A Giant Step!

こんにちは皆さん！
Hello everyone!

I know it has been a long time since I updated my status on this blog. Sorry about that! :(

I just wanted everyone to know that I have been fully accepted into the program! Both AFS USA and AFS Japan have accepted me, so now all I have to do is wait. Although, there is one thing that will take a long time to wait on. The visa process. ;)
I was notified by email to start the first part of my visa process, which was to start the COE (Certificate of Eligibility). This form was in both Japanese and English, so it looked cool and it might've looked complicated, but it was actually quite easy. I got it done in a day. Then there was another form to sign and date, then I had to take three passport photos. I already sent it in and hopefully there were no complications. AFS sends the COE to AFS Japan and they take it to Japanese immigration and it can take up to two months to process! Oh my! :o
Also, if you haven't noticed, the Sponsor an AFSer donation box is gone. Well, the good news is that I got it paid for! I'm very lucky to have been able to pay for the rest of the tuition. So now, 100lbs have been lifted off my shoulders. :) It's a great feeling knowing that the only thing you have to wait for is the adventure. I seriously can't wait!! I wish March was here already.

So, now I'm just doing whatever I can to prepare for this adventure. I'm currently taking Algebra II online and it's not the easiest thing ever. Self-teaching yourself math is not easy at all. I have to rely on my brother for help. At least he understands it better than me. I'm more of a geometry person anyway.
My year classes are going to be hard to finish on time. So, what my counselor decided to do was only give me 3/4 credit on the class until I come back. Around the time I come back in February, is when the new semester starts for me, so when I come back I can complete the rest of my year courses BOOM! Problem solved! When I come back I'll only need to take Economics, any English semester course, and whatever year classes I have to finish and then I graduate! It sounds pretty solid to me!
So everything is in order and hopefully it all goes well.
I will not update again very soon. It may not be until 2015 has hit! Don't worry though, I'll update more frequently when I start my program. I only have four months left in the US! Ahh, so scary and exciting at the same time!

Well, I hope you have a nice day!
Until next time, stay classy!

ケイテイ

Who am I?

My name is Katie Grundy and I'm a 16 year old girl from Ohio. I'm going to be a junior in high school this year. I ride horses and do swim team in my high school and I love sewing and baking goodies. :)

Hey, what is this dream of yours?

I really want to study abroad in Japan for a year starting in March 2014. :)

Why?!

I think Japanese culture and the language is soooo awesome! I also think this is a great opportunity to travel and be adventurous while I can. I believe that being a tourist in a country is not the same as living with a host family and going to school in a foreign country. I want to see what Japanese life is really like by living like a native person.

What do you expect to gain from this?

I really want to be able to be semi-fluent or fluent in Japanese and make new friends. I've always had a knack for languages. Right now in school I take French (my 4th year in it) and I learn it very quickly. This is the same for Japanese. Not only do I learn languages quickly, I love speaking and writing them! So, the future career I want to do is to be a translator. I want to know so many different languages, and Japanese just happens to be one of them!
Also, learning how to adapt to change and breaking out of my little shell wouldn't be a bad goal either! :)

How much is all this?

Well, the tuition alone is $14,000. Plus plane tickets, school uniform, (it could be free or not depending on situation) and spending money for everyday life... that adds up to about $20,000. Quite expensive right?! Therefore I need your help. I need help raising the $14,000 for my tuition. For me personally, it's very hard to finance into something like this. My mom is already working longer hours just to help out and my dad is retired, so we're always tight on money. The little donation box I have on my blog goes straight into my tuition account. If you would like to donate, go right ahead. :) The program that the donation box is, is called Sponsor and AFSer.

What will I give in return?

My experience that will be posted on this blog. I will post what I will be doing before, during, and after my experience in Japan. I will try my best to update the blog as much as possible to keep you up to date.

Wait, what is Sponsor and AFSer?

This is an online fundraising tool provided by AFS to allow potential sponsors to make easy, secure, and non tax-deductible contributions to my AFS program fee.

What have you done so far to help raise your tuition?

I have applied for a financial aid scholarship, but got nothing unfortunately. :( Although, on the bright side, for the AFS Japan program there are two types of scholarships offered this year. One full, and two half scholarships. I will be applying for both of them so hopefully I can get one or the other.
Other than the scholarships, I plan on writing a letter to different major companies and asking them to make a donation towards my tuition. Also, I have a job. Even though I can't work as much during the school year, every penny from it counts! ^_^

To sponsor my AFS program, please click the Donate Now button to make a non tax-deductible contribution directly to my AFS program account.

Thank you so much for taking some time and reading this.

-Katie
ケイテイ