Aspen :)
This is just gonna be a quick update. I had my interview last Saturday, and I think it went pretty darn well. I answered all the questions honestly and tried to convey my passion to them, but also my flexibility as far as host families and everything goes. The group interview also went well. I feel like we all worked well together and we presented our ideas clearly to the committee. And to top it all of there weren't any major technological difficulties, so yay! But now comes the hard part again... waiting. They said the results will probably be in by mid March but that just seems so far away!! All this waiting is making me anxious with anticipation. I just want to KNOWWW so that I can get on with my life. But alas, that's not the way it works. Good thing school is keeping me busy. Four AP classes seem kinda pointless now, with the possibility of going to Germany. Ugh! Unfortunately I have to go do homework now, but I just wanted to update y'all really quick. I'll post as soon as I get more news! And I might add more details about the interview in a future post! Hopefully the waiting doesn't kill me before then (or the homework). Wish me luck!
Aspen :)
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Hey there! So, yup. I haven't posted in a while. Sorry bout that. Well, it's 2015 now!! Woot! Guess what that means! Yup. My CBYX application is due. Guess who just mailed her application in this morning! That's right. This girl! Woot for procrastination! It's just that with school and homework and sleep and social life things, CBYX kinda got pushed to the back burner. Oops. Alsoooooo.... more exciting news. I am also applying to the National Security Language Initiative for Youth program. This is a government funded scholarship to study less common languages in the countries where those languages are spoken. There are both summer and year scholarships available. I applied to the Arabic speaking summer program, and I got selected as a SEMI-FINALIST!! Woot!! Below is the email I got :D Dear Aspen, Congratulations on your move to the next stage of the selection process for the National Security Language Initiative for Youth (NSLI-Y) scholarship! My name is Lynn Whetstone, and I am an AFS volunteer. As an NSLI-Y semi-finalist, AFS volunteer(s) will interview you as the next step in your application process. I am organizing the interviews in our area. Please find the details of our interview event as well as my contact information below. This interview is a mandatory step in the application process. Please confirm that you will be able to attend on the scheduled date. If you are unable to attend this event, I will inform the AFS staff, who will work with you to make alternative arrangements. While it is not mandatory for one or both parents to accompany you, if they do wish to come they will be included in a portion of the interview. Once I have heard from all of the local semi-finalists, I will send more information about the timing for your individual interview. I look forward to meeting you and hearing about your interest in studying a critical language abroad! Sincerely, Lynn So, yeah :) I had my interview for NSLI-Y last Saturday, and I think it went pretty well. It was a lot easier than I anticipated. Lynn, my interviewer was extremely nice and she started the interview off with "So we're going to keep this really informal," which I really appreciated because being formal really stresses me out. We honestly just had a conversation and I just answered all her questions honestly. I probably talked her ear off to be honest. But I just talked about me and why I wanted to do NSLI-Y and then she talked to my mom a bit, and that was that. Piece of cake. Now all I can do is hope for the best. So that's all that's been going on lately. Now it's just a lot of waiting. After all good things come to those who wait :) Here's a video that just explains a little bit more about NSLI-Y and if you're curious about the application process or just want to know more about their program, here's a link to their website: http://www.nsliforyouth.org/ Ok. So yesterday was a great day, and I got to hang out with some of my favorite people all night. I had a blast, more fun than I have had in a long time. I love all my friends so much, and it made me realize how much I would be giving up if I spent a year abroad in Germany. This has prompted me to write about sacrifices.
