The Alternate Species Called "Outbound Foreign Exchange Student"

Before I begin the bulk of this blog post, I'd like to share an image:



To the trained and/or, more likely, squinting eye, this image may represent the unpredictability of the modern world, or commercialism in society. To me, this best represents the Argentine visa process. It's interesting. Yeah, interesting is a good word for it.

It can also be called "an educational experience" or, just as accurately, "sticker collecting". Ah, but to an extent, it's good fun! It's an excuse to drive all over the tri-state area and go to DC a couple of extra times.

Now to the bulk of this post:

Telling others that you are an outbound foreign exchange student, especially those whose only experience with foreign exchange students has been through "That 70s Show", can be interesting. In rural south-central Pennsylvania, where foreign exchange students are a rare species and even international travel is uncommon, I've been looked at like I have sprouted three heads for planning to go abroad as an exchange student. Here's a list of some of the questions and comments I've gotten, both normal and abnormal:

1. "Why would you want to do that?" Well, there are these things called other countries, and other cultures, and other languages, and they're pretty darn interesting! Not to mention the benefits of being fluent in two languages and cultures, gaining insight on your own culture and other cultures, reducing stereotypes about your home country and your host country, being able to look at life with the values, attitudes, and views of two cultures, growing as a person, and making lifelong relationships.

2. "Will you be going to school?" Well, actually, I was planning on staring at clouds all year while my peers attended school.

3. "Do you speak Spanish?" No, solo un poco espanol mal. Actually, my usual response is, "Nope! But I've studied German and Chinese!"

4. "When do you arrive in Italy/Spain/Germany/Europe?" Me: *blank, confused look* "Do you mean Argentina?"

5. "You're going to be in Buenos Aires (or a city that isn't in Argentina: I've gotten Rio de Janeiro and Santiago), right?" Me: Uh, no, though I'll fly into Buenos Aires! I'm going to General Roca. Them: *confused look* Me: *talks excitedly about the size and location of mi ciudad nuevo*

6. "11 months, that's a long time!" Me: Depends how you look at it.

7. "You must be excited." Me: YES YES YES YES YES YES!!!

It's Not About the Money, Money, Money

Yesterday, I made another visit to the town bank. Thankfully, this time, it was not to get something notarized and to order money while pressed for time - though I must say, I lucked out with ordering money, as I was able to get the currency I needed. A note for the future: any currency you need can be provided by your local M&T bank, even if there are only a thousand people in your town. The bank simply orders the currency from wherever the currency is stored. This is something I heard from a Senegal-bound student and then tested myself - I was surprised that, one, I was able to get West African francs in the US, two, I didn't have to go to Baltimore to get them, and, three, it only took them three business days to come. Anyways, I headed back to the M&T bank yesterday to pick up the francs I'd ordered.

I received 100,000 francs, which is roughly equivalent to 200 USD. I know, the exchange rate is interesting: it's much different from the Euro, which was only worth a bit more than the USD. I received 10 bills worth 10,000 francs each: each was basically the equivalent of the 20-dollar bill here in the US.

Here's a picture of one side of the bills I received:



The other side has a wooden mask and symbols indicating a theme of telecommunication. The bird design on this side of the bills indicates that these are relatively new bills, issued in 2003 or later.

Along with Senegal, the francs are the official currency of Benin, Togo, Niger, Mali, Guinea-Bissau, Burkina Faso, and Cote D'Ivoire.


This map shows the countries that use the West African franc in green. They also show the countries that use the Central African franc in red.

It's interesting to read about different countries that use the same currencies and about the currency of other countries, since the Euro is the only international currency typically referenced in the US.

Speaking of interesting, that would probably be the best word to describe the look on my face when I realized that I really, actually was going to have to spend all of these francs in a month. However, I can't say that I don't know how I'm going to spend my 200 USD: I'll be incredibly frugal in the first couple of weeks and end up frantically buying presents for my friends and family in the last week. I'm frugal, to say the least - here in the US, I rarely shop (I dislike shopping; I find it rather pointless), and only buy things when I need them AND they're cheap. However, I think exploring the markets in Dakar should be exponentially more exciting than being dragged into Forever 21 by my sister! I've always pictured the typical African city market - full of life and color, so I'm incredibly excited to explore.

