A Girl Who Dreams

Czech Republic

Yay! We have a rebound from the Czech Republic. This is Becca from culture shock. I just want to thank her from filling this out for everyone to read. Enjoy!


1. Single most memorable moment while on exchange?

It is incredibly difficult to pick the most memorable moment from my exchange. I had so many different experiences. When I think back to exchange, there are tens of memories that immediately come to mind. The ones I remember best are probably those involving orientations and other exchange students.

2. What is the three things an outbound can not live without on exchange?

1. An open mind
2. Confidence
3. A journal

3. In the country you were in, were people generally warm toward outsiders or cold?

I think people were kind of indifferent. There would always be a couple of people who were interested, but it took a lot of work to keep people interested, especially with the language barrier. A lot of Czechs are scared to speak English, which is a good thing from a language learning perspective, but it does make it harder to make friends. In general I would say that Czechs don’t look outside of their country very much, so having an exchange student isn’t always the most exciting thing. Czechs are very nice people though.
4. Do you think you have changed from exchanging? How?

Exchange has influenced me in almost every way imaginable. I don’t know what my life would have been like had I not gone. My whole life people have been telling me how mature I am, but I look back on my exchange and see how much I grew while I was there, and how much I have grown since then, and I sometimes wonder what people think mature is. I learned how to be independent, how to survive, how to deal with very stressful situations. My exchange was hard; I had a lot of host family problems, but I learned so much from having to deal with it, far more than the students who had “the perfect exchange”.
Having gone on exchange changed how I viewed my country, how I view and understand people, and most importantly, how I view myself. I learned what is important to me, who is important to me and learned about what I want out of life. By no means did I have my life figured out when I got back, but I think it jump started the process that has continued in college.

5. Do you think exchanging at a different age would have changed things for you? (such as college)

I was incredibly young when I went, sometimes too young to fully comprehend everything. But for me, it was the perfect age. I was at a point in school where if I had 4 years to complete high school, one year would have only been college courses. I have always been academically driven, but I think the year I spent abroad was way more important than an extra year of advanced coursework. I could have gone later in high school, my senior year or a gap year, but I found out about the program my sophomore year and wanted to go the year after. I’m not sure I would have been that much wiser, or more prepared had I gone when I was 16 versus when I was 15.
As far as going in college, I am currently abroad working, and the experience is incredibly different. When you go on a high school exchange, you are expected to act like a high schooler. This means going to high school, immersing yourself in the language, living with natives and most importantly, having guidance of some kind from a program. The goal of a high school exchange is very different than that of a college exchange. You are there to be immersed, as opposed to continuing in your classes and career path. It doesn’t matter what you take, or how you do in school, because the goal is to be there. In college, those things do matter, and this can have a detrimental effect on the immersion experience. Also, living with a host family as a teenager means that you are more integrated into the family because you are young, and thus need a family. Even if you live with a family on a college exchange, you are older and will likely thus have more freedoms.
The bottom line is that they are incredibly different experiences and you cannot compare them.
6. Are you more aware now of issues around the world?

I have always been aware of the world. Most of that comes from my parents. I think I am more cognisant that events in the world are affecting people I know though, which is different. Now when I hear about the riots in Bangkok, I wonder if the friends I made are being affected.

Women of the Otherworld

Kelley Armstrong has this way of capturing her reader and reeling them in for a long ride. Her series the, Women of the Otherworld keeps readers coming back for more. I have probably read four of her books from the series, but there are many many more. My favorite is probably Bitten.

Bitten tells the tale of Elena Michael's and her journey with her old wolf pack. All Elena ever wanted was a normal life, but life as a werewolf isn't exactly normal, is it? She encounters a old flame named Clayton. But, that is another story.


Overall the Women of the Otherworld is an enthralling series. I hope Kelley keeps up the hard work. Her new YA trilogy is going quite well.


<---Pictured here is the first of the trilogy. The final book was released a few months ago. I have yet to read the third on yet!

Parlez-vous français?

Trésors cachés

Life is a pure flame,
and we live by an invisible sun within us.
-Sir Thomas Brown

Shiny New Idea

The last couple weeks I have seemed not to be able to find inspiration anywhere. ANYWHERE. Yesterday while I was browsing absolutewrite and listening to music I decided,

“Hey, if I write some of the lyrics out maybe I can get a idea for a plot.”

