Just FYI

Woah hey guys. Weird, I'm here in Indonesia. Weird because it's felt like forever when really it's only been 6 days. I don't have the time or battery power to do like a real real in depth summery of what I've been doing because I actually leave for my host family's house today.
    I've been at camp (or I call it camp it's actually a hotel Desa Wisata in this place called Taman Mini Indonesia or at least that's what I think)for all my days here so far. we've had an orientation with games and Bahasa Indonesia lessons and excercising. Now that it's over "the journey begins". I quote that because 1. I really don't think I would say something like that and 2. That was the theme of our welcoming party.


Ok well now Im going to go. I have pictures to take. I lowkey feel like a celebrity here. Seriously I'm going to come back with the hugest ego.
Finger kisses.

Less than ____

On my tumblr I wrote what 13 days feels like.
    Well now I have 5 more days and of course I feel totally different. I am so chill right now. Honestly it's surreal. It doesn't feel like it at all. Now at night when I have nothing to do I don't get panicked and freaked. I don't even think of exchange really. It's weird. Maybe I'm in a state of denial, or maybe I'm repressing all those freaked out feelings. I don't know. All I know is I'm cool.
So my last days. I count all my last things, my summer accomplishments though it's seemed so short and by no way am I through - I still have 4 full days left!

•  I finished my puzzle. Here is what it looks like. This is the internet's, not my own. I hope it says in my living room for a long time. Until I get back even.
• I ate all my favorite foods.
• Ethiopian - best food 
• Regular cooking by my dad
• Chipotle (Not my favorite so much as my mom's but whatever I'm up for it.)
• Scoops - best ice cream place. I had 2 scoops: Earle Gray Tea and Brown Bread
• Earlez Grill - best vegetarian place for like burgers
• I've had pseudo - goodbye parties/hang out sessions.
• The first was just my family. We swam, ate. It was usual family hanging outness.
• Then my friends from my old school and I went to see a movie.
• Then another old friend came over with her family for general hanging out/talking/wow our parents are really funny time.
• Last Shakespeare in the Park play. It was Hamlet. It was awesome. I'm going to miss the play that happens at our school each year though.

• My friend's threw me a surprise-ish (some people aren't good at keeping secrets) going away scavenger hunt. We all went to Santa Monica and just ... were being weird. Talking in accents, sneaking in pictures with babies, messing with strangers. Scavenger hunt stuff. What an awesome idea. I have major love for them all <3. 

• Finish my box that's going to hold all my letters. (Didn't actually finish this :( Oh well)
• I hung out downtown. The library, the shops. I love downtown. And I finished all my books in time.
• I bought my host family gifts. Which called for a trip to Venice Beach.

I've packed and I'm off I guess.

Oh and good news I got my visa :D

Guess my special visa skills paid off.

Alright I'm sorry for the tense difference here. I wrote this days ago and didn't fell like changing it all. But I did all this stuff and these are my last hours. And next time I post I'll be in Indonesia or New York. Wish me luck :)

How to Get a Visa: ANKHET Style

1. Have a passport.
• EASIEST STEP if you already have one. If you don't sucks for you. Sorry, no actually just go get one. Super quick.
2. Have a Driver's License or State ID. 
• I don't have one of these because guess what, I don't drive and guess what, I'm still a minor and don't need fancy pieces of identification. So everyone was harassing me for one. Ok really just the police department who didn't realize I was a minor and needed to go to the juvenile courthouse.
• I ended up copying the envelope my passport came in. I don't know what they thought when they saw that.
3. Fill out form.
• You'd think this would be the easiest part but No, alas it's not. 
4. Be patient because getting authorization numbers from Jakarta will take a long time. In fact the whole visa plan will change because it won't come in time. You will find yourself having to mail everything to New York instead. And you will spend a bunch on shipping.
5. Have your awesome school send you a transcript the day you are sending all this stuff to New York. Just have an awesome. Thank you school <3.
6. Print out other stuff. 
7. Forget to mail your cover letter with the package and send an email at 2 am to AFS with it attached. Why 2am? Because you're afraid that you won't wake up early enough for them to get it on time. New York is 3 hours ahead of LA.
• In fact just live on the east coast. The rest of your life won't be as awesome but getting a visa will probably be easier. 
8. And the MOST Important Step: Wait until the last minute to do everything. Because then you will be all in a frenzy. Unless of course you don't like worrying your brains out and spending half the night making lists of how you can get what you need and fast.

Weirdly Getting a Visa Ankhet Style is not as fun as you would think.

My Family & Stupidity (Of My Own)

My family is amazing. Or should I start with bad news first. Yes, so you can have a good taste in your mouth at the end of this whole story I'll begin with bad news.
    So I am kind of stupid. I totally forgot that there was a conference call scheduled for today (August 2 because it might not be today anymore when I post this). I only remembered around 8 o clock which would have been ok if I lived on the East Coast. But I don't so I missed an important conference call about Indonesia with my fellow Indonesia YES Abroaders. I got to listen to a recording so I heard what was said but I still felt pretty embarrassed at the silence that happened whenever my name was called, or when they waited for me to arrive
    Good news. I am talking to my family. My host mom to be more precise, on facebook. Never have I loved facebook so much. I've seen a picture of her and my two new sisters! My two new sisters aaah I love that. I'm going to go to school with Caca whose the younger of the two I believe. They're both really close to my age. 15 and 16. It's going to be pretty different from the family I have now. I have a sister but she's a lot younger and my brother... is a boy... obviously. I'm excited. I like having talked to them because it makes me feel less of an outsider. My mom said the same thing when they sent us a picture. With 10 days (Yeah it's August 7 now) left I'm all stressed and harried from my visa but it's nice to talk to my host mom and know that once I get to Indonesia I'll be in such an awesome family.

