deep, philosophical conversations but when I can barely string together a basic sentence it makes it kind of hard to have talks like that. And another one of my concerns was just the unknown. I like being in control of situations, and that is not going to be the case in Italy.
However, I finally talked with Dani and she really helped me. She reminded me that the whole point of studying abroad isn't to mindlessly be absorbed by another culture, but to share your own culture as well as learn about another one. So I can take the aspects of both cultures that fit me and become a better version of myself.
There was way more to our talk but that was the main conclusion I drew from it. I guess the point of this was to help other exchange students realize that it's completely normal to have second thoughts and we all go through it. But we have to be able to overcome our fear and charge into the unknown in order to have a great adventure. So that's all for now! :) Quick update on my life- I had my last day of work yesterday and it was pretty sad, I'm going to miss all my coworkers. I'm going to Florida on Wednesday, and then I come back for 3 days and head off to New York, Boston, and Canada with my family! Then, when I get back it's seriously time to start preparing to leave for Italy.
Ciao! Xoxo <3
-- Tami
Sunday, July 20, 2014
Friday, June 20, 2014
PDO and Host School Info
Ciao tutti!!
I know I haven't posted anything in a while…sorry… I've just been enjoying being on summer break and I haven't really known what to post, but now I'l just fill you in on what I've been up to!
So I had my pre-departure orientation a few weeks ago and it was fun. I met some nice people, learned a little more about everything, and just had a good time! It was kind of in a really sketchy part of town though so it was kind of scary….Plus the AC wasn't working and it's summer in Texas, so we were all kind of dying of heat stroke haha. But overall it was good!
I also found out about my host school! I actually wasn't notified by AFS or anything, I just looked at my AFS USA portal and I saw that the tab for my host school information wasn't empty! I will be attending the same school as my siblings (yay!) I'm still not really clear on what I will be taking there (like what year or liceo classico or what), but I'm planning on e-mailing someone at AFS to ask soon! I'm really excited though, because we have to take the train every morning to get to school and I've never taken public transportation on a regular basis so that'll be exciting!!
Other than that not much has been going on, I've just been learning Italian, spending time with my friends and family, working to keep on raising my spending money, and talking with my AFS friends and my host family!! Life is good :) I'll let you guys know if I find anything out!
Ciao! Xoxo
-- Tami
I know I haven't posted anything in a while…sorry… I've just been enjoying being on summer break and I haven't really known what to post, but now I'l just fill you in on what I've been up to!
So I had my pre-departure orientation a few weeks ago and it was fun. I met some nice people, learned a little more about everything, and just had a good time! It was kind of in a really sketchy part of town though so it was kind of scary….Plus the AC wasn't working and it's summer in Texas, so we were all kind of dying of heat stroke haha. But overall it was good!
I also found out about my host school! I actually wasn't notified by AFS or anything, I just looked at my AFS USA portal and I saw that the tab for my host school information wasn't empty! I will be attending the same school as my siblings (yay!) I'm still not really clear on what I will be taking there (like what year or liceo classico or what), but I'm planning on e-mailing someone at AFS to ask soon! I'm really excited though, because we have to take the train every morning to get to school and I've never taken public transportation on a regular basis so that'll be exciting!!
Other than that not much has been going on, I've just been learning Italian, spending time with my friends and family, working to keep on raising my spending money, and talking with my AFS friends and my host family!! Life is good :) I'll let you guys know if I find anything out!
Ciao! Xoxo
-- Tami
Tuesday, May 6, 2014
Host Family and Location Info, plus New AFS Friends!
Ciao!
So I know it's been almost a month since my last post...woops... this last month has been crazy, with school and work and everything I have to do. I actually am currently sitting in school, because I just finished my last STAAR (end of year exam) which was biology! Yay! Okay so it's time to catch you guys up
I left off right when I got my host family, and since then they have given me permission to write about them in my blog, so here we go!
