Honestly.... there is just no way I can sum up four months of studying abroad in one post. I just can't. A part of me wants to do separate posts and recount the events and another part wants me to do a brief retelling of the events. However, that latter just wouldn't do it justice. When I think about it now, I was truly blessed in this experience. It truly was amazing.
Though....
I was depressed the entire time.
Isn't that crazy? I study abroad for the first time in my life, go out the country and continent, see Europe and I'm depressed? Yep, I was.
My depression didn't come from my location and where I was - it came from the people I studied abroad with. They were so clicky that it just ANNOYED me. In Cannes, we stayed at a small international school, in dorms and we were just ALWAYS together. It was like going to boarding school in France rather than studying abroad there. My group was relatively big and most of them became close quickly but they were also quick to exclude people. I think in the beginning, everyone tried to be there for each other and support each other but in the end personalities just clashed and it was like this one big group vs the rest. Now looking back, I let that play too big of a part in my experience but just imagine it......... you're out the country for the first time, with all these people... but you still fee alone. Even the one girl I got close to (who goes to my university, might I add) eventually clashed because we were just too different. Her and I agreed on the childishness of the cliques but we also couldn't really stay close because we were just different. So there I was, in France, alone.... and I had the time of my life.
So how is that possible? How did I have the time of my life but was depressed at the same time? I think I just kept in mind where I was, what I was seeing and what I was feeling. Though I was annoyed by the people I studied with, I just tried my hardest to keep the grand scheme of things in mind. During my time in France I saw Cannes, Nice, St. Tropez, Monaco, Avignon, Arles, Antibes, Paris, Barcelona, Rome, St. Remo, Amsterdam and London. Do the negative feelings I had/have brought on by people I just met outweigh the beautiful sights of which I saw? No. Looking back now, I wish that I would have been a little bit stronger so that I could have enjoyed my time more but I don't regret anything. I understand why I felt the way I did studying abroad because I DID feel alone but I'm still thankful for the entire experience. I think I learned a lot of lessons during that time and grew as a person. One of the great things about being an an international school was that I was able to meet OTHER people who were also studying abroad. I now have friends in France, England, Ireland, Switzerland, Germany, Italy, Finland, Sweden, Korea, Spain and Holland. That is amazing. I also had the experience of Couch Surfing while I studied abroad. Even better, I THANKFULLY reconnected with an old friend in Holland and did Yoga by the Mediterranean Sea.
So all was not lost. It was truly a worthwhile, learning experience that I am very grateful to have had. It strengthened my desire to see the rest of the world and to continue traveling while I'm young. It's so fun to make friends around the world. To see how people live, think, eat, speak...etc.... it's all so amazing.
In some other posts here and there I'll recount some stories from my study abroad but for now, this is what it is. I had one of the best times and hardest times in my life all at the same time. God showed himself to me in so many ways, it's crazy. I can truly look back on this experience and smile. It's all okay now.
:)
Tuesday, July 23, 2013
Almost A Year Since Studying Abroad....
Okay so...it's been forever since I wrote that last post. According to this site I've had some views, so hopefully whoever did run across my blog found something useful in what I wrote.
I think I should go ahead and continue what I started on that last post.
- Scholarships -
So, as I was preparing to study abroad, in the back of my mind I knew I really couldn't afford this. I knew that financial aid would cover a portion of the expenses and that I was responsible for covering the rest. I don't exactly remember how much was left over that I would have to cover but I believe it was around $5,000 out of the possibly $18,000 that the program cost. I think my initial plan was to just apply to scholarships and set up a payment plan for the rest. I was content on that. Honestly, I'm super surprised by how un-stressed I was during the whole process. I really didn't worry about money until the summer. So this is how it started....