On another topic, I was in Annapolis today (yes, in the pouring rain). My main mission was to acquire an apostille for my birth certificate, which I need for my Argentine visa. My second mission, which I daresay was much more exciting than acquiring an apostille, was to purchase host family gifts for Senegal. I bought a variety of adorable crab-themed and Maryland-themed goodies to give to my host family in Senegal - therefore, another item was crossed off my to-do list for Senegal!

I have to say, I'm crossing off items from my to-do list much too quickly. When I've got two days left in the US and I'm already packed, have my plane and bus tickets, and don't have to rush around getting currency or a credit card (last year, for Europe, I thought I might have to go to the Arundel Mills Mall, an hour and a half away, two days before I left, to get Euros), I don't quite know what I'm going to do!

Packing and Arriving

There are only 11 days until I depart for Senegal and, in 32 minutes, there will only be 10 days. Therefore, I naturally should be thinking of logistics at this point, shouldn't I? I'm a bit behind schedule from where I was eleven days before I went to Europe - heck, I was probably packed by then! Oddly, while I remember vividly making my packing list for Europe, I remember very little of the actual packing, except that I packed my clothes in ziplock bags that kept breaking and worried about having enough contact lenses solution. 

Anyways, if you're reading this blog in preparation for your own month-long trip to Senegal, you may find my  packing list slightly helpful (though you will most likely find my commentary completely useless)! If not, you might want to keep scrolling. This may or may not be helpful if you're going on a CIEE Leadership Academy to a country besides Senegal.

Packing list:

• Important documents - passport, passport copy, etc; you know the drill
• International Certificate of Vaccination - considering it's required to get through immigration in Senegal, this is something you might not want to forget
• American cell phone, which will be turned off for the duration of my time in Senegal
• 3 long skirts - striped, blue, and grey
• Pants made from light fabric
• Black shorts that cover my knees - Head tennis shorts. I love these things, and they're great for travel  because they have, well, huge pockets meant to fit three or four tennis balls each! 
• 5 shirts - haven't decided what shirts I'm taking yet, but at least one long-sleeved one for mosquito protection purposes
• Jacket - haven't decided which one yet
• Two nightgowns
• 5 sets of underwear/socks (can't you see, I have a theme of "5" going on here)
• One-piece swimsuit
• Flip flops
• My tennis shoes for everyday wear
• A pair of flats for "dressy" occasions (if one has flip-flops/sandals/tennis shoes that can pass for "dressy", I'd recommend packing those instead)
• String bag for weekend/day trips 
• Camera
• 5 fully charged batteries for camera (should hold about 800 pictures, which should be enough)
• Contact lenses - the pair in my eyes, obviously, plus maybe two or three extra pairs (better be safe than sorry when it comes to contact lenses)
• Glasses
• 2 or 3 travel sized contact lenses solutions (6 or 9 oz total)
• Tiny French phrasebook. Minuscule.
• My new, ready-to-use notebook (once I finish my current one)
• Little book of photos of my family, my area to share with people I meet
• Homestay gifts, Baltimore themed. Yet to be purchased! 
• Anti-malarials (malarone) - copy of prescriptions
• Other medication - copy of prescriptions 
• Sunscreen (in 3oz containers)
• Travel umbrella
• Travel alarm clock
• Bug wipes
• Archtek toothpaste tablets
• Shampoo and conditioner in bar form
• Bar of soap
• Passport Health water bottle with filter
• My West African francs
• Enough American money to get me to the airport in one piece 

Writing this down, it seems like a lot of stuff, but looking at some of it in my backpack (I'm only taking a carry-on), it's not THAT much. Thankfully. 

Speaking of American money, let me excitedly mention my airport arrival plans. I'm not going to do this in too much detail, obviously, in the name of safety and security (I'll post more about my arrival plans, well, once they've already taken place). I leave at night to Senegal out of New York. During the day, because I don't live far enough away to warrant flying (plus, way too expensive), and nobody wants to drive to the New York area (a hassle, and way too expensive), I will be taking a bus and then public transportation to the airport. It should be, well, exciting, and I'm leaving PLENTY of time to get there. 