Then, BAM. Sal, Felicity, Damien and Alice were born. A plot of lies, deception, adoption, and some supernatural thrown into the mix began to form in my head. Maybe, I should start listening to Evanescence more often.



I’ll just have to see where this leads me as I write. Mostly likely I’ll get distracted with a shiny new idea and have to start that as well.

I must resist the temptation!

Au revoir for now chickadees!

Interview- University/Japan

Here we have a Japan exchange student, who actually is attending University there.

My name is Carola, I'm 20 years old and I'm from the Netherlands. Right now I'm studying at the University of Nagasaki in Japan for one year. I've been here since October last year. My major in the Netherlands is Japanese Language & Culture, which is the reason I'm in Japan now.

1. Did you travel with your college, or a program? If a program, which?

I came to Japan through my own university. My university back home and the one here in Japan have a close relationship, so every year the Japanese university makes 10 spots available for Dutch students to take Japanese language courses.

2. Do you ever regret not having a high school exchange?

During high school, I went to Japan for 5 weeks with YFU during the summer of 2005. It was short, but it made my love for Japan stronger. To be honest, at that time I was first supposed to go to Japan for one year but then I decided to change it to a summer exchange. I do sort of regret that now, but on the other hand my life has been fine the way it is now.

3. Did you stay with a host family? Or with other students?

I am living in a building especially for exchange students. I'm sharing my room with two other Dutch girls who already happened to be my friends back home, so it's a lot of fun! We have our own rooms but share the bathroom, living room and kitchen. And I've also made a lot of friends from other countries (and of course from Japan too), most are living in the same building!

5. Describe your exchange in one word.

AMAZING.

6. Five things a exchanger can't live without.

A camera and an open mind, and for Japan specifically: an electronic dictionary, a cellphone and clothes that fit if you're tall (or if your feet are bigger than 24cm)!

7. Do you consider yourself fluent since exchanging?

Not at all. I've been studying Japanese for 2 years at my Dutch university before I came to Japan, and although I can now carry most conversations and say almost everything I want, the topics on politics and the likes are still difficult. I feel my vocabulary is still lacking. I do feel confident enough to finally call Japanese my fourth language (my other ones being Dutch, English and German).

8. Is your major towards something international?

Yes, Japanese Language & Culture. I have no clue what I would want to do with this though... Although I love my major, the longer I study it, the less certain I become about my future. On top of that, during my year here in Japan I've started realising even more that I need to make sure I have more skills than just knowing another country's language and its culture.

9. When do you plan to visit your country again?

Right now I'm still in Japan but I return to the Netherlands in August. I hope to come back to Japan for a shorter period in 2011, and after that for a year again in 2012 for my master's course.

10. What was your favorite memory?

I have a lot of favourite memories, it's hard to name one. It's mostly the one day trips that I made with friends that have been amazing, but also the festivals at school, the meetings with my club, strolling around the city...

11. Popular music in the host country?

Lady Gaga seems to be the hot thing this year. Besides that, a lot of Japanese artists are popular too, mostly Johnny's (a company that creates boybands) and a group called Ikimonogakari (amongst many others, of course).

12. Average cost for a college exchange?

Thankfully for me it was quite cheap. Because the universities have a bond, I pay the school fees to my university back home (€1600) instead of here in Japan. Besides that, I obviously pay for everything else, but luckily the rent of the building I live in is incredibly cheap (including gas and water about €100, this is extremely rare!).

13. Have you changed since exchanging?

Yes, I've changed a lot. While I was very good at procrastinating, and sometimes even quite lazy before I went on exchange, I've started to work hard. Because of some things that happened, I now try my best at everything I do and give it my all. I want to work hard on everything I do from now on and I want to be involved in everything I do as much as possible. I realised being busy with things I like doing or things I consider important gives me a lot of energy!

14. What were your three most memorable people you met on exchange?

There have been so many! It's absolutely impossible to name just one...

Interview- Netherlands

Here we have another interview from culture shock. This is CrysCrossApplesauce. She went on exchange to Netherlands, and is actually still there! Enjoy!

1. Single most memorable moment while on exchange?

I can't answer this one AH! But I have a few. Antwerp- bad experience- but I almost got sent homje after so that was big. My first club. Arrival day. Drum & Bass! Day's with my friends that seemed more than perfect. (theres so many)

2. What is the three things an outbound can not live without on exchange?
(I think we pretty much all have to learn to live without things that before exchange we would have though we would die without, but ok) support, music/journal(something to take your frustrations and everything out on) and PLANS.

