Less Than Three Months To Go...

So, things have been really good lately, very hectic though since the end of the school year is nearing. Only 7 and a half more days of school! I couldn't be more excited. I am a little sad though at the same time since it’s basically my last year, and there are probably a few people that I won’t see again. And finals are this coming week…that’s the worst. I only have three, so I guess that’s not too terrible. My advanced chemistry one is going to kill me though! I’m sure that I will fail…

But in good news, I talked to my school in Finland! My superintendent talked to my principal Mr. Moisala (I was there though of course). He said that I would be able to have an English class and a Social Studies class while I’m in Finland. My superintendent just wanted to make sure that I would be able to have those classes. And my superintendent is going to accept those credits for my graduation requirements! That’s a relief. I didn’t really want to have to take courses over the summer in order to graduate. Oh, the principal also said that I will get a transcript too, just so the courses I take are verified and what not.

Other than that, not too much is new. I just finished putting together most of my slide show presentation for Finland. I was kind of bored, so that was some entertainment :). Now that my departure date for Finland seems to be coming faster and faster I’m just trying to get everything done that I need to do. I found the colleges I want to go see in the summer, and I will apply later in the summer before I leave. I’m going to see Towson University, Binghamton University, and the University of Delaware. I was going to go see American University, but they were rude on the phone about scholarships and tuition, so scratch that idea.

Also, I’ll need to do some shopping for a little bit of new clothes, but mostly for host family gifts. The worst thing though that I’ll have to do before I leave will be packing! I know it’s silly, but I’m kind of dreading it. I have no idea how I’ll fit almost one year’s worth of stuff into two suitcases and a carry-on. I’ll want to bring all of my stuff! Which I know isn’t a good idea. I better start packing like a week before so I can gradually remove stuff out of it that I probably won’t need… Haha.

Oh! I almost forgot. We had our Rotary District Conference one week ago. It was fun. I got to meet the inbounds, who were very fun and crazy, and I got to see all of the outbounds again. I like being around exchange students because they understand what it's like to go through this whole process. We had to go to a Rotary luncheon and there were around 200 Rotarians there. We had to give a mini speech, which was a little scary! I know that I need to work on my public speaking skills for sure…haha. Here is a picture of all the inbounds, outbounds, and summer exchange students. And there's Larry, our district chairman in the middle…he has A LOT of pins! :)... (I'm in the front, towards the right, with the skirt...)

I’ve also realized that in the past week it seems like someone has asked me about my exchange at least twice a day. “Where are you going?!” “You’re going to Finland?” “What do they speak there?” “Say something in Finnish.” Haha. I don’t mind it though. It’s cool to see that other people are interested in what I’m doing. And speaking of Finnish, I’m still working on it! My Byki program tells me I know 361 words…which includes some phrases. So that’s pretty cool. I wish I knew more about sentence structure, but I suppose I have to take this slowly and start with the basics. :)

Well I’m going to go!
Happy Memorial Day weekend!