Speranza: This is my host mom, and she seems really sweet. She barely speaks English, which will be hard at first but at least it will force me to learn! She seems to be the caretaker of the household, and I can't wait to get to know her better.
Ugo: This is my host dad, and he seems really cool. He loves to cook (YAY! Guess who is going to gain 1000 pounds this year? And actually enjoy it? ;) ) He is sporty, and HE SPEAKS ENGLISH! Yesss! This is going to help so much in the beginning :)
Antonio: This is my host brother, who is a year older than me. He is super nice, and we have worked out this system where I speak to him in English and he speaks to me in Italian and so far it has worked perfectly! We have already made plans to go running together, and he has promised to teach me about his favorite soccer team, Juventus.
Francesca: This is my host sister, who is a year younger than me. I absolutely love her! We talk almost every day, and although we speak purely in Italian (which means I have to google translate every single thing) it is definitely helping me learn! (I'm also learning how to handle situations where you don't understand one another which I'm sure will happen all the time haha..greaattt...) She loves gymnastics, shopping, and hanging out with her friends and we have already made plans to do a ton of stuff when I get there.
Overall, the family seems very very nice and like a perfect fit for me! They also love to travel which is amazing! Francesca says they are considering going to Paris in October, but nothing is certain. But how freaking cool would that be?! Ahhhh this is amazing!
They live in the heart of Sorrento, just a 5 minute walk from the main square. I've spent more time than I'd like to admit on google maps looking around at the town, and it looks absolutely gorgeous! For those of you who don't know, it's a town on the Amalfi Coast perched on cliffs. Here are some pictures for you to marvel at:
Yeah....so...I'm gonna live here in 4 months! AHH! It is so surreal!!
Okay so AFS has tons of Facebook groups for AFSers, and I created two groups: One for people going on exchange with AFS 2014-2015, and another for people going specifically to Italy with AFS for 2014-2015. I have already made so many friends through AFS, it's crazy! I have made a friend who lives in Austin (Hi Keiko!) who I actually went to visit two weeks ago! We are already so close and I love her to death! And then through the Facebook groups I have already made this group of crazy, loud, insane friends that are fabulous (Hi Konrad, Dani, Elena, Axelle, Colin, Marilyn, and Dzenita!) And I can't wait to meet them all, we are all already like a family :) I can tell this year is going to be a blast!
3 and a half more weeks until schools over, and then I can focus way more of my time on preparing for Italy!! I'll keep you guys posted <3
Ciao! Xoxo
-- Tami
So I know it's been almost a month since my last post...woops... this last month has been crazy, with school and work and everything I have to do. I actually am currently sitting in school, because I just finished my last STAAR (end of year exam) which was biology! Yay! Okay so it's time to catch you guys up
I left off right when I got my host family, and since then they have given me permission to write about them in my blog, so here we go!
Speranza: This is my host mom, and she seems really sweet. She barely speaks English, which will be hard at first but at least it will force me to learn! She seems to be the caretaker of the household, and I can't wait to get to know her better.
Ugo: This is my host dad, and he seems really cool. He loves to cook (YAY! Guess who is going to gain 1000 pounds this year? And actually enjoy it? ;) ) He is sporty, and HE SPEAKS ENGLISH! Yesss! This is going to help so much in the beginning :)
Antonio: This is my host brother, who is a year older than me. He is super nice, and we have worked out this system where I speak to him in English and he speaks to me in Italian and so far it has worked perfectly! We have already made plans to go running together, and he has promised to teach me about his favorite soccer team, Juventus.
Francesca: This is my host sister, who is a year younger than me. I absolutely love her! We talk almost every day, and although we speak purely in Italian (which means I have to google translate every single thing) it is definitely helping me learn! (I'm also learning how to handle situations where you don't understand one another which I'm sure will happen all the time haha..greaattt...) She loves gymnastics, shopping, and hanging out with her friends and we have already made plans to do a ton of stuff when I get there.