What I'm worried about the most is leaving my family, but especially my baby sister. She's only two years old, and she's going to change and grow so much in one year, and I'm gonna miss it! I won't be there for her third birthday or her third Christmas or anything like that. What I'm most worried about is that she will forget me. If I'm not part of her life for a year, she might not remember who I am when I get back. Obviously another thing that I am going to have to sacrifice is my friends. Of course I'll make new ones in Germany, but I'm afraid my friends here in America will move on and replace me. What if I don't fit in with my group of friends when I return? They will have so many memories and inside jokes that I won't be part of, and that is a sad thought to me. The last major thing that I would be sacrificing if I get the CBYX scholarship would be my senior year and everything that goes along with that. I would miss the senior tshirts, my senior prom and homecoming, and being a captain of my swim team. I would miss out on the typical American high school senior experience, something I have been looking forward to for three years now. Anyway, I know that if I do get the CBYX scholarship I will have to sacrifice a lot, but I think that it will be worth it. I will miss my family and friends here in America, but I will create a brand new circle of close friends and family. I may miss out on a typical American senior year and a bunch of cool experiences in that regard, but I will have ten times more invaluable experiences if I go to Germany. I know what I am getting into, and I know the sacrifices I will have to make, but I have still made the decision to do everything I can to get this scholarship!! So I had something planned to write about today, but I got a really exciting call! My area representative for the ASSE chapter of CBYX, Jennifer, called me!! The phone call rekindled my excitement about CBYX. Here's what went down.
She called me in the afternoon, but I didn't answer it because it was a number I didn't recognize. She left a message saying that she was given my name and number and she wanted to see where I was at with my decision to study abroad. I called her back as fast as humanly possible. We talked for five minutes, but that five minutes was definitely super encouraging. I found out she lives in Reno, which is super nice. Last year my area representative lived in like Las Vegas. Also, he didn't reach out to me, and I never bothered reaching out to him either. Jennifer just asked me some questions about what school I went to, if I spoke German, and how bad I wanted this scholarship. She told me to get started on the application right away, and that it was completely ok to submit it a couple months early, and even recommended. I also found out she placed an exchange student from Spain at my high school, and she encouraged me to talk to her about studying abroad. The only problem is she doesn't know who I am :P Anyway, Jennifer also said she is hosting an exchange student from Germany, and that if I wanted I could meet her!! She was really enthusiastic, and the phone call really gave me the boost of encouragement that I needed. She has a lot of faith in me, which is encouraging. So far I've only told a couple people that I'm re-applying for CBYX, and to my disappointment most of them haven't really showed much encouragement or faith in me. I am so grateful for Jennifer! Anyway, I recommend that if you're applying to CBYX, that you call your area rep. They are there to help out when you have questions and to encourage you throughout the application process. Even if you don't have questions, call anyway and just let them know how badly you want the scholarship!! It will impress them and set you apart. I think one of my fatal mistakes last year not contacting my area rep. Luckily, this year my area rep is awesome and called me first, but not all of them will do that. I am definitely going to keep on touch with Jennifer, especially when I need motivation and encouragement!! Sorry this post was a little organized. I was just super excited!! I had to tell someone about it asap, so I didn't have time for extensive editing or actually trying to make it sound good :/ Exchange students are fairly common in America, and I'd venture to say that most American high schools have at least one or two. All exchange students of course come from different countries, speak different languages, have different personalities, and decide to come to America for different reasons. Most exchange students that come, no matter how different they are, have common goals: to learn about English and American culture, to make new friends, to be an ambassador for their home country. Most exchange students that I have gotten to know are amazing people, and accomplish all their goals and more while in America! I was lucky enough to host a fabulous, sweet Japanese exchange student last year, and she was a great example to me. She was very kind and bubbly, but also very respectful, and overall one of the best people I have ever met. Her example has encouraged me even more to keep working toward my goal of studying abroad, and if I could be half as good of an exchange student as she was, I would be pleased.
This brings me to my next point. If I get chosen for this scholarship, I want to be the best exchange student I can be. I want to have specific goals and pursue them. I want to meet a ton of new people and have meaningful conversations with them. I want to become fluent in German. I want to experience German culture, eat German food, go to a German school, listen to German music, enjoy German holidays and traditions. I want to be the kind of exchange student who works her butt off at everything she does. I want to be the exchange student who isn't afraid to make mistakes, and learns from them when she does. I want to be the exchange student that hangs out with friends all the time, and has countless adventures. I want to be the exchange student that doesn't want to go back home when the year is over. I want to spend time with my host family and become super close to them. I want to laugh lots, and cry, and smile. I want to have the courage to talk to anyone and everyone anywhere I go. I want to explore the German countryside! I know that there are going to be hard times too. Times when I want nothing more than to just sit in my bedroom and message everyone back home. I know that I'm going to get frustrated with my inability to speak German sometimes. And I know that every once in a while I will even get annoyed with my host family. No matter how much I struggle, though, I know I will be able to get back up and motivate myself again. I have to re-motivate myself everyday in America, and it would be no different in Germany. If I get this scholarship I promise to be the best exchange student I can be!! I think it's pretty clear by now that I really want to study abroad, and in my last post I told y'all some of the reasons why. Don't worry, I am not under the impression that a year abroad would be easy, full of rainbows and unicorns. I know that there are some really tough challenges associated with studying abroad, which is why I have put together this list of all the challenges I anticipate in my future exchange experiences.
