Orientation

  As promised, orientation was really fun. Plus we never even touched the AFS rulebook!  I was the only Freshman though, and that sort of stunk.  Basically, my parents and I went to the capital twenty minutes away with ten or so other students going on various AFS trips soon.  My friend from Norway who's here with my program slept over the previous night and then went with us to Raleigh (the capital) which was fun too.  Norwegians are really nice.
  For some of our six hours spent there we just asked a lot of questions about phones and luggage and things.  The students in attendance who were from other countries were all very personable and helpful.  There was this Italian girl who had a gorgeous accent.  My favorite part of the orientation was when the American students went into the basement with one adult and a couple returnees.  We discussed the things that no one wanted to say in front of their parents, and I think everyone gained a few valuable tips.
  The funniest of my somewhat inappropriate stories took place in this basement, which everyone came to refer to as 'the cave' because it was dark and ugly and we had to go through a bunch of storage closets to get to it.  But at least it was a place where we were assured our parents couldn't hear us.  There was only one boy in our group of students, and he was obviously a little intimated by all of the beautiful girls he was with.  So imagine what he felt like when a girl bound for Turkey asked an Italian returnee about birth control.  We all sort of forgot he was hiding in the corner, and our conversation got pretty detailed.  Needless to say when someone asked if he was still there, all of us girls cracked up laughing and apologized for our lack of memory.  My second favorite part was the birthday cake.  The birthday girl was Japanese, my father is Japanese and I'm 1/4 so we went over and said hello in her home language.  You could tell she was pleasantly surprised.
Here are a few things I'm planning for now that I've discussed them with other students in the same situation as me:

• Honeysticks.  You're supposed to bring little trinkets and gifts for the people in Spain and your family there.  Something that I think represents North Carolina is a straw full of flavored honey.  I mean, where else, right?  The other students said BBQ sauce, sweet tea, Duke shirts, footballs or frisbees, Burt's Bees is really popular and expensive in Europe?, candy sticks, cheap Hollister shirts for younger kids, scrape books, and a pretty book about NC.  Gifts that can be used as ice-breakers when you meet your family and to hand out to friends.
• My parents.  My parents were planning on driving me all the way to NY then staying in the city for vacation while I was at my orientation.  Everyone I'd ever talked to told me I absolutely could not do that.  I tried to convince them not to, but they were adamant.  Luckily, while us kids were in the cave and the parents were upstairs talking my mother was magically turned into not wanting to take me.  Thank you to whoever yelled at her. 

 It's not like I wanted to shake my parents off my tail as soon as possible or anything like that, but the argument is that the student is embarking on their own journey. Alone. Without their parents.  Having them in the gateway city, with the kid at that crucial time of starting their adventure, just never seems to go well.  The student is, essentially, leaving their old life and family behind in their hometown.    Plus all kinds of other things go wrong, like the family wanting to see the teen one last time at the airport before they leave, and then the kid is embarrassed or cries and decides they want to go home.  I think just knowing that my family was in the area would throw me.  Same with the family visiting their student while they're abroad.  There's all of this crazy hidden psychology stuff involved that I don't want to get in to.  Anyways, I'm glad to be leaving America from the airport in Durham, NC.

• Hosting.  Two things: my family has already decided to host a student my junior year when I get back, but it was fun talking about it today.  Also, meeting more of the hosted students today and listening to them share their experiences made me realize that a lot of them, more then I originally thought, didn't get their families until the day before they left.  I swear if that happens to me I'll drive myself insane.
• Cell Phones.  I figured that I'd buy one of those ridiculously expensive and outdated phones from Europe once I got to Spain.  Now that my parents have joined the conversation it's looking like we're going to use my friends old iPhone for my year, and get a SIM card in Spain to activate it under an international number.  On a similar note, I think I'll get a debit card from a company that doesn't charge for every foreign swipe so my time there will be cheaper.
• Luggage.  I always counted on sending over most of my clothes and not worrying about the 45 pound luggage restriction.  Now, upon being told it was unacceptable to wear shorts in Spain, I think I'll squeeze enough of my essentials into a suitcase and carry-on and buy a whole lot once I get to Spain.  I have no problems with being forced to shop.                                                                                                                             

                                                   Ah, the AFS fun Begins :)