Overall, the family seems very very nice and like a perfect fit for me! They also love to travel which is amazing! Francesca says they are considering going to Paris in October, but nothing is certain. But how freaking cool would that be?! Ahhhh this is amazing!
They live in the heart of Sorrento, just a 5 minute walk from the main square. I've spent more time than I'd like to admit on google maps looking around at the town, and it looks absolutely gorgeous! For those of you who don't know, it's a town on the Amalfi Coast perched on cliffs. Here are some pictures for you to marvel at:
Okay so AFS has tons of Facebook groups for AFSers, and I created two groups: One for people going on exchange with AFS 2014-2015, and another for people going specifically to Italy with AFS for 2014-2015. I have already made so many friends through AFS, it's crazy! I have made a friend who lives in Austin (Hi Keiko!) who I actually went to visit two weeks ago! We are already so close and I love her to death! And then through the Facebook groups I have already made this group of crazy, loud, insane friends that are fabulous (Hi Konrad, Dani, Elena, Axelle, Colin, Marilyn, and Dzenita!) And I can't wait to meet them all, we are all already like a family :) I can tell this year is going to be a blast!
3 and a half more weeks until schools over, and then I can focus way more of my time on preparing for Italy!! I'll keep you guys posted <3
Ciao! Xoxo
-- Tami
Thursday, April 10, 2014
A Host Family?! Already?! Wait. TWO?!
Ciao!
So I was on my way to the gym today, when my mom got a call from AFS. The lady was explaining to us that I was going to be in a special situation…I will have two host families! The first family will host me until the end of January, and then the other one will host me from then on! They told me they already had the information of the first one, and that they would e-mail it to me either today or tomorrow. I spent the next 45 minutes refreshing my phone like crazy (no seriously- the app says how many minutes it has been since the last time you refreshed, and mine was "less than a minute ago" almost every time). Then….. I GOT IT.
I got the e-mail which gave me the last name of the first one (and also said I wouldn't get the second one until it's a lot closer to the time I have to switch, so it will probably be once I'm in Italy). I will not disclose any personal information at this point, since I am not sure if they are okay with it, but if they are I will let you all know later! Just know they all have wonderfully Italian names and I have a mom and dad, a sister who is almost a year younger and a brother who is almost a year older! I was on the stair master, texting 6 friends and my sister (who was at home on my laptop feeding me the information) and then I was googling all sorts of things about where I will be…which is…. *drumroll please* Sorrento, Italy!!! I actually visited Sorrento last summer while on a cruise ( I only spent a few hours there though, so I still have a lot to discover) and it was so unbelievably beautiful!! It's near the Amalfi Coast (which is absolutely GORGEOUS), Naples, and Pompeii! I'll do a whole blog post related to what I've researched on Sorrento, but it's late now and I should be sleeping but I wanted to update you all. The town is on some cliffs with crystal clear shores, and it's known for it's limoncello!
I e-mailed my host parents (although I'm sure they are sleeping) and found them on Facebook (but I felt like a serious creeper so I decided to wait to add them until they answered my e-mail) and I can't wait to hear back!! I'll post more later on how everything is going, I just wanted to catch you guys up on what's happened! I am so unbelievably lucky that I found out my host family less than a week after I was accepted, and that I get to experience two different families (they will probably keep me in the same school though, so I won't have to leave all my friends and community behind)! Okay, I'll talk to you all soon!! Buonanotte <3 Xx
-- Tami Moctezuma
So I was on my way to the gym today, when my mom got a call from AFS. The lady was explaining to us that I was going to be in a special situation…I will have two host families! The first family will host me until the end of January, and then the other one will host me from then on! They told me they already had the information of the first one, and that they would e-mail it to me either today or tomorrow. I spent the next 45 minutes refreshing my phone like crazy (no seriously- the app says how many minutes it has been since the last time you refreshed, and mine was "less than a minute ago" almost every time). Then….. I GOT IT.