1. Language Barrier DUH!! When you go to a foreign country where they speak a different language, you're gonna have trouble communicating! No matter how fluent you think you are, speaking to natives is WAY different than speaking in a classroom setting. Nothing can really prepare you for this sudden change. The first couple months will be difficult. You will make mistakes, but don't worry! Embarrassing yourself is the best way to learn! 2. Cultural Differences Each country has a unique culture, and culture shock is inevitable. Like the language barrier, nothing can prepare you for the extreme change in culture that you will experience. I personally have no idea what culture shock feels like, but I've heard it can be a debilitating challenge for exchange students. Luckily, as you settle into your new way of life, culture shock becomes less and less of an issue, but those first few months can be brutal. 3. Homesickness A year is a long time to be away from your family. The longest I've ever been away from my family is 3 weeks, and honestly, the more I think of the reality of a year abroad, the more it terrifies me. I think we teenagers rely on our parents more than we'd like to admit. Personally, my parents are some of my closest friends. A year without the elaborate support system that I've been building my whole life is intimidating for obvious reasons. Homesickness can ruin your exchange experience. Questions like "What if my friends forget about me or worse, replace me?" or "What if I don't fit in anymore when I get back?" create much unneeded anxiety that no exchange student wants to deal with. Unfortunately, homesickness is not a disease with a cure, but several exchange students and language teachers have taught me how to best deal with the symptoms. First, don't message or Skype your family and friends everyday! I can only imagine how hard this would be, especially for the first few weeks when all you want to do is talk to your loved ones. The harsh reality is, though, that you can't live in two places at once; you have to choose either the foreign country or your home. The second tip that I have heard is to get involved!! Join clubs, hang out with friends, do community service, anything to get you out of the house and away from your sad thoughts. This will help not only to distract you from your homesickness, but it will help you enjoy your year abroad even more fully. 4. The American Outsider Many people in foreign countries choose to study abroad in America, but not as many Americans decide to study abroad in other countries. If you do decide to study abroad, you will likely be the only exchange student at your school. While this could be exciting and fun, it could also mean you feel alone and left out a lot of times. It's really hard when you feel like you have no friends, and there is really no solution. My suggestion would be to just put yourself out there. Say hi to one new person everyday, and most importantly, be patient. As you become more comfortable with the language and culture, making friends will come more easily as well. 5. Currency Differences I know this sounds silly but one of the biggest challenges for me if (I mean when) I go to Germany will be figuring out euros. I'm already bad with US dollars, and I've been using them my whole life! This challenge again will just take time, and maybe a lesson our two from your host family. Another thing that will take time is learning what's a good deal, and what is way over priced in your host country. I really don't have any tips for this, except pay attention and ask your host family when you have questions. I have a feeling I'm going to struggle a lot with this when I study abroad. 6. Stereotypes Now I have never experienced this first hand, but I imagine there are a lot of untrue stereotypes about Americans. Sometimes these stereotypes could be really offensive and hurtful, but as an exchange student, it is your job to be an ambassador for the United States. It is your job to politely correct these stereotypes, and demonstrate through your actions that Americans are awesome people, too!! 7. Transferring Credits Transferring credits from a foreign country back to the United States can be a huge hassle, and sometimes they won't transfer at all. Most of my friends won't even consider a year abroad because they don't want to have to deal with this. My advice: TALK TO YOUR SCHOOL COUNSELOR!! They are generally very understanding and their job is to help you out. Most of the time, if you talk to enough people, they can help you figure out a way for you to get all your credits. I know my counselors have been super helpful during the whole process. In my opinion though, studying abroad is worth it, even if I do have to redo my senior year!! No one in their right mind had ever said that studying abroad is a vacation without any challenges. Anything worthwhile will be difficult and challenging, but the challenge is what makes you appreciate the experience even more. I believe the benefits of studying abroad outweigh the challenges by a landslide, and I am willing to sacrifice quite a bit for that experience. Plus, as you overcome each challenge during your year abroad, you will become a stronger person, and will be able to handle even more in the future. Ever since I learned about study abroad opportunities in my freshmen year, there has been no question in my mind that it is something I want to do. When I share this dream of mine with others, some people tell me I'm crazy and continue to berate me with reasons why studying abroad is a terrible idea. Unfortunately, I think too many Americans feel this way, and I just don't understand. This is a compilation of all the reasons why I think everyone should study abroad.