When I was first introduced to AIFS, my study abroad adviser told me all about the scholarships that they offer. These scholarships coming from either AIFS themselves or other affiliated companies. There were many scholarships to choose from. She encouraged me to apply to all that I was applicable for on the AIFS website as well as the Benjamin Gilman scholarship from the U.S. Department of State. Any student who studies abroad with AIFS that receives the Gilman scholarship will have some money waived from the cost of their trip, so it's like a double bonus. Before this, I had never really won a scholarship before. I think I had won one scholarship in summer 2011 but that was about it. Basically what I'm saying is...I didn't think I was about to get any of these... especially not Gilman.
During my freshman year of college, my roommate had received the Gilman scholarship to study abroad over the summer in the Dominican Republic, so I was already familiar with it. I knew that it was a scholarship that required a lot of work and was one that shouldn't be taken lightly. Me being me, worked on mine for about five days before it's due date. I was STRESSED!!!! From working on the 5,000(?) word essay to getting it corrected in the writing center and having to rewrite it, I was sooo DONE by the time I finished it. I remember the night I submitted it, I called my sister at 11 pm on on a week night just to further correct it because I had no more time to go to the writing center. Thankfully, my sister came through and I submitted both essays on time. Oh yeah.........for the Gilman scholarship, there are two required essays. One is essentially a very long personal statement and the other is a project proposal to give back to your community.
All in all, I think I applied to may 5(?) scholarships. Most of them I applied to before Gilman and they came from the AIFS website and I believe one more that I applied to after Gilman.
In May is when I started to hear back from scholarships and thankfully, I received all the scholarships I applied to on the AIFS website except one. During this time though, I still hadn't heard back from Gilman.
Though I tried not to worry about it, it was still in the back of my mind. I didn't feel like I was going to get it. I felt like my essay was rushed and that this scholarship was only something that people with extremely high GPA's and incredible resumes could get. Not saying that my grades are bad, my grades are actually very good...it's just that all my friends who also got Gilman have a 3.9 -_-. So I waited and tried not to think of it.
Then...all at once, I hear an email come to my phone and ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh I could not stop SMILINGGGGGGG - I GOT THE GILMAN SCHOLARSHIP!!!! I was SOOOOOOOOOOOO happy and SOOOOOOOOOOOOO thankful to God!!!! It was just a miracle in my eyes because I honestly didn't believe I would get the scholarship. They awarded $3,500 and it was just a blessing. Truly a blessing. I think that was my favorite moment of my pre-abroad days. :)
Now, I haven't gone into extreme details about the scholarships themselves because I don't want to mess up any vital information. This was just a BRIEF summary of my experiences applying to scholarships and goes to show that even when you don't believe, you should keep the faith! Don't count yourself out like I did! What is in store for you, will be for you.
Here are some of the links that were so helpful to me :)
http://www.aifsabroad.com/scholarships.asp
http://www.iie.org/Programs/Gilman-Scholarship-Program
http://www.diversityabroad.com/
I hope that whoever does read this post will be able to have as much help from this in their journey as I did. :)
I think I should go ahead and continue what I started on that last post.
- Scholarships -
So, as I was preparing to study abroad, in the back of my mind I knew I really couldn't afford this. I knew that financial aid would cover a portion of the expenses and that I was responsible for covering the rest. I don't exactly remember how much was left over that I would have to cover but I believe it was around $5,000 out of the possibly $18,000 that the program cost. I think my initial plan was to just apply to scholarships and set up a payment plan for the rest. I was content on that. Honestly, I'm super surprised by how un-stressed I was during the whole process. I really didn't worry about money until the summer. So this is how it started....
When I was first introduced to AIFS, my study abroad adviser told me all about the scholarships that they offer. These scholarships coming from either AIFS themselves or other affiliated companies. There were many scholarships to choose from. She encouraged me to apply to all that I was applicable for on the AIFS website as well as the Benjamin Gilman scholarship from the U.S. Department of State. Any student who studies abroad with AIFS that receives the Gilman scholarship will have some money waived from the cost of their trip, so it's like a double bonus. Before this, I had never really won a scholarship before. I think I had won one scholarship in summer 2011 but that was about it. Basically what I'm saying is...I didn't think I was about to get any of these... especially not Gilman.