3. In the country you were in, were people generally warm toward outsiders or cold?
COLD COLD COLD.

4. Do you think you have changed from exchanging? How?
ABSOLUTELY. In SO many ways. I've just grown up
so much. Realized so many things about the world and gained so much more knowledge and understanding about different people.

5. Do you think exchanging at a different age would have changed things for you? (such as college)
Maybe, But I think this was the best age for me to have gone.

6. Are you more aware now of issues around the world?

Definitely.

7. Will you ever exchange again? If so, where?
Yes! ARGENTINA <3>

8. What was the top three people you will never forget from exchange?
3?! Host mommy <3>

9. What program did you use?

AFS

10. Do you see yourself pursuing a career in the future that is related to international things?
Yeah definitely. I want to travel to different countries and make documentaries there about different issues.

11. Top music played in your country?

Pop probably.

12. Were your parents for exchange, or against it? If they were against it, what made them give in?
Mom- FOR Dad- AGAINST. My dad didn't give in haha, but I live with my mom :P

13. If you could describe your country in one word, what would it be?
Diverse.

14. When did you start fully understanding the language?
February ish so like 5 months in

15. Would you go back? If you are, when?
Well, I'm still here for another 5 weeks :P But I'm definitely going to come back, HOPEFULLY next year in may!

Interview- Morocco

Here we have awesomegirl from culture shock. She is traveling to Morocco and is a outbound. Enjoy!

1. What are you most nervous about for exchange?

Forgetting something at home.

2. Where your parents for exchange or against it? If against it, what made them give in?
My mom was for it, because she knew it is what I want the most.

3. How do you fundraise for exchange? Tips for people going to exchange?
I have a scholarship. But as for spending money, I have a job that I work 5 days a week. Also, graduation money

4. What country are you going to?
Morocco!

5. What have you done to prepare yourself for exchange?
I have been reading up on my country, and I taught myself a couple of words, and I am in the process of deciding what I want to take with me.

6. What program did you go with?
NSLI-Y through I-EARN

7. If you had a interview for exchange, what are your tips for people going into it?
Be confident, be yourself, and show who you really are.

8. When is your departure date?
I leave for orientation June 18th! I will be in Morocco June 21.

9. What are the three things you will miss the most about your home country?
My mom, Freedom of being able to do what I want/driving, and summer with my friends.

10. Do you have any language experience in the country you are going to?
None at all!

Interview- Japan

Here we have Kaija from culture shock. She is a returning exchanger, that has hd multiple exchanges Enjoy!

1. Single most memorable moment while on exchange?

When I think of my exchange, my mind instantly jumps to hanging out with my host sister's friends in her university parking garage, lighting fireworks after we'd just had a meal of curry. Best night ever!

2. What is the three things an outbound can not live without on exchange?

A good pair of jeans
A camera
A dictionary

3. In the country you were in, were people generally warm toward outsiders or cold?

Japan tends to have a sort of idol worship attitude towards foreigners, particularly whites. Some people will gawk and stare, but a lot of people would simply be excited to talk to anyone who is obviously a foreigner.

4. Do you think you have changed from exchanging? How?

Definitely. When I first went, I was treated like so much more of an adult than I was at home. I had just graduated from high school, but not that much had changed in the month since high school had ended. In Japan, all of my host sisters were adults, and the youngest was in university. Because I was 18, my host parents decided it was OK to spend part of my time in her apartment in another prefecture. As a result, I gained a lot of independence, and coming home to more rules was very hard at first. I also feel like I gained a lot of insight as to who I was, and had even gained a second identity. There are still things about me that are my "Japanese self", or things I do that are so obviously Japanese influenced.
My second exchange changed me in a lot of negative ways because I was treated very badly, and spent a lot of time alone... both things I was not at all used to. I feel this is worth mentioning because exchange always has the possibility to be good or bad, and having experienced both, I think it's so important for people to be prepared for the bad and know that it might not be easy finding yourself again, but also to remember that it can be very good, and that you DESERVE for it to be good... even then, it won't be easy to come home, because you will be so used to life there that re adjusting to your past will be strange. Even for short term exchange.

5. Do you think exchanging at a different age would have changed things for you? (such as college)

I did go again after having started college (though I did not attend college in Japan), and it was much different. I think, had I been placed in a better host family, it would have been another positive experience, but still much different. As a college age exchanger, I was expected to be a lot more financially independent, to take care of my own meals, to find my own ways to entertain myself, to learn the city on my own a lot more, and though I had program support, they left decisions to me a lot more than the high school aged program did.

