Hey everyone!
Just trying to give an update here. Things are going really well for me here! I really like my new host family, the people at school are quite nice, my classes are all kind of relaxed since we are all done with the big "finals" (for now...), and, well, life is good! I am trying to pick up the pace with learning German. I am in that stage of the language learning (immersion) experience, where I have learned enough to get by, so I have stopped learning! This wasn't a conscious thing, it just happens. Therefore I have begun to do more learning activities. Other than that, I am stressing about college. I am already accepted to Drake University, and I am super excited to go there! Therefore I keep checking if there is anything more to do to get ready for next year. I have also been writing scholarship essay, which has been... a blast. :P. Oh! And I booked my flight home. I will be coming home on the 15th of July. As much as I want to stay here forever, I also can't wait to go home. It is a weird bittersweet feeling. My year is just about half over, and I wish it wasn't! But at the same time, I can't wait to see my family, friends, and Chipotle again. Haha. I know that the second half of the year is going to go very fast. I have lots of vacation time, Europatour, big tests for all of my classes, and then school is pretty much over! School goes really late here: July 5th. And they start up again around middle August! That is no break at all! Although I suppose they don't get out of the learning state of mind, which is good. Either way, I won't have much time to prepare for University and buy dorm stuff before I leave-- hence the stressing out. But it will work itself out. :)
Beth
Showing posts with label interview. Show all posts
Showing posts with label interview. Show all posts
Wednesday, January 16, 2013
Sunday, January 22, 2012
Orientation, Part I
My first orientation was this past Saturday, and it was extremely insightful! We started out the morning (early early morning) with blazer fitting. For some reason this really made it clear to me that this is actually happening. I know, it's just a blazer, right? So, afterwards we were welcomed with a quick background of Rotary, the introduction of the country officers and Rotex, and a few speeches. This speeches were about Culture shock, The 6 B's, Money abroad, language learning, and homework. Yes, you read right. Homework. The culture shock speech was vague, but I assume we will learn more about it later. The six b's are Be first, be curious, be on purpose, be grateful, be of service, and be here now. I think these are very helpful when preparing for the change of exchange. As for the language learning, this is what I actually LEAST expected. I thought that they would tell us to do our best when learning the language ahead of time, as they told me when I signed up that knowing the language ahead of time wasn't essential, but they stressed language learning OVER AND OVER. They expect us to be fairly proficient in our language ahead of time. And lastly-- homework. We are required to fill out a country report and turn it into our country officers. It's mostly basic information that you would just find on Wikipedia, but then we have to do something more in-depth, like cook a common meal from your country. I will definitely enjoy that!
After that, we all went into separate rooms for country breakout sessions. I met my country officer, John, who will be my US rotary contact while I am abroad. He also is in charge of all my paperwork beforehand. He is quite eccentric, but very good at what he does. He has hosted over 40 exchange students at his house! I also met Camille, who will be going to Germany with me! She is a sweetheart and I hope that she goes somewhere near me as well. The kids going to Austria and Switzerland were also in our room. We talked about paperwork, and responsibilities. But the best part was when we talked to the Rotex (the kids that went to Germany in previous years). It was really cool! We talked about school, activities, and.. EUROTRIP. I am extremely excited. Germany is going to be amazing.
A side note: yesterday I started eating meat. D: It was very difficult, having been vegetarian for so long, but it will be worth it. Because I only have a problem with the American meat "production" industry, it will be fine when I am over in Germany. But, for now, I am only eating meats from whole foods such as grass fed beef, and free-range chickens. First meal, you ask? Barbecued chicken sandwiches. First beef meal-- my mom's beef stew. Yes. I admit it. Meat is better than I remember. Well, that is all for now.
Mit besten Grüßen,
Beth
After that, we all went into separate rooms for country breakout sessions. I met my country officer, John, who will be my US rotary contact while I am abroad. He also is in charge of all my paperwork beforehand. He is quite eccentric, but very good at what he does. He has hosted over 40 exchange students at his house! I also met Camille, who will be going to Germany with me! She is a sweetheart and I hope that she goes somewhere near me as well. The kids going to Austria and Switzerland were also in our room. We talked about paperwork, and responsibilities. But the best part was when we talked to the Rotex (the kids that went to Germany in previous years). It was really cool! We talked about school, activities, and.. EUROTRIP. I am extremely excited. Germany is going to be amazing.
A side note: yesterday I started eating meat. D: It was very difficult, having been vegetarian for so long, but it will be worth it. Because I only have a problem with the American meat "production" industry, it will be fine when I am over in Germany. But, for now, I am only eating meats from whole foods such as grass fed beef, and free-range chickens. First meal, you ask? Barbecued chicken sandwiches. First beef meal-- my mom's beef stew. Yes. I admit it. Meat is better than I remember. Well, that is all for now.
Mit besten Grüßen,
Beth
Sunday, December 4, 2011
What would you do if...?
