Acceptance :)

Hi Everyone!
Today Maine had its first big snow storm of the year and my school was canceled for the day. For that reason I thought it would be a great time for me to update you on my AFS experience's progress.

Recently I was accepted into the AFS-USA Fall 2010 program! My application has now been sent over to Italy for review by AFS-Italy. I should find out for certain if I got into the Italian program by the end of December or early January.

I also got a seasonal job and plan to put my entire paycheck towards my AFS experience! I can now make payments on my tuition, but I am still a little short of my fundraising goal.

I began learning the Italian language this week. I now attending a new high school, where they offer Rosetta Stone to all interested students. Even though I am using Rosetta Stone for Italian, I am still enrolled in both French and Spanish classes. So far, so good with Italian, my previous French and Spanish studies are definitely helping me out.

One other thing that I was thinking about this week was why I want to go to Italy. It is my dream for intercultural peace to be prevalent throughout the entire world. So why did I choose Italy, a place that has little tension with the United States, when I could've chosen a place where there is very obvious tension? Well, I feel as though it is important to preserve the peace between the United States and the countries whom we really get along well with. It seems as though if we deepen our friendships with these countries, then intercultural peace will be easier to achieve in the future.

Overall, life has been treating me pretty well lately. I would like to thank you for reading my blog, and for any donations that you may make. Please remember that a donation of any size will really help me make my dreams come true. This holiday season I am not asking for any objects as Christmas presents, but rather money for my tuition, visa, and other costs that will arise as a journey overseas next fall.

Have a great day!
Annie :)

P.S. If this is the first time that you've checked out my blog, please feel free to click on the archives on the left of your screen. If you look in the October folder you'll see the introduction to my blog and an explanation on what its all about.

November 7, 2009 Update

Hi Everyone!

A few days ago I submitted my full application to AFS! I am very excited but nervous at the same time. I also recently completed my in-home interview. It was so great to hear about the AFS experiences of my interviewer's family.

An update about what has been going on in my life:
The cross country season ended with the state meet today! I did not run as I am not one of the top seven runners on my team, but I traveled with the team to cheer them on. Now I have a few weeks to relax and focus on raising money for my tuition before indoor track starts on the 30th of this month.
I am so excited for indoor track to begin because that means that it is the start of my pole vaulting season. Pole vaulting is a passion of mine and it is going to be wonderful to begin training with my coach and teammates again.
The end of the quarter also just passed at my school. Grades closed yesterday and it is looking as though I have made honor roll with all my grades being above 85%! I have worked diligently all quarter to make honor roll and I am overjoyed that I have accomplished by goal.
Fundraising wise I have been trying to save all the money that I earn. The job that I had over the summer has now come completely to a close so I am looking for work and will hopefully find a job again soon. I would like to thank again the AFS Global Leaders Scholarship Committee for awarding me $750 in a merit scholarship to go towards my tuition. That contribution definitely made a huge impact on my money saving efforts.
With that, I will say goodbye for now. If you are reading this then I want to thank you. It means so much to me that you are taking the time to read my blog and I hope that you will continue to check back for updates about my AFS experience!

Have a Great Day,
Annie :)

PS: If you're a new reader of my blog then feel free to click on the October archive on the right side of the page. There you will find the introduction to my blog entitled "Every Great Reality Starts With a Great Dream."

Every Great Reality Starts with a Great Dream

Hello Everyone! Thanks for taking the time to look at my blog.

My name is Annie Laughton. I am sixteen years old and a sophomore at Scarborough High School in Maine. My whole life I have really enjoyed getting to know new people and learning about their different cultures. When I was in the sixth grade I thought that it would be really cool if I were to go on a foreign exchange program when I got older. Although I didn't always focus on that one goal in particular, once I got to high school I knew it was what I wanted to do. Now that I have set my focus I have decided to travel to Italy because the Italian culture seems as though it would be fitting for my personality.

I spend a majority of my time volunteering and am a member of the Key Club at my high school. When I'm not helping out as a volunteer you'll find me diligently training with my cross country, track, or pole vaulting teams. I like to be a person who is always busy because I don't want to miss any of the wonderful things life has to offer. The way I see it, going Italy would be one of the completely wonderful things that I dream of doing in my lifetime.

The AFS mission states that:

"AFS-USA works toward a more just and peaceful world by providing international
and intercultural learning experiences to individuals, families, schools, and
communities through a global volunteer partnership."

I feel that I would fit into this perfectly. One thing that I aspire to do in my life is be trilingual. To me, the United States would be better off when it comes to intercultural peace if more students were given the opportunity to learn a second language at a younger age. If I am able to learn two more languages fluently then I in turn be better able to communicate with people in other cultures which would help me have a stronger partnership with them. Through a year long stay in Italy I will be one step closer to accomplishing this goal.

So far the only barrier that I have had to break down was my friends and family. At first only a few of the people closest to me thought that a foreign exchange would be a positive experience. It wasn't that they had heard anything bad about other's experiences, it's just that they weren't educated on the subject. I solved this problem by simply talking. I told my loved ones how much going to another country means to me and how it will set me up for so many great opportunities in the future when I know more about how other cultures operate.

This past summer I worked all ten days. I don't want to be dependent on just my family to pay for my experiences because they are mainly going to be benefiting me. It makes me feel good to know that I will at least be able to pay a portion of my tuition. I also applied for a Global Leaders Merit Scholarship and received some money. It is my goal to raise $3,000 more on my own. People who know me know that I set my goals high and push myself to achieve them. The way I view my fundraising is this: Any little bit will help me ensure that this is one dream that will become a reality.

Remember to check back each week for an update on how on my AFS experience!

Peace, Annie :)