Oh, and speaking of West African Francs - I pick them up from the bank tomorrow! I can't wait to post pictures. Surprisingly, ordering West Africans Francs (as I'm sure you can imagine, not the most popular currency ordered in my small American town) was easy, and I could do it from my local bank. 

In Pictures: Where I'm Going

I thought I'd share some pictures of General Roca and Rio Negro Province.

First and foremost:

 The Argentine flag!
The flag of Rio Negro Province!

Mi Ciudad Nuevo (my new city), General Roca:


At night:



Pictures from Rio Negro Province:
Rio Negro! For all of you non-Spanish-speaking readers, "Rio Negro", which the province is named after, translate to "Black River". This image shows the river!
A flat road (I'm not sure where it is in the province). The sky is so blue!
A beautiful picture from the salt flats in the eastern part of the province, near the ocean.
A beautiful picture of Rio Negro.
A road - I'm not sure where this is in the province.
An amazingly-colored landscape near Neuquen.

Senegal Countdown: 14 Days

Time flies.

I don't think I've expressed this before on my blog, but do forgive me if I'm repeating myself: in September of 2012, when I was waiting for exchange applications to be released, everything moved so slowly. It seemed like ages before I would apply, get an interview, or receive an acceptance or rejection. However, once I received interview notifications, everything seemed to move so quickly! In late January, I received interview notifications; in early February, I had interviews; in mid-February, I submitted my Speedwell application; in mid-February, I learned about the CIEE Leadership Academy scholarship; at the very end of February, I submitted my CIEE app; in mid-March, I received my CIEE scholarship award notification; in mid-late March, I received my Speedwell notification; in mid-April, CBYX notifications started; in mid-late April, I received my CBYX alternate notice. Everything seemed to move so quickly - it seemed like, for a couple of months, something major was happening with my applications every two weeks or so. The point is, time has been flying.

Now, it's only fourteen days until I depart for Senegal.

Wow.

I'm doing a round of practice packing now, to make sure everything fits in my backpack. It definitely should - I just have to figure out some small details of packing and what to bring now, such as what to do about adapters and camera batteries. I added my bug wipes to my bag today - they came in the mail this afternoon, which was surprising, as I only ordered them two days ago.

I'm prepared though, to leave for Senegal. I have my Megabus ticket to New York, and besides those few items I still have to buy/figure out what I'm going to do about them, I'm basically ready to go. The only thing else I need to do is sort out my debit card (as it's much easier to get Senegalese currency once in the country as opposed to trying to order it from the US).

However, though I'm prepared to leave for Senegal now, it's good that I still have two more weeks here - because of the Argentine visa process! I have to get documents notarized, drive to Annapolis for an Apostille stamp, sending a form to Harrisburg for an Apostille stamp, and get my birth certificate and FBI background check translated before I leave. Then, my parents will only need to take care of a couple of things while I'm in Senegal - sending documents off to Harrisburg and DC for Apostille stamps - which will enable us to get an appointment at the Embassy in DC to submit all of these documents and hopefully promptly receive my visa. It's an extended process alright - I've heard the Argentine visa process is one of the most difficult for exchange students, and, well, that seems to be true! On the contrary, my exchange friends headed to Germany only need to go somewhere once they get to Germany (I know, how vague), to get a visa.

This post has gotten a bit off topic (not sure if I had an intended topic to begin with), but, hey, it's an update on how the process is going - it's moving along, slowly but surely.

GENERAL ROCA, RIO NEGRO!

Plenty has happened since I last posted (I've been neglecting this blog for over a month now)...I was accepted by AFS Argentina, made an alternate for CBYX (I turned down that slot), made it through most of my finals, SATs, and AP exams, poured through AFS Argentina chapter pages trying to find where I was going, and...I GOT A HOST FAMILY! I have a host mom, host dad, two older host brothers, and I am going to General Roca, a medium-sized city in Rio Negro, Argentina, in northern Patagonia.
 Rio Negro Province:

 As you can see, I am in Patagonia! Before I got my placement, I knew I would be extremely enthusiastic about being placed ANYWHERE in Argentina (or Uruguay), but I knew that, if I had a regional preference, it was Patagonia, thanks to its unique history and geography.

Disclaimer: Do not take any of the following statistics as fact! This is simply based upon the best information I had at the time, and I really do doubt that the 15 number I was going off of was right.

