Ongoing Obligations

Ola! Como vai?

I have been making progress on learning Portuguese. While I am far from fluent, my reading ability and writing are not bad. I will work to improve my comprehension of dialogue and speaking over Christmas Break. With my departure just around the corner, the looming necessity of learning a new language once I arrive is becoming a mild concern.

At this point, I really wonder what my host family will be like, where I will end up (I am eagerly awaiting this information), what school I will go to (I am slightly less eagerly awaiting this information) and what life in Portugal will be like in general. The anticipation is building, but (as I have heard from AFS returnees) the moment when the plane leaves San Antonio is when the understanding of what I am getting myself into will really dawn upon me.

Taking care of all of my current school obligations is my biggest priority at the moment, but once that plane takes off, it will almost sever my ties with San Antonio. Other than email, maybe the occasional skype conversation and letters, I will be detached from life in SA, and ISA. At times this seems a little daunting, but I know I will adjust, and have an amazing experience in Portugal.

Premier Post

My AFS experience actually started more than half a year ago, with my mom's proposal that I go abroad. The idea sounded agreeable, but I took a leisurely and uninvolved approach to my AFS experience. I originally intended to go to Argentina for a Summer Community Service Program, but as the time to depart drew near, and we had a final orientation in San Antonio, it became apparent to me that I was not taking full advantage of my opportunity to go abroad. After some quick but serious contemplation, and a great deal of help from Ms. Stacy Coleman at AFS as well as Marc Patsiner, I was able to make the transition from a month-long program to a semester-long program. I am incredibly grateful that I can go abroad for a semester because I feel it will be a much more rewarding experience than the Summer Program I intended to do.

The draw of an AFS Program, for me, is the ability to experience something completely different from what I am used to, and to profoundly understand a culture other than my own. Personally, I am drawn to new and diverse experiences (often culinary, but not always) and I hardly ever turn down the opportunity to try something new. The opportunities provided by and AFS experience seem to go very well with this aspect of my personality. 

Its very difficult to describe what I hope to gain from the experience, I would really like to learn another language, but other than that, I have no specific goals or hopes at the moment. In a way, language constitutes one of the biggest obstacles I will face if I get to go to Portugal (my first choice of country), but it will also be one of the most rewarding and long lasting benefits of my experience. 

As the time of departure draws nearer (January to Febuary depending on the country), I will no doubt be writing more and reflecting on the challenges, both personal and logistical, that I will face and my growing anticipation.

Finally, and perhaps most importantly, I feel that I should thank the Scholarship Committee at AFS for awarding me a Global Leaders Merit Scholarship! I appreciate it very much and I know I will do the most I can to give back to AFS and I will benefit a great deal from my experience abroad.