2007 part 1
I have been inspired by none other than Miss Kara Lairson to write an entry detailing my last year. I will put a warning here at the beginning that this may be boring... and I may get bored with it an stop halfway through the update, but I'm going to make an attempt. Please pardon any spelling/grammatical errors and keep in mind that I've spent the last 4 months learning another language through immersion, which tends to mess with grammar and spelling quite a bit.
In looking back on the last year, the only real thing I remember about January is getting accepted into the Rotary International Youth Exchange Program. To be honest, at the moment I can't even remember how I spent New Years. But sometime in the month of January I got accepted into RYE and was assigned to Belgium. Believe me it was such a relief to know that I had been accepted after that monster of an application. In January I was so excited to come here. I looked up all kinds of information on Belgium and waited anxiously to hear where I was going and what language i would be learning.
January also started the second semester of my senior year, which meant senior projects. I chose Herbal Remedies after much deliberation and narrowing of my original "Folk and Alternative Medicine". Other than meetings at Crabbe library and half-hearted studying i remember January being full of incredibly cold days, laughter with friends, and naps in the afternoon at the Wesley Foundation.
The next few months were filled with senior projects, Lexington Adventures, inside jokes, stress, rides home from Graham, Tuesdays at the Wesley Foundation, a crush on a boy that didn't work out (which is for the better) and me trying my best to pretend that I was indifferent about it being my senior year, but really enjoying it thoroughly. I attended two proms with a good friend, fulfilling a childhood promise, and learned to play chess from a very nice-smelling young man by the name of Bruce, danced in the parking lot of Culvers at 11 pm with a crazy jew, made any number of stick figure comics with Cody, was a photography aide, and hit on Matt Schumann with Cody and Jordan Morgan ALOT during Sociology class.
Somehow, before I knew it I had reached May. The end of my senior project, the end of high school, the beginning of summer and my 18th birthday were all looming ahead. Somehow I managed to get through my senior project and graduate with distinction due to my CATS test scores, attended Senior Skip Day at Lake Reba with my class, with their help cost the school over $36,000 in funding due to absences, went to my first party that got crashed by the cops, and any number of other things.
This summer was a whirlwind composed mostly of Lexington Adventures, Steak N Shake, Kristy Portwood, Cody McClanahan, Kayla Anderson, Jordan Boyer, and Phillip Pitcher. I worked on visa applications and things as the reality of what the coming year was going to consist of set in. And, of course, I was completely unprepared. I didn't work on French, I didn't talk to my host family all that much, and I didn't do the powerpoint that we were apparently supposed to do. After my initial excitement started wearing thin and the departure date came closer I started being quite nervous.
June came and went with my 18th birthday in there at some point. The first half of July was spent at an Outbound orientation and as a counselor with some of my favorite people at MADD camp in it's first summer in Kentucky (which was a trying experience as in general me and girls aged 10-12 don't get along, but was still amazing). August was chocked full of stress and house cleaning due to my eldest brother's approaching wedding. There were dress fittings, hall decorating, and cooking. For the week after my brother got married I packed, freaked out, packed, was overcome by excitement, and procrastinated.
Then came August 21st and the beginning of another chapter...
To Be Continued.
In looking back on the last year, the only real thing I remember about January is getting accepted into the Rotary International Youth Exchange Program. To be honest, at the moment I can't even remember how I spent New Years. But sometime in the month of January I got accepted into RYE and was assigned to Belgium. Believe me it was such a relief to know that I had been accepted after that monster of an application. In January I was so excited to come here. I looked up all kinds of information on Belgium and waited anxiously to hear where I was going and what language i would be learning.
January also started the second semester of my senior year, which meant senior projects. I chose Herbal Remedies after much deliberation and narrowing of my original "Folk and Alternative Medicine". Other than meetings at Crabbe library and half-hearted studying i remember January being full of incredibly cold days, laughter with friends, and naps in the afternoon at the Wesley Foundation.
The next few months were filled with senior projects, Lexington Adventures, inside jokes, stress, rides home from Graham, Tuesdays at the Wesley Foundation, a crush on a boy that didn't work out (which is for the better) and me trying my best to pretend that I was indifferent about it being my senior year, but really enjoying it thoroughly. I attended two proms with a good friend, fulfilling a childhood promise, and learned to play chess from a very nice-smelling young man by the name of Bruce, danced in the parking lot of Culvers at 11 pm with a crazy jew, made any number of stick figure comics with Cody, was a photography aide, and hit on Matt Schumann with Cody and Jordan Morgan ALOT during Sociology class.
Somehow, before I knew it I had reached May. The end of my senior project, the end of high school, the beginning of summer and my 18th birthday were all looming ahead. Somehow I managed to get through my senior project and graduate with distinction due to my CATS test scores, attended Senior Skip Day at Lake Reba with my class, with their help cost the school over $36,000 in funding due to absences, went to my first party that got crashed by the cops, and any number of other things.
This summer was a whirlwind composed mostly of Lexington Adventures, Steak N Shake, Kristy Portwood, Cody McClanahan, Kayla Anderson, Jordan Boyer, and Phillip Pitcher. I worked on visa applications and things as the reality of what the coming year was going to consist of set in. And, of course, I was completely unprepared. I didn't work on French, I didn't talk to my host family all that much, and I didn't do the powerpoint that we were apparently supposed to do. After my initial excitement started wearing thin and the departure date came closer I started being quite nervous.
June came and went with my 18th birthday in there at some point. The first half of July was spent at an Outbound orientation and as a counselor with some of my favorite people at MADD camp in it's first summer in Kentucky (which was a trying experience as in general me and girls aged 10-12 don't get along, but was still amazing). August was chocked full of stress and house cleaning due to my eldest brother's approaching wedding. There were dress fittings, hall decorating, and cooking. For the week after my brother got married I packed, freaked out, packed, was overcome by excitement, and procrastinated.
Then came August 21st and the beginning of another chapter...
To Be Continued.