AFS Student Exchange Blog: April 2010 Archives

First Day of School in Chile

By AFS on April 30, 2010 4:23 PM | No Comments | No TrackBacks

I had my first day of school today! I wasn't as nervous as I thought I would be, but I think that's because I already knew a lot of people in my grade. There are exactly 31 people in my grade. There are around 300 in my school, which is Pre-School through High School. Super chico!

Everyone is very friendly. Everyone also slaughters my name. It's quite comical. As I walk through the school yard, I hear little kids tell their moms, "Look Mom! It's Stephanie! The girl from the United States!" I don't even know who any of these kids are...People say hi to me that I've never seen before! Something I don't get in the US. I like it! When I say I'm from California, they think it's the coolest thing since sliced bread. Read more.

AFS offers year, semester and summer programs to Chile.

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T.C. Finds his Groove in Portugal

By AFS on April 29, 2010 2:04 PM | No Comments | No TrackBacks

I am back in school after a 2 week Easter Break and a 1 week trip to Hungary. Easter was great. The local priest from Poiares (the small district I live in, which is part of the "state" of Viana do Castelo) came to our house to deliver the news of Christ's resurrection. It is traditional to offer the Priest and the small group that travels with him pastries, wine and other refreshments.

Over the course of the two week break I also made two solo trips to the city of Porto, as I mentioned before. I learned the metro system, enjoyed a long walk along the Rio Douro and enjoyed a bit of relaxation and independence. Read more.

AFS offers year and semester programs to Portugal.

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My Host Neighborhood in Japan

By AFS on April 28, 2010 4:45 PM | No Comments | No TrackBacks

View more photos of Carolyn's Spring year program in Japan.

Learn about the AFS 2011 Japan Spring Year Program.

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Annah Enjoys Springtime in India

By AFS on April 27, 2010 11:03 AM | No Comments | No TrackBacks

I've been on 4 trips since I last posted and it has been a complete rush. The first one which I had mentioned in my previous post very briefly was to Rajasthan. It was a class trip for geography and we were investigating the eco-tourism in effect there. If you want more information... google it :p just kidding. Eco-tourism is just what it sounds like: tourism in an eco-friendly fashion.

So we stayed at an eco-friendly hotel (which turned out it wasn't) and went on a couple of safaris through Ranthambore National Park to look at the state of the park and how it dealt with pollution, etc. As you can see from the photos I've posted, we took an overnight train there (so much fun!) and ended up seeing two leopards mating (oops). Read more.

AFS offers year programs to India.

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Photo Update from Panama

By AFS on April 26, 2010 2:15 PM | No Comments | No TrackBacks

See more photos from Kendra's exchange in Panama.

2010 summer, semester and year programs to Panama are still available!
Deadline: May 12th, 2010

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Flying Through an AFS Ghana Gap Year

By AFS on April 23, 2010 10:41 AM | No Comments | No TrackBacks

Photo: Coco Beach with sisters Akua and Akos.

My relationships with family and friends have grown so much in the past few months. I am beyond feeling acclimated. I feel good. It's only when I take the time to reflect on the past seven, eight (EIGHT??!!) months that I realize how far I've come.

I'm totally comfortable with my Ghanaian family. My host siblings are incredible.
The Twi is coming. I hear "small-small," as Ghanaians say.
NO food in this country can upset my stomach if eaten in moderation.
I have some great friends from school.
The list goes on and on...

Read more.

AFS offers year, semester and summer programs to Ghana.

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Having a Brazilian Birthday

By AFS on April 21, 2010 12:07 PM | No Comments | No TrackBacks

Well two more weeks have flown by WAY too quickly. The weekend of the 9th I had a small birthday party at my house. We had pizza, played some pool, danced and had lots of fun. My uncle and aunt were actually able to come out from Sao Paulo to Goiania to be with me, and it was so nice to be with family. Here's a picture of me and my cake! Read more.

AFS offers year and semester programs to Brazil.

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Fantastic Photo Update from Sweden

By AFS on April 20, 2010 3:25 PM | No Comments | No TrackBacks

My host family and I went up north to Björnkliden. I was a little hesitant about going up into the snow after having spent many months in it, but, it was beautiful. The whole trip was beyond what I could have imagined - even made it up to Narvik, Norway.

Lately I have seen a few of my classmates perform some of their own music projects, everyone is so talented. It is inspiration that innovative music can still be made and enjoyable. Loving the weather, even the rain. Read more.

AFS offers year programs to Sweden.