6. Are you more aware now of issues around the world?

I've come to realize how much I'm used to in America that simply ISN'T in the rest of the world. I experienced a lot of things like blatant racism (not necessarily against me, but against friends... for instance, Japanese people have a tendency to make racist jokes about Filipinos, and my best friends is Filipino... that was awkward in many ways), people turning a blind eye to things that Americans would've dealt with, and the horrible attitude people have towards differences in other parts of the world. I remember being sickened when I heard a news story about a child who was found strangled in a public bathroom. The story later came out that his mother strangled him because he was mentally retarded, and she was tired of taking care of him. My host mother then told me that there was a growing problem of mothers killing their disabled children because they're seen as a "burden". It left me with an awful feeling, because I know that even though these women were getting put in jail in Japan, that it still seemed like it was too normal there.

7. Will you ever exchange again? If so, where?

I doubt it. I'd love to, but I need to focus on work, and I'd hate to leave my boyfriend for an extended period of time. Things are much different as an adult.

8. What was the top three people you will never forget from exchange?

Emi, my wonderful host sister who I have been lucky enough to stay friends with.
Carroll, AKA Kaoru, who though she wasn't actually my host mother, often treated me like she was.
And Namiraa, from my second exchange, who was the only person I could go to when I really needed help. She was a Mongolian girl attending college in Japan, and we met at our Japanese class.

9. What program did you use?

LABO. (My second exchange was done through CHI)

10. Do you see yourself pursuing a career in the future that is related to international things?

I could see it going either way. I'd really love to work in travel, maybe as a travel agent, maybe as a journalist or a travel channel correspondent. Sometimes I've thought of doing interpreter work, but I don't have the money to pursue a college degree right now.

11. Top music played in your country?
J-Pop. Some western music too. When I was there, one of the biggest western artists was Mika, a British pop star who I happen to be a huge fan of.

12. Were your parents for exchange, or against it? If they were against it, what made them give in?
They were definitely for it. They thought it would be a great experience for me, and would never have tried to convince me to stay home

13. If you could describe your country in one word, what would it be?

Insane

14. When did you start fully understanding the language?

As it was a short term exchange, I don't think I ever FULLY understood the language. Right now, I consider myself conversational, but a lot of that clicked at home. Both exchanges definitely helped with that, but I've always been persistent in studying Japanese, so it wasn't just about mastering it on exchange... I'd studied beforehand, and I continued after.

15. Would you go back? If you are, when?
I intend to go back to visit my first (and REAL) host family next summer.

Interview- Brazil

Here we have another interview with a rebound. Enjoy!

1. Single most memorable moment while on exchange?

Most of my favorite memories are of hanging out at friends' houses doing nothing. One that really stands out for me, though, was playing UNO with my host sisters (age 8 and 13) on my first day in Brazil. I didn't speak any Portuguese and they had limited English, so we ended up having to act out and even change some of the rules. It was pretty ridiculous, but a lot of fun and a great chance to get to know my host sisters and start to feel at home in Brazil =).

2. What is the three things an outbound can not live without on exchange?

Dictionary, camera, sense of humor

3. In the country you were in, were people generally warm toward outsiders or cold?

Lots of people were skeptical about Americans, but I was treated amazingly. I fell in love with the people almost instantly.

4. Do you think you have changed from exchanging? How?

Definitely. Exchange is filled with wonderful moments, but it is also really hard. There are many times that you are forced to "suck it up" and do things (or eat things :S) you don't want to do (such as extra chores, or talking in front of an audience in a foreign language). During exchange you realize that these things are so insignificant, and you learn to take advantage of the more important parts of your life, like time with friends and family.

5. Do you think exchanging at a different age would have changed things for you? (such as college)

I went on exchange after my first year of high school. I was really young, but don't regret doing it so early at all. I think that if I had waited, I would have had stronger bonds with my high school friends, and it would have been a lot harder to go. I think that going at the age I did (as opposed to going in college) gave me a better chance to really understand Brazilian culture, because I lived with a host family and studied at a regular high school.

6. Are you more aware now of issues around the world?

Probably not as much as I should be. I am a lot more aware of what the world thinks of the US, though.

7. Will you ever exchange again? If so, where?

I'm headed back to Brazil for a THIRD exchange this fall, and hope to live overseas (somewhere besides Brazil) in the future!

