Almost ready!

I leave in 14 days! That's two weeks!

I don't really have any new news... I'm just very excited and wanted to share my excitement. I've started packing things like sweaters, shoes, medicine, gifts, and things I'm bringing that I wont be wearing/using in the next two weeks. 

Everyone who finds out that I'm going on exchange to Belgium for a year says the same thing. It's always the same questions. "For a whole year? That's a long time." and/or "What a great experience!" I just nod and smile and continue the conversation as if I hadn't had the exact same one a hundred times already. But I don't really mind. I like talking about my exchange to people :)

23 days until Belgium

I finally got a letter back from my host mom and from my youngest host sister! Their writing is so beautiful! I guess they actuallly teach good penmanship in school in Europe. I think I will get along very well with my first host family. They are very kind and say they are looking forward to having me stay with them. I'm looking forward to staying with them too :)

The weekend before last, I went to Central States in Grand Rapids, Michigan. It is an amazing youth exchange conference that occurs each year.  There are outbound, inbound, rebound, and rotex students.  You get to meet so many new people, it's great! And if you don't already know a lot about your host country, this conference is a great opportunity to ask questions and talk to people who have just come back from there.  I also think it's worth mentioning that I shook hands with President-Elect of Rotary International Sakuji Tanaka! I tested out my japanese on him and his wife. They laughed and started saying stuff I didn't understand in Japanese, so obviously they understood what I said :P All I know how to say is "I don't speak Japanese very well yet" haha.

Well I've started to clean out my room for when I'm not there for the next year. My parents are going to use it for a while since they are re-modeling their bedroom, and after that they hope to host an exchange student. So they will need space to use in my room.  I think it's going to be weird living in a room that's just getting emptier and emptier...

I leave in 23 days!!!! That is so unreal!!!!

Counting Down the Days

     I booked my flight this past Monday, July 4th. I leave in 35 days! I am so excited.

     I attended a Windsor-St. Clair Rotary club meeting this morning with my dad.  The new president of the club was inducted today, and so was a new member.  I also attended a meeting last night for the new club of Windsor-Walkerville.

     The Central States Rotary Youth Exchange conference in Grand Rapids is this weekend.  I'm looking forward to meeting many other outbound, inbound, and rebound exchange students. I'm sure it will be a lot of fun, but I'm not exactly sure what to expect. I'll try to make a post about it as soon as I can, but that might not be for a little while since as soon as I get back from Grand Rapids, I'll be leaving to go visit my friend in Burlington for the week! So I'll be busy. Then I'll have to start packing!

     I don't even know what I'm going to bring with me yet. I mean, I have a general idea, but it all depends on what I can fit into my suitcases without them being overweight. The suitcases can't be more than 23kgs (50.7lbs), and a second suitcase costs $50! I know I'll need more than one, and I guess that's not too unfair of a price. I'm only allowed one carry-on. So I'm going to bring the biggest backpack I can find and stuff as much into it as I can carry! My flight will be 7 hours and 40 minutes. I can probably watch three movies in that time... or at least read a whole book or two.