1. The Adventure of a Lifetime Studying abroad is an enlightening, exciting, and mind-opening experience. The major reason, I think, why a lot of people in America don't like the idea of studying abroad is that they are afraid of the risk that it entails. There us no doubt about it: studying abroad is one gigantic risk!! In my opinion, however, the risks are what make the whole experience so appealing, so exhilarating! Without risks there would be no fun, no excitement, and a life without fun or excitement is not a life I want to live. 2. Cultural Immersion Studying abroad is one of the only ways to experience full immersion in a culture other than you're own. This immersion is not only the fastest way to obtain fluency, but allows you to experience how people live in a different country. I believe this new insight on the similarities and differences of your culture and the one you are immersed in is one of the most valuable benefits of the whole study abroad experience. 3. Super Cool People Through studying abroad, you will have the chance to meet so many awesome, influential people that you would never have come in contact with otherwise. From what I've heard you will keep in touch with your host family for many years, decades, and possibly your whole life. You will make so many new friends (everyone wants to be friends with the exchange student :P). Many of these friends will become so close that you consider them family. If nothing else, your amount of Facebook friends will double. 4. Step Out of your Comfort Zone Most people would probably consider being forced to step out of your comfort zone to be a bad thing. Not me! I believe all great experiences begin by you doing something you normally wouldn't do or say, and being spontaneous. Studying abroad gives you the chance to do something out of your comfort zone, or something that scares you, in a safe environment, an environment that you are still able to feel relaxed and have fun while doing spontaneous things. 5. Perseverance Studying abroad, more than anything else, will teach you to never give up and to work through your challenges. Everyone knows that there are many challenges associated with studying abroad; culture shock, inability to communicate, homesickness just to name a few. When you're studying abroad, though, you cannot run away from these problems; you must face them, and facing your problems will strengthen you as a person and make you more able to deal with challenges in the future. 6. Independence and Maturity Living thousands of miles away from your home and family for a year forces you to grow up very quickly. Studying abroad allows you to personally grow 10 times more than you would have otherwise; you can't just run home to mommy and daddy when times get tough; you have to stick with it. You will have to rely on your own strengths and acknowledge your weaknesses in attempt to work through them. 7. Become a Global Citizen After living a year abroad, you will come home more aware of the world around you. You will realize the merits and downfalls of your country and how it is run, and those of other countries. You will read more current events, and develop a very broad global lens, whereas before you may have had a very narrow American lens. This new perspective will be helpful in many aspects of your life. Basically, you will become more invested in the world that you live in, and you will be able to be a contributing member of society. 8. Free Travel There are sooo many scholarships out there that either significantly reduce the cost of studying abroad or completely eliminate the cost. CBYX is a full scholarship that pays for the fight from D.C. to Germany, the food, housing, and school fees while you're living there, and the flight back to the states. The only thing you have to pay for is the flight to and from D.C. and any spending money to use during the trip. Your parents will probably spend less on you than they would if you stayed in the states. If the cost is the only thing that is stopping you studying abroad, do some research and you will find a plethora of scholarships. 9. Boost your Resume I have put this one last because to me it is the least important. If this is the only reason you want to study abroad, you should NOT do it. Studying abroad does, however, look very good to potential colleges or employers. Why study abroad in high school? Why not wait until college? Most people who study abroad do so in college; And because of this many people think studying abroad in high school is not a good idea. They say high schoolers are too young to fully appreciate the experience, too young to live away from their parents. They say we can't handle that degree of independence quite yet. That may be true for some people but not for me. I know there will be many challenges when I study abroad, but I know I can handle them. I think people should consider studying abroad in high school first of all, because there are more scholarships available when you're still under 18. The most important reason, is that you get to stay with a host family when you're in high school. In other words you get the full experience. It is the only way to truly simulate how a real German family lives and functions. You become more fully immersed in the culture and the language. And plus I would like to study abroad in high school and college. Who says it has to be an either/or thing? Disclaimer: Studying abroad may not be right for everyone. And I'm not saying if you decide not to study abroad you're stupid and "less than". My purpose is simply to inform y'all of the benefits of studying abroad and explain why I am so stoked about CBYX. When making the decision of whether to study abroad or not, I simply ask that you consider both the pros and the cons, and decide whether studying abroad is right for you. My name is Aspen. I live in good old Nevada, and I want to go to GERMANY!! First things first, a little about me. I am 16 years old, and I am a Junior in High School. I play have played the violin for 5 years and I love to sing as well. I run cross country and swim. I'm also an AP student which is code for "Homework is your LIFE!!" This will be my third year of taking German, and I want nothing more than to study abroad in Germany!!