Ah, the interview process. What a delight... Yesterday, December 5th, was the district interviews for the Northstar Rotary District. As an interviewee, I was quite nervous and extremely excited for the day. But, less prepared of what to expect than I would have liked to be for the day. So, for future reference for NEW rotary exchange prospective students, here is a little bit about the day. (Without revealing too many secrets. =) )
At the moment, my family is hosting a boy from Sweden, so it was a requirement for him to be there for the whole day (8am to 3pm). Arriving at 8am was a bit of a challenge. The day takes place at the Roseville Area Middle School, and it was quite a drive for us. But once there, it was a blast! So, not typically, I spent the entire morning with the fabulous exchange students from India to Germany, but in the afternoon the interview process began.
After registering and making sure that they know you've attended, you're ushered into a room for the introduction. A man talked to the orange group, the group I was in, about the logistics of the exchange. Most of the information was information I already knew, either from talking to my local rotary club or searching on the internet/Northstar's website. Afterwards the Rotex members (previous exchange students) herded the students out of the room to have a one-on-one talks. With the parents in the opposite room talking about safety and such with a rotary committee member, I was able to speak with a girl who went to South Africa the year before. We talked about why I wanted to go on the exchange, and what she found helpful on her exchange.
The next step was the dreaded interview. The first five minutes of the interview were with my parents. The questions were directed to make sure that my parents were okay with me going on the exchange, and that they completely understood what me going on the exchange met. It also made sure that they were able to go to the mandatory mandatory mandatory (did I mention mandatory?) orientation dates. Next, the parents leave the room. This is the part that I like the most, actually. Although they never directly ask you why you want to go on the exchange, they ask you really thoughtful and honestly difficult questions to answer. Some of the questions were-- who is your role model? What would you do if it was your birthday, and your host family has spent the day preparing a meal for you and when you get your plate, you don't recognize anything and it smells kind of rank. With your whole family watching you, what would you do? What was a hard decision you had to make? And ect. The interview process went pretty well for me.
What didn't go well? -- the french proficiency test. I have only taken one course of french at my school, and I am about to take my second course. I was expecting a quick-- tell me about yourself in french bit-- but instead I was bombarded with a ton of questions, and a few I unfortunately did not understand. Not the best. (disclaimer: you don't have to take this test unless you are applying to either France, French-speaking Switzerland, or French-speaking Belgium. There is no test for any other country.)
After this, I went to the 'country fair' where the exchange students tried to convince me to go to their country. It was quite fun, and at the end of it all, I had to choose what countries I would want to go to. In the end, I chose (in this order) France, Belgium, Spain, South Africa, and Germany. French-speaking Switzerland would have also been high up on my list, but for some reason or another, my district was not exchanging with that country this year.
I hope this lengthy explanation of the day helps you in your application, or at least is entertaining to you... Now I must endure the 20 days of waiting. I will let you know
the results!
Bien á vous,
Beth
At the moment, my family is hosting a boy from Sweden, so it was a requirement for him to be there for the whole day (8am to 3pm). Arriving at 8am was a bit of a challenge. The day takes place at the Roseville Area Middle School, and it was quite a drive for us. But once there, it was a blast! So, not typically, I spent the entire morning with the fabulous exchange students from India to Germany, but in the afternoon the interview process began.
After registering and making sure that they know you've attended, you're ushered into a room for the introduction. A man talked to the orange group, the group I was in, about the logistics of the exchange. Most of the information was information I already knew, either from talking to my local rotary club or searching on the internet/Northstar's website. Afterwards the Rotex members (previous exchange students) herded the students out of the room to have a one-on-one talks. With the parents in the opposite room talking about safety and such with a rotary committee member, I was able to speak with a girl who went to South Africa the year before. We talked about why I wanted to go on the exchange, and what she found helpful on her exchange.
The next step was the dreaded interview. The first five minutes of the interview were with my parents. The questions were directed to make sure that my parents were okay with me going on the exchange, and that they completely understood what me going on the exchange met. It also made sure that they were able to go to the mandatory mandatory mandatory (did I mention mandatory?) orientation dates. Next, the parents leave the room. This is the part that I like the most, actually. Although they never directly ask you why you want to go on the exchange, they ask you really thoughtful and honestly difficult questions to answer. Some of the questions were-- who is your role model? What would you do if it was your birthday, and your host family has spent the day preparing a meal for you and when you get your plate, you don't recognize anything and it smells kind of rank. With your whole family watching you, what would you do? What was a hard decision you had to make? And ect. The interview process went pretty well for me.
What didn't go well? -- the french proficiency test. I have only taken one course of french at my school, and I am about to take my second course. I was expecting a quick-- tell me about yourself in french bit-- but instead I was bombarded with a ton of questions, and a few I unfortunately did not understand. Not the best. (disclaimer: you don't have to take this test unless you are applying to either France, French-speaking Switzerland, or French-speaking Belgium. There is no test for any other country.)
After this, I went to the 'country fair' where the exchange students tried to convince me to go to their country. It was quite fun, and at the end of it all, I had to choose what countries I would want to go to. In the end, I chose (in this order) France, Belgium, Spain, South Africa, and Germany. French-speaking Switzerland would have also been high up on my list, but for some reason or another, my district was not exchanging with that country this year.
I hope this lengthy explanation of the day helps you in your application, or at least is entertaining to you... Now I must endure the 20 days of waiting. I will let you know
the results!
Bien á vous,
Beth
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