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 :)