During my freshman year of college, my roommate had received the Gilman scholarship to study abroad over the summer in the Dominican Republic, so I was already familiar with it. I knew that it was a scholarship that required a lot of work and was one that shouldn't be taken lightly. Me being me, worked on mine for about five days before it's due date. I was STRESSED!!!! From working on the 5,000(?) word essay to getting it corrected in the writing center and having to rewrite it, I was sooo DONE by the time I finished it. I remember the night I submitted it, I called my sister at 11 pm on on a week night just to further correct it because I had no more time to go to the writing center. Thankfully, my sister came through and I submitted both essays on time. Oh yeah.........for the Gilman scholarship, there are two required essays. One is essentially a very long personal statement and the other is a project proposal to give back to your community.
All in all, I think I applied to may 5(?) scholarships. Most of them I applied to before Gilman and they came from the AIFS website and I believe one more that I applied to after Gilman.
In May is when I started to hear back from scholarships and thankfully, I received all the scholarships I applied to on the AIFS website except one. During this time though, I still hadn't heard back from Gilman.
Though I tried not to worry about it, it was still in the back of my mind. I didn't feel like I was going to get it. I felt like my essay was rushed and that this scholarship was only something that people with extremely high GPA's and incredible resumes could get. Not saying that my grades are bad, my grades are actually very good...it's just that all my friends who also got Gilman have a 3.9 -_-. So I waited and tried not to think of it.
Then...all at once, I hear an email come to my phone and ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh I could not stop SMILINGGGGGGG - I GOT THE GILMAN SCHOLARSHIP!!!! I was SOOOOOOOOOOOO happy and SOOOOOOOOOOOOO thankful to God!!!! It was just a miracle in my eyes because I honestly didn't believe I would get the scholarship. They awarded $3,500 and it was just a blessing. Truly a blessing. I think that was my favorite moment of my pre-abroad days. :)
Now, I haven't gone into extreme details about the scholarships themselves because I don't want to mess up any vital information. This was just a BRIEF summary of my experiences applying to scholarships and goes to show that even when you don't believe, you should keep the faith! Don't count yourself out like I did! What is in store for you, will be for you.
Here are some of the links that were so helpful to me :)
http://www.aifsabroad.com/scholarships.asp
http://www.iie.org/Programs/Gilman-Scholarship-Program
http://www.diversityabroad.com/
I hope that whoever does read this post will be able to have as much help from this in their journey as I did. :)
Sunday, August 5, 2012
Countdown Part 1
It's August 5th and I am 21 days away from my departure. Each day that passes by, I still can't wrap my head around the fact that I'm going abroad. Especially because I haven't even looked at a list of things I need to bring, gone shopping, packed, or anything. I think I am trying to hold on to this summer as long as possible.
As much as I do love summer....I have to get to France. The French Consulate in Chicago gave me the scare of my life this week regarding my visa but thankfully it was resolved. It got me thinking, what if I DIDN'T get to go abroad?? What if I HAD to go back to school?? ...Hell naw!! I have to go. How it became resolved made me even MORE grateful that I received all the scholarships and blessings that I did.
So since I have time now, I think I should share them with anyone who happens to run across my page.
Timing:
Okay, I started thinking about studying abroad for the Fall semester of my junior year during the spring semester of my sophomore year. So, I would say around January 2012, is when I knew that I wanted to go abroad during Fall 2012. When planning to study abroad, timing is VERY important. This was something I did not know before hand and I am so grateful that I started the process when I did. Becoming a student in a study abroad program and getting your home institution to be on board with it takes a lot, a lot, a lot of paperwork.