I got the e-mail which gave me the last name of the first one (and also said I wouldn't get the second one until it's a lot closer to the time I have to switch, so it will probably be once I'm in Italy). I will not disclose any personal information at this point, since I am not sure if they are okay with it, but if they are I will let you all know later! Just know they all have wonderfully Italian names and I have a mom and dad, a sister who is almost a year younger and a brother who is almost a year older! I was on the stair master, texting 6 friends and my sister (who was at home on my laptop feeding me the information) and then I was googling all sorts of things about where I will be…which is…. *drumroll please* Sorrento, Italy!!! I actually visited Sorrento last summer while on a cruise ( I only spent a few hours there though, so I still have a lot to discover) and it was so unbelievably beautiful!! It's near the Amalfi Coast (which is absolutely GORGEOUS), Naples, and Pompeii! I'll do a whole blog post related to what I've researched on Sorrento, but it's late now and I should be sleeping but I wanted to update you all. The town is on some cliffs with crystal clear shores, and it's known for it's limoncello!
I e-mailed my host parents (although I'm sure they are sleeping) and found them on Facebook (but I felt like a serious creeper so I decided to wait to add them until they answered my e-mail) and I can't wait to hear back!! I'll post more later on how everything is going, I just wanted to catch you guys up on what's happened! I am so unbelievably lucky that I found out my host family less than a week after I was accepted, and that I get to experience two different families (they will probably keep me in the same school though, so I won't have to leave all my friends and community behind)! Okay, I'll talk to you all soon!! Buonanotte <3 Xx
-- Tami Moctezuma
Sunday, April 6, 2014
Accepted!!!
Ciao!
So…..as you can probably guess from the title….I GOT ACCEPTED TO ITALY!!! I was actually accepted two days ago (Friday), but these past few days have been super crazy and I haven't had a moment to sit down and write. So anyways, I was sitting in my third period french class, complaining to my friends about how I still hadn't heard back from AFS and how I didn't know how much longer I could wait. Then, I saw that it was almost time to leave, and I grabbed my phone to check how many more minutes until the bell rang. My phone had several messages in all caps from my friend who is also applying to go to Italy saying that she just got the email and that she was accepted. I was really happy for her and I messaged her back super excited! I didn't think to check my e-mail right away, since she had sent in her application around 2 weeks before mine. However, a few minutes later when I was in the hall with my friends, I decided to go ahead and check it just in case…..
And that's when I saw it. The e-mail that determined the course of my life for the next year, which would in turn affect my whole life from this point forward. (Cue dramatic music) The subject line read: AFS You have been Accepted by Italy!
I started screaming and jumping up and down (luckily my school is huge so the hallways are so crowded it drowned out the sounds I was making). I started hyperventilating and I messaged my friend letting her know I was accepted too and then we both started freaking out together. But being the suave, chill girl I am (not), in my fit of excitement I accidentally did something to the email and I moved it to another inbox (darn you touch screen phones!) and I started panicking thinking I had imagined the email and I was going crazy. Luckily, I found it and all was well again. Thankfully, I had dance class afterwards so my happy dance wasn't so noticeable ;)
But YEAH! So guess what? It's official. I, Tamara Moctezuma, am moving to Italy for a year!! The land of spaghetti and stilettos! (Yes, I know there is way more to Italy than just that and I can't wait for that too but it wasn't as catchy so sorry) Ahhhh I can't believe it!! My dreams are finally becoming a reality!! I think it hasn't exactly sunken in yet, but sometimes I get little waves of mini epiphanies about what exactly this all means and I get super excited all over again.
So now, we wait. I do as much research as I can, I start learning Italian, and I keep on trying to be patient. I've heard host family placement takes a loooong time, so this should be fun. But I'm just happy to know that it's all just a matter of time. I'll let you all know when I know more!!
A più tardi! Xoxo
-- Tami
Wednesday, March 19, 2014
Exciting News!
Ciao!