Truth

My decision to have an exchange blog wasn't so I could just put my thoughts out into the world. I didn't even do it so my family or friends would have some way of knowing what I'm doing. That definitely became part of it but still, having a blog was because my decision to go on an exchange was helped along by all the exchange blogs I read. Blogs from past exchangers became the closest way I could see the feelings and activities that occur during exchange. And my favorite blogs were the ones that were truthful.  The exchangers wouldn't just blog about the parties, and how they got to ride an elephant and the amazing food and people and so on. They would say when they were having hard times or difficult feelings. And that's what I want this blog to be. A way for people get as close as they can to my exchange.  And the very real things that I'll be going through. Yet I still am not going to be an extremely angsty or angry or mopey blogger. Some things the internet world doesn't need to know :).
    So I'm going to tell you that with um 16 more days left I'm as nervous as who knows what. During the day I'm cool. I'm all, Yea 15 more days no big deal. I have to start packing, no problem. My last meal. It's fine. But somehow when it's 1 am in the morning and you're just lying in the dark it all seems like so much. Because I honestly have no idea what to expect. People can say whatever. They can tell me how Indonesia was for them but actually being there will be something totally different. No matter what I'll still be stepping into a totally foreign country. And as much as I'll have people backing me up and supporting me it'll still be me who has to adjust and make a life in Indonesia. Relying on myself. 
And that's why I'll think I'll be ok because I'm going to work hard to make it ok, to make it amazing.

Business (Called Getting A Visa)

A visa. Visas come at time during pre exchange where you should just be coasting. You have two weeks to go. You've had a pseudo-goodbye party. You've seen some of your oldest friends for the last time (It's called even though you still had like 3 weeks left they're going to the Dominican and then on a cruise so you won't be able to see each other again.) You're thinking about packing, and your host family, and presents, and how you really wish they would email you back. But then comes this visa form.
    Suddenly you find yourself having to fill out this form in the 19 (aaah) days you have left. (Ok I'll switch back to first person now.) They're not even too too complicated it's just ... I'll explain. I have to fill out these forms about why I'm going to Indonesia and for how long. I had to count the number of days (because there was no months box)! 314 approximately. But here comes the problem, I don't have the forms from Indonesia saying like 'Hey it's cool. She can come.' So I'm stuck on the very first page of my application waiting for AFS to send me some 'Authorization # from Jakarta.' I don't know what that is. I just know I don't have it. And if this isn't done soon then I won't be flying on the 17th as is planned. I think it'll go smoothly after this though. I hope. No it will. I'll probably be writing more about this just because it's probably going to be a big part of these last 19 days.

Isn't that so weird to think about?!

PS: Did I tell you, for my birthday I told my people to get me enough fortune cookies to last me until I leave. So now I have tons of fortune cookies (def more than 19) and have 1 (or more :) ) each day. Aaah I love that.
   

Summer News - Departure Date, Host Family

I feel summery oh so summery. I have news for you world. Can you say - a departure date, a host family, an address?

    My summer is going summery with walking places, swimming, birthdays, Shakespeare in the Park, free concerts in California Plaza. And that is just when I leave my house (well not the swimming). But now for the news.
    I leave August 17th. I arrive in New York where there will be a Gateway Orientation for me and my fellow exchange people. We all leave the next day to Indonesia with a layover in Hong Kong. I was also just told we apparently have an in-country orientation from the day we arrive to the 24th of August. Then I'll meet my family! and go home with them! and live with them for 11 months! I'm nervous. I'm excited. I am so confused. I have no idea what my life will be like. I have a feeling it'll be pretty awesome though. Hard though too.
    And my family. I officially have a family. My family is comprised of a mother, a father, and two daughters who are really close to my age. One is a bit older and the other a year younger. I can't wait to meet them or even talk to them. I still have yet to send a email to them but I know what the mom looks like (thank you facebook). I really will get on that. It's just hard thinking of what exactly to say to the people you are going to be living with for the next year of your life.
    They live in Jakarta. For real Jakarta not some town an hour away (at least I think so). I truly don't really have a preference but it's so cool. However I'm a bit confused. Whenever I told the Indonesian exchangers that I was going to be in Jakarta they went 'OOOhhhhh'. I couldn't tell if it was a good thing or bad. Good though hopefully. Then they would go on to tell me how horrible the traffic is. I'm excited though. Once I get there I'll send tons of letters to all my people so they can say they've gotten mail form Indonesia.
Also mail is always nice.

Almost forgot: 29 Days until I leave for Indonesia!!