You have to apply to the program = paperwork
Match classes for credit = more paperwork
Sign agreements/get approvals = even more paperwork
...and so on and so forth. In my case, it took FOREVER to finish my application to my study program. The reason that it took so long was because I not only had to apply to my program online, I also had to apply THROUGH my school. What I mean by this is that, I had to give my entire online application to my study abroad director at my school + all the extra things she needed. In the beginning of the process, I have to stay she really wasn't as helpful. There was never any clear cut answer to my question of "What ELSE do I need to bring you?!" Getting my classes approved by the Foreign Language Department Chair was a pain all of its own. Last but not least is the recommendation letter. GO TO A PROFESSOR YOU TRUST. I won't even get into my tormenting experience with that. Overall, during the beginning there was a lot, a lot of running around and trying to get everything settled.
The Wait:
So after I finished applying, I had to wait to be accepted into the program. I feel like this alone took a month, maybe not...but it FELT that way. The anticipation was just too much. I was finally accept in early February. After being accepted into the program I had a whole new list of things that I needed to do.
1) Get a Passport
2) Complete Campus France
3) Get a Visa
This again goes back to timing. Receiving a Passport usually takes about 3-4 weeks. In order to complete Campus France you NEED a Passport. Campus France is a program set up by the French government that students who want to study abroad in France must complete online and be approved. It takes a good amount of time to complete and about a month to be approved. You MUST be approved by Campus France to get a Visa into France. Getting a Visa approved takes about two weeks. Therefore...timing is everything.
If you are fortunate enough to have an abundance of money, then maybe this situation won't be an issue for you but for me it was a fight! Passports aren't cheap and I didn't even apply to get mine until the beginning of March. As I said before, Passports take about 3-4 weeks to complete and you need it for Campus France. Since it was getting close to spring break and I wanted to get my passport ASAP so I could have enough time for Campus France. This means, I spent nearly $200 on an expedited Passport. Usually people wait that 3-4 weeks...mine was available the next day. After that, I moved onto Campus France. Once you finish applying to the program, you have to send in $70 in order for your application to be complete. By the time I was finished with Campus France and received my approval letter it was damn near May. So, Passport + Campus France alone was like a two month process (plus the time I spent saving money). Once again, timing is vital.
I just recently applied for my Visa. This doesn't have to be done until it is close to your departure date because your Visa is only valid for a limited time. This cost me $61 at the Chicago Consulate.
I feel like there is so much more detail I could go into about timing but this is starting to get long. Main advice: plan accordingly!
Programs:
Originally, I wanted to study abroad through CIEE because they are such a great organization. However, after speaking with my study abroad adviser at my school I realized that since this will be my first time abroad - I might just need some hand holding. She recommended AIFS. She explained to me how AIFS is a wonderful program for those who are new to traveling abroad and what they offered. I'm usually stubborn and not one to change my mind but I had to admit that she was right. So, I chose AIFS.
There are many study abroad programs out there to choose from, I think the key is choosing one that will fit YOUR needs. If you're looking for freedom to explore on your own, choose one that will give you that. If you are looking to participate in tours often and like working in groups, choose one that will offer you that. If you want to live in an apartment rather than a dorm, or a host family rather than with other Americans - choose the one that supplies this. At the end of the day, these organizations exist to please YOUR needs, so choose wisely because you will be the one paying them.
Okay...this is running long, I'll do this post in two parts. In the next post I'll discuss scholarships.
Au revoir~
Patience & Journey
Today is July 26th and it is officially one month until I go abroad. I have one month to get everything together. I can't believe how quickly my summer has gone by. It seems like just yesterday it was May 6th and I had just arrived home after a long school year. Though this summer has not been everything I imagined, I can honestly say I am glad I got to spend it with my Mother. As quick as this summer has gone by, it also feels like one of the longest I have ever experienced. I guess because there were so many ups and downs, highs and lows. Overall, it's just been one hell of a journey and I don't think it's over yet...
With this being said, today was a really good day. It was beautiful, sunny and hot. It was like God was smiling at us. My mom and I received great news this morning and the day has been beautiful since. This is also the birthday of my Aunt who passed away. Maybe it was her spirit that has made today wonderful. Whatever it may be, I am thankful.