My German teacher introduced me to the CBYX program in my freshman year and I have been thrilled by the program ever since. I applied for the first time in my sophomore year, to study in Germany for my Junior year. Unfortunately, my plan didn't work out too well. Last year I started my application around this time, but then I got caught up in school, and I didn't end up finishing the essays until 2 weeks before the deadline. One thing I would recommend to anyone applying for anything is to avoid procrastination at ALL COSTS. Despite my procrastination, I felt pretty confident in application. Come February-ish I received the coveted email: I was a SEMI-FINALIST!! My interview was scheduled for the beginning of March, and it would be through skype, which I was a little uncomfortable with that. There are 2 interviews, an individual one and a group one. I think the interviews are what cost me my experience of a lifetime. I was really nervous, and I was very rigid and I answered the questions with what I thought they wanted to hear, not what I truly felt. The group interview was especially difficult. It was very strange, because I couldn't see any of the other students I was having a discussion with. That fact only added to my anxiety levels. I was very timid during this interview, and immediately afterwards I regretted not speaking up more.If there was one thing I could tell you to do at the interview, it would be to be yourself, answer honestly, and just TALK, even if you think you will sound stupid!!! If you do that, you will make a great impression on the judges! Even though I knew I had screwed up the interview, I still had this image in my head of getting the phone call saying I was accepted, and I jumped up and down, ran around the house, and shouted to the whole world that I was going to Germany. I even had my goodbye party planned!! The time came, however, at the end of March for the finalists to be chosen. The ASSE CBYX office called my house, but unfortunately no one was home. They called several other phones, but unfortunately I didn't get home until after 5, and when I tried to call the office back, it was already closed. I called back the next morning, as I was walking to school I called back the office. I had butterflies in my stomach, and I had high hopes. The voice of a foreign woman rang in my ears, saying "You have been selected as an alternate!" Those were not the words I was prepared to hear, and my stomach dropped instantly. I held back tears, and throughout the whole day I as depressed. I felt awful for a week or two, but to my surprise I was able to get over it and forget about it fairly quickly. Grief will do that to you, I guess. This year I am going to apply again, but I will do many things differently, especially at the interview. First off, I will set more goals, and less expectations. Last year I wanted this scholarship just as much as I do this year, but I went about wanting it in the wrong way. I wanted it so bad that I expected an acceptance letter. I couldn't imagine anything but getting the scholarship and going to Germany. This year I will set goals. I know I will go to Germany, but I don't expect to get the scholarship just because I'm me; I know I'm going to get it because I'm going to work my butt off for it; I'm going to work harder than I ever have before. I will remember to let my personality and passion shine through my application, and when it comes time for the interview, I will be confident, and let the judges know how much I want the scholarship. And now that I have written down my goals, I have no choice but to achieve them :) |
AuthorI am a Junior in High School in Reno, NV. I am interested in different cultures and I want to travel the world! Hopefully CBYX will be my first step. I am also a Mormon, and I have a lot of faith in my God, and I believe that if this is part of his plan for me, it will happen. Categories
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