Pre-departure Orientation and Presents

Woot. On the weekend I had pre-departure orientation. It was quite helpful, we could ask all sorts of questions and the like. It started off with parents and students in the one room, and they went over rules, packing, costs, airport procedure etc. Although I could pretty much sum it up- don't drink, don't do drugs, don't have sex, be good =) The parents and students then went into two different rooms, and had a discussion. We talked about our fears, our excitement, school, host families...everything. It was great to meet other exchange students, and I found out that three of them knew people that I knew...Perth is waaay too small. And one of those girls is also off to France, but only for a semester. It was awesome to know that I'm not alone though, and maybe we can visit each other for the weekend or something. The short term exchangers (for two or three months, mostly going to Canada) leave very soon, and I am sooo jealous. I want to go now as well! But yeah. Orientation was cool and I met some awesome people =)


I'm starting to think what I'm going to pack (I know, it's a long time until I leave, but at least if I do it this way there won't be any last minute rush trips for things I need). I'm also thinking about things to take my host family. I was thinking three gifts each- one for when I arrive, one for birthdays, and the others for when I leave. I'm trying to find a good mixture between wildlife, typical Aussie things and scenery. Here's my list of things, that no one wants to read, but oh well.


For Evelyne (mum):
-A coffee cup with Australian flowers on it
-Jewellery (opal things, in the shape of perhaps a kangaroo...hard to explain but super pretty)
-Maybe an ornament of some sort of animal or flowers or something
-Or some body stuff with Aussie oils and the like.


For Bernard (dad):
-The good old corked hat
-A tie with like, small kangaroos or something.
-Socks?
-A bonds singlet (very Aussie)?
-A beer cooler (also, very Aussie)?
Men are so hard to shop for, gah.


For Sandy (sister, 4 years old):
-Picture books, specifically The Rainbow Fish- I loved this book as a kid and it as beautiful pictures, even if it's not Australian as such, Possum Magic and Snugglepot and Cuddlepie- two beautiful children's books that are very Australian.
-Chocolate...I figure a four year old is going to love me if I give her chocolate, and there are chocolates you can get here with pictures of Australian animals.
-A toy of an Australian animal.


For the family:
-A book on WA and Perth
-Coasters with Aboriginal art on them- I saw these on the net and they looked really nice.
-A calendar of some sort showing Australian things...maybe wildlife?
-Vegemite
-Timtams
-This awesome jar of rock candy that says 'Perth' and 'WA' on it. Odd, I know, but rock candy tastes goooood =)

I think it's starting to hit...I'm going on exchange. But, in a way, it still doesn't seem real. It's like, yes I'm going to France...and...? It's not something exciting. (Today, anyway). It just seems normal.

Just a shout-out to a friend who has recently been hurt- I love you Jordan, and am so glad that you are okay.
I am so blessed and thankful for everything...Things happen sometimes that really make you go...wow... I am lucky.

Visas

I hate them.

Ok, so at least all I had to do was fill out some paper work. EF takes all the forms to the consulate over east, so no scary interviews for me!! The paper work was a bit random- two double pages, filled out exactly the same, a parental authorisation thing, a finacial guarentee thing, probably some other stuff I can't remember, my passport, my birth certificate, copies of my parents' passports, etc etc. I tried filling it out, looked at my handwriting, and gave it up! I think I'd probably have a better chance of actually getting a visa if the paperwork didn't look as though it was filled out by a five year old. Of course, my writing isn't that bad. Honestly... =)

Oh, and I had to get poked with a needle some more. This time it was a vaccination. The last two were blood type and a tuberculosis test. Oh, the trials of being an exchange student =)

Yet another thing coming together...It's becoming more and more real, yet is still unimaginable.

Pre-departure orientation on the 14th. Exciting =)=)