Before I got my placement, I spent an almost embarrassing chunk of time going through, individually, the AFS Argentina chapter pages. A few weeks ago, some of us on the Argentina 2013/2014 Facebook group were tipped off that some of the AFS chapters had been posted little chunks of info about students in order to try to find host families. There wouldn't be much info, but a lot of chapters had posted first names and countries of their incoming students (coming to an area pending on receiving a placement in that area, of course). I went through each page individually - I had heard that there were 15 Americans arriving in Argentina in August (I don't know if this is correct, so don't take this as fact). I found two Americans going to Rosario, two to Santa Fe, two to Tucuman province, one to Ushuaia, and one to General Roca (not me), meaning, according to my shaky statistics, I knew where 8/15 Americans were going. I also found references of unnamed one American going to Sampacho (near Cordoba), one going to Mendoza, and one going to Corrientes province. On the Facebook group, a significant number of people (probably maybe ten or eleven by now, I know that I personally found two people from the Facebook group on chapter pages) had found out where they were going from the chapter pages. When I couldn't find myself, I figured that, since my application hadn't been in the pool for long, it was probably true that no chapter had picked me yet. But, that was an incorrect assumption, as in fact, I already had a host family!

Last Tuesday, around 12 in the afternoon, while I was doing some research for a school project, I clicked on some Yahoo link. In the top right corner of the page, I had a little "new email" icon. I don't know why I checked it so enthusiastically - I wasn't thinking about host families AT ALL (I figured I wouldn't get a family at least until I returned from Senegal), but when I opened my email, the new email said something along the lines of "AFS: Placement Information".

The email directed me to open my AFS global application page, where there was new information on my host school and host family pages. Opening my "host family info" page, I saw a list of the members of my host family - my two older host brothers (one who is 21 and another who is 15, only ten months older than me), and my host parents! It registered in my mind that I had a host family, and that I was going to have older host brothers! Being the oldest of two girls, I was so excited! I then proceeded to look at our location on the bottom of the page: General Roca, Rio Negro province. This name sounded familiar to me, but I remember racking my brain, trying to picture exactly where General Roca and Rio Negro province were (I thought maybe in the Pampas). I pulled up the wikipedia page for General Roca, and saw that I was going to Patagonia!

I've exchanged a couple of emails with my host family (In Spanish, can you believe it?) since then, and they are wonderful. My host parents are so nice, and can you believe it, my host brothers are tennis players like me! I've learned a bit about my school, too - I'm going to write an update of my school and city soon.

Or, well, "soon" in blogging time.

Quick Update

I keep meaning to update this blog but it hasn't really been happening, since I've been so busy! To give you an idea of my schedule for the next couple months…

April: Prepare for May

May: SATs, holding a bake sale, four AP exams, Speedwell Orientation, preparations for Senegal and Argentina, would like to draft my UWC essays/application materials, rank UWCs, finishing my AP classes and the school year (that's going to be quite the task), production for dance show, go to New York for National Scholastic Art and Writing awards ceremony, a birthday party, get shots and Malaria pills for Senegal, Philly field trip

June: pack for Senegal, finish UWC materials, get things to pack for Argentina and write Argentina packing list, New York reception at Parsons, and regional Scholastic Art and Writing Awards ceremony in Philly, leave for Senegal

July: Senegal

August: Go to Argentine consulate in DC to submit my application materials, pack for Argentina, say goodbye to everyone and everything for a year

Oh, and I have to (hopefully) get officially accepted to Argentina and keep working on the Argentine visa process, which is definitely a cultural experience in itself experiencing South American bureaucracy! Hopefully, I'll get my Senegalese host family in early-mid June, and…well, it would be nice to get my Argentine host family before I go to Senegal, but I have no idea when that news will come.

Also, the results of CBYX are coming out today or tomorrow. So far, from the Harrisburg interview location (I am under the impression that about two people will be chosen from our session), two people have been rejected, three of us (including me) haven't heard anything, and the status of three people is unknown. I must admit, I'm still very curious about who gets CBYX, though it's not stressful because I have Argentina, but just exciting! Everyone at my interview session was great, and there are so many qualified applicants, but everyone I've met has definitely deserved a spot!