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"I'm Taking Full Advantage of Every Second in Hong Kong"

By AFS on April 19, 2010 10:10 AM | No Comments | No TrackBacks

Things I've done which were totally unexpected:

Flown in a helicopter (friend of a friend just happened to be a pilot!)
Traveled to Xiamen, Shaoguan, and Shenzhen (Mainland is crazy-awesome!)
Met more fantastic people than I can keep track of (Yes, I have a real problem remembering all my friends' names and faces)
Become the vice-chairman of my school's Geography Club (OK, so that really doesn't mean much, but I like the title)
Played numerous basketball and soccer pickup games with locals (always a pleasure)
Taken, and passed, the HK exams (Yes, I'm actually 'learning' some applicable book-knowledge here)
Seen Giant Pandas

Read more.

AFS offers year programs to Hong Kong.

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School, Soccer and Sushi in Japan

By AFS on April 16, 2010 12:31 PM | No Comments | No TrackBacks

I wake up at 6 in the morning everyday, which isn`t much of a difference than my normal time back in the US. However, the way of getting to school is totally different. At 6:55 (after eating breakfast with the family) I walk for about 10 minutes to get to the train station. On the train I meet up with one of my schoolmates and we travel for maybe 30 or 35 minutes on this incredibly crowded train. Read more.

AFS offers year, semester and summer programs to Japan.

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How to Act Like an Egyptian

By AFS on April 15, 2010 11:37 AM | No Comments | No TrackBacks

The more time I spend in Egypt the less I notice the things that make Egyptians Egyptians. The mannerisms of a culture that we forget we have. You see a friend you know (of the same sex) either you:

a) Jump up immediately to greet them giving them a kiss on each cheek and a warm hug or...
b) wait for them to come to you and do the same.

If you happen to be eating it is necessary to offer the person a portion of it, or else you are considered rude. Read more.

AFS offers year and summer programs to Egypt.

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Awaiting Semanta Santa in Spain

By AFS on April 13, 2010 1:42 PM | No Comments | No TrackBacks

I had been anxiously awaiting Semana Santa; almost to the point I was simply writing down the days on all my school papers till my family and I were leaving to Madrid! I haven't had the luck this year, or opportunity let's say to travel. My family is rather stable here in Tarrega and with my strict school boundaries I've settled for all the weekends to Barcelona and the surrounding areas, so I was filled with excitement to leave Catalunya and see a little bit of the country! Read more.

AFS offers year and summer programs to Spain.

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Photo Update: Volcanic Culture Camp in Iceland

By AFS on April 12, 2010 11:03 AM | No Comments | No TrackBacks

More photos from Sarah's 2009-10 Year Program in Iceland.

AFS offers year programs to Iceland.

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Climbing Mountains in Argentina

By AFS on April 7, 2010 12:17 PM | No Comments | No TrackBacks

I've been pretty busy. Lately I've been going to school, hanging out with my friends, and climbing mountains. Well, only one. It was the first and last time I will ever climb the Sierras Azules. I also went to Rodeo. Its a small town in my province up in the mountains. Quite fun. It was with AFS so I got to spend more time with my exchange friends. Read more.

AFS offers year, semester and summer programs to Argentina.

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'I am a Huge Fan' of Easter in Italy

By AFS on April 5, 2010 11:04 AM | No Comments | No TrackBacks

First, I would like to wish everyone a Happy Easter! Here, we got out of school on Wednesday. In fact, for me, Wednesday wasn't really even a school day. We had the first hour and a half of school. Although it was technically school, we all decided to have a party instead. Party means that people bring food (mainly sweets) and drinks.

Since it was for Easter, we had a large Easter egg to open. For Easter, there are large hollow chocolate eggs with surprises inside. I must say that I am a huge fan! Why don't we have things like this? :) Read more.

AFS offers year, semester and summer programs to Italy.

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Cherry Blossoms in Japan: AFSer Carolyn Captures the Moment

By AFS on April 2, 2010 10:01 AM | No Comments | No TrackBacks

Well, I've been at my host family's house for about a week now. I still need to get permission to upload pictures of our house, so in the meantime I'll upload the pictures from when my host mom brought me to a nearby park. The cherry blossoms are in full bloom so it was very beautiful. Read more.

AFS offers year, semester and summer programs to Japan.

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In Pictures: Learning Traditional Clothing Patterns in Ghana

By AFS on April 1, 2010 10:46 AM | No Comments | No TrackBacks

Read about AFSer Celea's experience at a Batik Workshop on the Cape Coast, Ghana.

AFS offers year, semester and summer programs to Ghana.

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April 2010 Archives