So yesterday, I got an email saying that I won the Viaggio Italiano Scholarship! At first I thought it meant I had been accepted to Italy, which confused me because I didn't remember being accepted by AFS-USA. However, then I read the e-mail more carefully and it said that if I get accepted, I will have this scholarship. I was super happy, because I had actually been planning on calling that day to see if there was any news!
Then, today my mom and I had a mini session on the phone with an AFS volunteer, who gave us more information on the program. She said that Italy is pretty good about getting back to AFSers soon about their acceptance status, and I should hear back within 4-8 weeks. (She also said that they think I am a really good candidate for studying abroad, and that we should be hearing good news from Italy…..YAY!)
So for now I just have to keep waiting, which is honestly so unbelievably hard for me, but I think that it'll make the whole experience that much sweeter. I'll let you guys know if I hear any other news, and in the mean time I'm keeping busy with learning Italian, school, and work. Ciao per ora!
--Tami
So yesterday, I got an email saying that I won the Viaggio Italiano Scholarship! At first I thought it meant I had been accepted to Italy, which confused me because I didn't remember being accepted by AFS-USA. However, then I read the e-mail more carefully and it said that if I get accepted, I will have this scholarship. I was super happy, because I had actually been planning on calling that day to see if there was any news!
Then, today my mom and I had a mini session on the phone with an AFS volunteer, who gave us more information on the program. She said that Italy is pretty good about getting back to AFSers soon about their acceptance status, and I should hear back within 4-8 weeks. (She also said that they think I am a really good candidate for studying abroad, and that we should be hearing good news from Italy…..YAY!)
So for now I just have to keep waiting, which is honestly so unbelievably hard for me, but I think that it'll make the whole experience that much sweeter. I'll let you guys know if I hear any other news, and in the mean time I'm keeping busy with learning Italian, school, and work. Ciao per ora!
--Tami
Friday, March 7, 2014
Quick Update
Ciao!
So I know I just posted, but I wanted to make a quick post to update you on what's happened.
On Tuesday, I got my application back with a looong list of corrections I had to make before they could do the final review. Now I knew that this was a crucial moment, because depending on how fast or slow you make the necessary changes could decide whether or not you get accepted. My mom and I spent hours getting everything together, and by Wednesday I sent it in again. Then yesterday (Thursday) I got an e-mail saying that they had received my application and everything was good, and I should be hearing from them soon. Like I said before, I am probably the most impatient person on the planet, so this is really hard for me. But I'm happy, because things are moving fast! I'll let you guys know later on what happens.
PS. I changed my blog layout a little bit, and there is a translate button on the right side, so you can read this in whatever language you'd like!
In the meantime, I'm keeping myself busy with school, work, and learning Italian. I have Spring Break next week, and I'm planning on taking advantage of the extra time to get some things done.
Scriverò più tardi! Oh and if my Italian is grammatically incorrect, blame it on google Translate! I'm still in the stage of barely being able to say hello, but hopefully soon I will no longer need to rely on google.
--Tami
So I know I just posted, but I wanted to make a quick post to update you on what's happened.
On Tuesday, I got my application back with a looong list of corrections I had to make before they could do the final review. Now I knew that this was a crucial moment, because depending on how fast or slow you make the necessary changes could decide whether or not you get accepted. My mom and I spent hours getting everything together, and by Wednesday I sent it in again. Then yesterday (Thursday) I got an e-mail saying that they had received my application and everything was good, and I should be hearing from them soon. Like I said before, I am probably the most impatient person on the planet, so this is really hard for me. But I'm happy, because things are moving fast! I'll let you guys know later on what happens.
PS. I changed my blog layout a little bit, and there is a translate button on the right side, so you can read this in whatever language you'd like!
In the meantime, I'm keeping myself busy with school, work, and learning Italian. I have Spring Break next week, and I'm planning on taking advantage of the extra time to get some things done.
Scriverò più tardi! Oh and if my Italian is grammatically incorrect, blame it on google Translate! I'm still in the stage of barely being able to say hello, but hopefully soon I will no longer need to rely on google.
--Tami
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)