June Party!

We, the outbounds of 6220, got together for a party! Only about half of us ended up showing up but thats okay because it was still tons of fun. We all went to Tori's house for the weekend, she lives on a small lake and we went boating, swimming, and tubing. For some of the outbounds it was their first time ever tubing which was pretty intresting considering we all live so close to the Great Lakes! We had enough food to last us a week atleast! Emma made some absolutly AMAZING bars. They are brownies with melted marshmellow and then a rice crispy, peanut butter, chocolate mix for the top they were so good I ate atleast 7 by myself! We played a game called eat poop you cat. I had never heard of it before and I am sure many of you haven't either but it is sort of like telephone but with drawings and paper. One person draws a picture, the next person writes a sentence and the next person draws a picture until you get all the way around the table. You get them back and then read them, and well not everyone is a great artist so sometimes the final answer is greatly changed from the original. We also went on her speed boat which is so much fun and it goes so fast. Lauren, Pj, Mrs. Miller, my mom, and I all went in to Minoqua for a walk around the town while the rest of the outbounds vegged and watched The Green Hornet, which I fell asleep in the first five minutes and I had no idea what was going on when I woke up so I went to town also. The town was really cute and quite busy which I guess was because it was camp week or something. This town atleast doubles in size in the summer from all the summer residences and tourists. Anyways the weekend was overall really fun, but when is Rotary not fun? I can't wait to see everyone at Grand Rapids but it is so weird that that will be the last time we will all see each other again until we get back! We are planning on doing another get together like this once we are all Rebounds. Rebound. It is such a sad word right now. I feel like it must be so depressing to be a Rebound, you will never be exited for your forms, your family, to leave again. I feel like we will all have so much to share as Rebounds though and our stories are going to be so much fun to listen to and talk about. Time should really just slow down right about now. I know since now it seems like my exchange is never going to get here but now it just feels soo close! I mean the first one to leave leaves in less than a month! crazy.

Anyways,
I should really get to bed considering I just drove all the way home from Minoqua using a stick shift<-- which is at the moment super impressive considering I have only droven that thing on backroads and such!

Summer!

Well tomorrow is the last day of school! Yippee! I am pretty upset that it is June 1st and I still haven’t heard any more news about where exactly I will be or who is going to be my host family. I have a few towns picked out that I really hope I am put it but anywhere will be great, I mean I will be in France and that’s all that matters. 6 months ago I had no idea where I would be, in fact I thought I would be in Thailand since I heard a lot of people get the chance to go there and it was my second choice. On the brightside of things I have to have my guarantee forms back by June 30th for my visa stuff. I got an e-mail about my visa and looks like I have to do a lot of more paperwork. I thought a 20 some page application would be it for the paperwork... I guess not. I am getting really exited to get out of school since I won't be back in American school for more than 365 days which is a really awesome thought. I also bought my bus ticket for the Grand Rapids conference which I heard is tons of fun and I cannot wait to meet all the people going to France and see all of the outbounds one last time before we all leave. So yah I am getting super ready to get out of school and I only have 3 more exams to take before I am out! Wahoo!

Exchange Student x2!

My Rotary club has not had an exchange student for 15 years until I came along. Now a girl in the 8th grade is thinking about becoming an exchange student! I really hope she does it and convinces others to do it also, it is such a great experience. It also makes me feel good knowing another person wants to go on exchange. Oh, and she also wants to go to France!

Random Blabber

I applied to the YCC this year for a summer job that is 40 hours a week because I need the money for my exchange. I just got a call a few days ago that I got the job! I am really exited to start earning money but now my whole summer is wasted with a job. I guess its all hunky-dory though because I will be happy to have that money in France. I was thinking about how much I will be paid and I was thinking that I really am earning less than everyone else because I will be spending 99% of that money in Euros not USD. Oh well.
I have less than a month until my birthday, May 23rd! I leave for France on August 23 so 116 days or 3 months 27 days! I am getting soo exited. I am really mad that I can't get my license before I leave because I will have a job and I don't know how much I will be at home anyways. A license just makes sense but my parents don't think its that big of a deal. :/ (It is a big deal to me). Well I can't wait until I get to France and I have a wonderful public transportation system, unlike what I have where I live now.

Rotary April Conference

First day: Had to act professional in the morning and got really annoyed by "We are the World" and the Rotary thank you song. At 8 we went to eat at Sonnys. We were so loud, as  most kids usually are, especially after having to act professional all morning. Then to the hotel to hang out until 12:45.

Second day: Outbounds on bus by 7:45, yuck. We went to a youth leadership training thing, the guy teaching the course was kind of weird but whatever. I got to climb rock walls and stuff, to bad we couldn't do the zip line because it was raining. Sonny's at 5 for whatever we wanted to eat, all Italian food of course. Then to the YMCA for a lock in. I hoped to not sleep at all but I ended up falling asleep at 5 in the morning due to the lack of sleep for this whole week and since no one wanted to stay up any longer.

Things I have learned:
1. I love Rotary!
2. How to play chicken
3. swim suit dryers are probably the coolest invention!
4. That I have fears of being an exchange student but everyone does.
5. Don't say a person is from "Institution" When they are from Institute. (They get mad)
6. That only a few Inbounds are going to Grand Rapids! :(
7. You try to pick up the accent of the person your talking to even if it is by accident.
8. Lack of sleep doesn't kill me.

Well I think thats a pretty large list. I guess I will get back to all of my Rotary friends now.
Au revoir,
-Cassandra

Departure Date!

I got an email from Kati and I leave on August 23rd, arrive in France on August 24th! That means a little under 5 months until I leave! That is so crazy to think about. In October it felt like I was never going to get on a plane and leave. When I found out my country in January it felt like a dream and now I think it is becoming a little bit more real! Things have suddenly sped up so fast, our country projects are due May 1st, in April we sign up for Grand Rapids, in july we go to Grand Rapids and then one by one we leave U.S. soil for the countries that we just learned we were going to 6-8 months before! I feel like I have so much to do to get ready to go, this is crazy!

well until more information comes my way,
Au Revoir!

1650

My Rotary District Number in France, 1650. Brittany, France, the place I will be living for one whole year. It is so hard to believe this. I am so happy! :)

This is the Bretagne, or Brittany, in English, region of France: