Exchange Survival Kit

Celia|16|Don't be afraid🍑 CANADA -- JAPAN district 7040 -- 2660 Rotary Dedicated to all you lovelies seeking info about exchange. Hopping on the plane Aug. 26th

[cherrylia-blog]

UPDATEEEE

Guys I am sooooo sorry I haven't updated since a month ago and I feel so bad. This month has been hectic but I promise posts this weekend 💘💘💘

[cherrylia-blog]

Every one dreams. But they think my dreams only happen when I sleep

cherrylia

[cherrylia-blog]

How hard is it to get into RYE?

Hey there! 

Getting into RYE wasn’t that hard for me actually! The first thing I did was to contact a Rotary official of my city. I attended an information session about the exchange program soon after, and since I was still interested, all further information about the application process and program was sent to me by e-mail. I filled out the preliminary application form and sent it to the person in charge of the applicants for my club. Next, I passed an interview with 3 Rotary members. They asked me questions about myself and some questions related to our world today and my country. So if you’re going to that interview, make sure you look up the news a little, just to show that you’re interested in your surroundings ;) Funny enough, I was the only applicant for the long term program in my club so my chances of getting in were multiplied :,) A friend of mine was the only one selected out of 20 people! Anyways, after that, I received an official e-mail saying that I was accepted in the program. Keep your head cold because at your first orientation session, you have to pass an interview with other Rotary people. I was also interviewed by inbounds. It was pretty chill actually :) This interview is mostly to choose the best country for you, so I wouldn’t worry too much about it ;) After you receive your host country, everything will be ultra smooth. Let Rotary take it from there!

Main points :

1. Be a good kid! Rotary wants good ambassadors. Maintain a respectable average in school and you’ll be fine :)

2. Be confident during your interviews and just choose logic answers.

3. Your desire to be part of the Rotary exchange has to show. Be engaged ;)

I hope I answered your question!

Much love,

Celia

[maplesyrupwaffle-blog]

Rotary on the no dating rule

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Brain : You know, you should really start to work out, you're leaving for your host country in 2 months, man.

Me : *Shoves pizza slice in mouth*

Brain : Bye.

[cherrylia-blog]

Exchange student problems #2

Wanting to go shopping before the big day aka departure but being broke af D:

[cherrylia-blog]

Exchange thoughts #2

Yes, this year will be hard; face it.

Yes, we will cry.

Yes, we will wonder what the hell we were thinking to jump in the unknown.

Yes, we will feel nostalgic about our old self and maybe wish to go home at times.

Yes, there will be moments when we will feel alone and misunderstood.

Yes, our hearts will break.

But yes, we'll have the best time of our lives.

Yes, we'll laugh.

Yes, we'll praise ourselves to have jumped in the unknown. Yes, we'll live ecstatic moments, the exact reason why we left and wish to never go back at times.

Yes, there will be moments when we'll feel unstoppable and in perfect harmony with everything.

Yes, our hearts will throb with excitement and love.

So, are you ready?

[cherrylia-blog]

person: so what made you decide to be an exchange student?

Me: ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[cherrylia-blog]

Hey :)

Any exchange students going to Japan 2015/2016? Feeling a little lonely out here lmao x) Hmu anytime guys!! I'm going to Osaka, where are you headed ?

[cherrylia-blog]

How getting fit before exchange really goes...

6 months before exchange : Me : Wow I should really start working out, I have to get smoking before I go hehehe But it's all cool I mean I got a lot of time :D 5 months before exchange : Me : oh no.. I just wasted a month! But it's not my fault I had too much work with school xD it's alright, from now on imma really get into it! YASSS I'm SO pumped!! 3 months before exchange : Mom : We really have to get thinking about packing, don't you think? Start making a list of what you want to bring and what you're missing ok? We're not doing everything at the last minute!! Me : Fuck. What the blooming hell am I doing with my life. I have to get organized like man oh man or else I'm scrrrreeewed x( I'm just eating more and more... I wanted to buy hot and smaller clothes but I'm kinda running out of time! Oh well, I still got the summer ayyyyye 😏😏 chill 😎 1 month before exchange : Welp, I spent summer sleeping and gained 5 pounds. Oh hell no, I have to get myself together. *Goes running once* Last few weeks : Whyyy am I doing dis to myself..? Why do I do dis? 😭😭😭 at least I ate delicious ice cream #noragrets!! I'm hot like this and ppl will have to accept me, I'm only human after all *ugly sobs*

[cherrylia-blog]

Exchange student thoughts

Am I the only one out here who can barely care about anything else than going on exchange in about 3 months?! School is almost over and finals are approaching, I have my last projects due in a really short time and all I can think about is hopping on that plane and have a year to myself: to discover, make friends, learn a bunch of stuff, eat DELICIOUS food, hang out at different and cool places… All at once, I feel great about experiencing something that few get to experience, to finally be independent and find myself somewhere else, but I’m also wondering about how things will change when I’ll get back, how I’ll change especially, knowing that things won’t ever be the same as they are now. If that’s a good thing or not, that depends and is yet to be discovered.. It makes me think about each of our small worlds, that mean nothing but everything at the same time…

I want time to fly past school and summer and it to take me to my host country. Still, I don’t want it to because that’ll mean that my exchange is finally starting and there’s no turning back! This, meaning that I will eventually have to come back home. Maybe I won’t want to! From the moment I get on the plane, time will be ticking 11 months away and I’ll have the responsibility to make it count.

I want to appreciate what comes before I leave, but I find myself thinking: “maybe I’d like to sleep through those times”. I want my last summer to be successful: get a job to have all that extra money overseas, hang out with my friends, become a better me and fix my ever-so-tiring habits, maybe get that guy I really like even if I know it can’t last..

I want to ace my exams and zoom into summer, but I just lack motivation right now and want to sleep all the time. Everything around me at the moment is just a blur in my mind and since the last couple of months, I’ve only been thinking about my selfish desires. I know it is wrong and bad, so I truly hope you guys can relate, but the only thing keeping me moving is my departure abroad and for some reason, I blame my actions and feelings on my upcoming exchange.

I just want to go so bad I’m scared to miss out on great things that could happen. However, if I stop thinking about my exchange, I’m scared that I won’t be ready enough…

I don’t really know how to conclude this post, so I’ll just give a big and loving shout out to y'all exchange students out there : those who’re about to leave on exchange and those who’re about to return home. I wonder if anyone feels the same as me?

[fuck-customers]

They didn't know I speak Chinese too

So I’m a white Caucasian female, but I am fluent in Mandarin Chinese and English. Now, looking at me, you wouldn’t know I can speak Mandarin, which is why I find it absolutely hysterical to mess with people when they come through my line speaking Chinese, and I understand every word their saying. My co workers find it especially hysterical.

Okay, so the other day this Chinese couple came through my line, and I asked them (in english) all of the questions about the bags and if they had their rewards cards, all of that fun stuff. 

Anyway, I started ringing up their stuff, and the wife said to her husband “Tell her not to bruise the bananas” in Chinese, and i didn’t say anything. The wife said “tell the stupid girl to go faster” in mandarin. I smiled at her and pretended like I had no idea what she was saying. 

She kept commenting on how my hair was like a boys (I have short hair, its honestly not even that short) and how her grandfather would have gone faster than I was going, all of this in chinese.

and then, she said “make sure she doesn’t forget the water” in chinese, and I replied in English, “I won’t forget the water”

And i watched with enjoyment as a look of sheer terror spread across her face, as she realized I understood everything she had said before. She just stood there with her mouth open and her husband said (in chinese) “This is why you shouldn’t trash talk employees while their standing right in front of you” And i replied (in english) “He’s right”

They paid, the husband apologized, and left. After they walked out the door my manager and co worker and I were laughing so hard, even though being a cashier sucks, it sometimes makes my day a little brighter when something like that happens.

[amypopsbubbles-deactivated20180]

#LANGUAGEGOALS

[cherrylia-blog]

🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥

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I love the faces of my friends when I say the country of my exchange

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IF YOU’VE BEEN ACCEPTED

INTO ROTARY YOUTH EXCHANGE FOR 2015-2016 REBLOG THIS AND IM GOING TO FOLLOW YOU BECAUSE WE ARE GLOBAL FAMILY!

[always-going]

my hobbies now include stalking student exchange blogs

[cherrylia-blog]

Application process

Surprisingly, applying for exchange wasn’t that hard! 

Here are the steps I took to get into the RYE

1. Contact the organization. If you don’t do this, forget it unless your school approaches you with Rotary because unlike other programs, the information isn’t up all over the Internet.

2. Preliminary application form. It was about a page long with questions about yourself (hobbies, countries you’ve visited, contact info, extracurricular activities, etc.). I sent a copy of that to the Rotary person and got ``ready`` for my interview.

3. Interview. This was the part when you get chosen to be part of the RYE!!! It really isn’t that hard. All I can tell you is be confident, be yourself, don’t lie, try to get involved in your school to tell your interviewers about how much you love volunteering (hehehe), get familiar with international issues (I was asked questions about problems in the world) and smile!!! My friend, going to Slovakia, was asked a bunch of questions about the Canadian government (the type you cram in your heard for a civics test) while I wasn’t... JUST IN CASE you didn’t pay attention in civics, please try to get informed a little, you never know what questions you’d have to answer. But really, other than that, DO NOT STRESS :DD I promise it’s super chill.

4. After my interview, I got an e-mail telling me I was accepted into the program *throws confetti*. Then, I had to fill out this long a** application form!!! I had to go to the doctor’s, get a full body exam, get my missing vaccine and TB test, go to the dentist, get a copy of my report card and do all of that fun stuff. The long application part is rather easy. Just leave it to your parents ;) It’s basically a bunch of technical info you need to provide Rotary so they can send it to your host country and make sure everything is 200 for you ^^

5. Good job mate, you are officially a Rotary outbound student for the next year!!!

[cherrylia-blog]

My story so far pt.2

Following part 1 of  my story, this is when things get serious hehe ;)

When I thought about contacting Rotary, I didn’t really know where to start because I was so confused with all their districts and Rotary clubs all over the world. But have no worries, child! By reading this post, you will not have to go through the same mental struggles as I did :DDD 

Let’s #throwitback to late September 2014, when I actually contemplated looking for a job and sobbing about not having a social life until I had raised enough money for my exchange. I wasn’t completely sure about going with AFS, I knew that I hadn’t explored all my options yet. So, despite the fact that I hadn’t really thought about going on exchange with Rotary because of the lack of information there was online, I AM MOST GLAD I did!!! 

I went online, searched up Rotary clubs in my region, hit up my keyboard and hooked myself up! I contacted two clubs of my region and stuck with the one which replied! The representative answered ALL my questions and sent to me all the information documents I needed : the ones not available with a quick google search like most programs.

In early November, my Rotary club held a special information session about the Rotary Youth Exchanges. Two ex exchange students were invited as well as a current inbound :) I felt so welcomed and got soo much information, I knew Rotary was the one for me.

After that day, I didn’t have to worry about raising 15 grand since the RYE doesn’t cost anywhere near what you are expected with other programs . I’ll discuss this in detail soon in another blog post. I started the application procedures (I will also dedicate a post to that ;)) and BAM!!! Everything went super smoothly and here I am, 3 months away from the big thing!