8. What was the top three people you will never forget from exchange?

I can't pick just three!
I would say my close group of friends (about 7 of us), my boyfriend and my first host family

9. What program did you use?

Rotary!

10. Do you see yourself pursuing a career in the future that is related to international things?

I hope to find a job that allows me to work overseas, and live in a few different countries (I'm a nursing student).

11. Top music played in your country?

This varies a LOT by region..some popular types are:
Lots of American pop
Sertanejo (comparable to country): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ScKKAcfUa0E
Forró: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xqCgZ...x=0&playnext=1
Pagode: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C_5ghen5tWM

12. Were your parents for exchange, or against it? If they were against it, what made them give in?

They were for it

13. If you could describe your country in one word, what would it be?

Happy

14. When did you start fully understanding the language?

Probably around 4 months. By 2-3 months I could have conversations, but still had to listen carefully to catch what people were saying, unless they were talking directly to me. By 6 months I had good listening/speaking skills.

15. Would you go back? If you are, when?

I've been back 3 times since my exchange, and will be back in August! =)

Interview With a Exchanger- Italy!

Traveling is something I wish to pursue when I get older, and was thinking the other night, why not interview people who are my age and have traveled already?

After talking with some friends on culture shock, I decided to interview outbounds(people waiting to leave the country), inbounds(people in the country) and rebounds(people who came back already.

Here is my first rebounds, kendratoitalia from www.cultures-shocked.org. She was kind enough to talk about her exchange experience.

1. Single most memorable moment while on exchange?

New Years day going down on the beach to search for my cellphone that I had lost the night before when me and my friends decided to go for a swim at like 2 am! We did find my phone which was good!!

2. What is the three things an outbound can not live without on exchange?

A camera; to take all the amazing picture memories you'll want to have!

A journal/diary ; to record all the personal thoughts you have. not just the ones you tell family friends.

an adress book; full of addresses of friends and family back home. people LOVE post cards! they are cheep and give you GREAT brownie points later! and a nice hand written letter is also appreciated!

3. In the country you were in, were people generally warm toward outsiders or cold?

I was in Italy, and in general the people were very warm towards outsiders. Right from the beginning they are very curious about new people. It still obviously takes time to make friends, but people are warm towards outsiders.

4. Do you think you have changed from exchanging? How?

Yes, I know that I changed. I believe that I learned a lot more about myself. I learned how to deal with problems and situations with out help, but i also learned that sometimes, its best to ask for help from someone that is wiser!

5. Do you think exchanging at a different age would have changed things for you? (such as college)

Yeah, i believe that if i had been older there would have been more freedoms. Parents (from around the world) are more willing to let 18/19 year olds go out then 16/17 year olds.

6. Are you more aware now of issues around the world?

Yes, before I left i never really watched international news before. now i make sure that i get the headlines from not only italy, but from the countries where my friends live as well.

7. Will you ever exchange again? If so, where?

YES! I am going to go to Russia for 10 months in 2010-2011 with AFS/NSLI. And I am also going to be going back to Italy for University.

8. What was the top three people you will never forget from exchange?

My host father; we became very close while i was there, he is one of the greatest people i know!

my host sister; we truly became as close as real sisters!

Afs Friends; they are some of the best friends that i have, even still. They understand everything and are just great people!

9. What program did you use?

AFS

10. Do you see yourself pursuing a career in the future that is related to international things?

Yes I plan on studying international Business and studies in university.

11. Top music played in your country?

Laura Pausini, Nek, Andrea Boccelli, Tiziano Ferro.

12. Were your parents for exchange, or against it? If they were against it, what made them give in?

My mom agreed to my exchange right away, but I had to convince my dad! it took forever, i made him a huge packet of information and he eventually agreed.

13. If you could describe your country in one word, what would it be?

Bella

14. When did you start fully understanding the language?

Around christmas time i would guess!

15. Would you go back? If you are, when?

yes! I'm going back to university in Rome, Italy for 2011-2015!!

Welcome to a Fresh Start

Hey everyone! This is my offical first post on my new blog. I'm transferring my old blog from WordPress over to Blogger, because I simply prefer it. This blog is going to be used for my Interviews with outbounds, inbounds, and rebounds. Also, my writing and my random musing.

I plan to have either daily or weekly post on here. I hope I can be successful as a blogger and keep everyone coming back for more!