I hope that from now and for a good time on, I will get to see all the people I love happy. I hope to see it before I leave.
With this being said, today was a really good day. It was beautiful, sunny and hot. It was like God was smiling at us. My mom and I received great news this morning and the day has been beautiful since. This is also the birthday of my Aunt who passed away. Maybe it was her spirit that has made today wonderful. Whatever it may be, I am thankful.
I hope that from now and for a good time on, I will get to see all the people I love happy. I hope to see it before I leave.
Tuesday, July 24, 2012
French Visa
On the 30th of this month I am applying for my Visa to study abroad France. I need a visa because I will be living in Cannes, France for almost four months. The process is long and tedious. Theres a lot of documents that have to be filled out and one is completely in French. I have to have about 8927483 forms of identification and some other stuff. As visa day approaches, it slowly starts to hit me how real this whole thing is. I don't think about going to France too much. I'm sure for most people that will be on my trip it is all that they think about. Don't get me wrong, I am VERY excited... it's just I still need more time to be at home.
I'll be getting something like this in about two weeks after the 30th. By that time I should also be receiving a letter from my program of things to pack and prepare before I leave. I don't even have all the necessary things I need right now. I know everyone else is probably preparing already but for me it's not so easy right now. I really hope that this trip abroad will be all that I can ever imagine and the problems that exist now will be long gone by the time my trip starts.
I'm happy that I am going to France. I'm happy that I won't be going straight back to school this August. I am happy that I am leaving my comfort zone. I am happy that this is happening. Though my problems exist I can't forget all the blessings I have received this year because I am studying abroad. This trip is truly something that I MADE happen for myself. I am so proud.
I guess I'll go into more detail on all the vague things I'm mentioning in a later post lol. Right now, my mind is just too all over the place.
I'll be getting something like this in about two weeks after the 30th. By that time I should also be receiving a letter from my program of things to pack and prepare before I leave. I don't even have all the necessary things I need right now. I know everyone else is probably preparing already but for me it's not so easy right now. I really hope that this trip abroad will be all that I can ever imagine and the problems that exist now will be long gone by the time my trip starts.
I'm happy that I am going to France. I'm happy that I won't be going straight back to school this August. I am happy that I am leaving my comfort zone. I am happy that this is happening. Though my problems exist I can't forget all the blessings I have received this year because I am studying abroad. This trip is truly something that I MADE happen for myself. I am so proud.
I guess I'll go into more detail on all the vague things I'm mentioning in a later post lol. Right now, my mind is just too all over the place.
I will see you soon.
Safisha <3
Friday, July 20, 2012
Been a while...
I originally made this blog when I was 17 and never used it again. Three years later, I hope that I will be able to make better use of it. I'm in college now and I'm trying to remember to stay strong.
I going to use this blog to document my journey of the next five months. Some blessings came my way and I will be spending the next semester abroad in Cannes, France. :) I couldn't be more excited! I have a lot of a lot thoughts going on about it and I think this will be a great place to share them.
Here is where I'll be:
I've never been abroad before. I'm so grateful that the first time that I am abroad, I'm going to spend it along the French Rivera.
I'm sure Cannes is about to be beeaaautiful but I'm trying to leave with no expectations.I just want to take in everything as is.
Anyways, Welcome to Where I Am Now. =]
I going to use this blog to document my journey of the next five months. Some blessings came my way and I will be spending the next semester abroad in Cannes, France. :) I couldn't be more excited! I have a lot of a lot thoughts going on about it and I think this will be a great place to share them.
(I can't seem to find any other sort of picture of Cannes except the docs)
I've never been abroad before. I'm so grateful that the first time that I am abroad, I'm going to spend it along the French Rivera.
I'm sure Cannes is about to be beeaaautiful but I'm trying to leave with no expectations.I just want to take in everything as is.
Anyways, Welcome to Where I Am Now. =]
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