Countdown

       Hey everyone! I hope you're having a great summer. It's officially 8 days until I leave. I'm sorry for the lack of updates but things here have been busy. So back in the beginning of July I was lucky enough to attend one of my favorite people's wedding. Stef and Dan got married on July 5th at a "Red, White and I Do!" themed wedding. It was amazing! We all had an absolute blast and it was great getting to see Stef and Dan. Congrats to the wonderful couple!

Bachelorette party

Mini pies should be at every wedding.

      On July 7th I turned 17. Yay! We celebrated by driving home through Mississippi so that we could walk around Ole Miss. After we returned home, mom and I immediately went to Houston to apply for my visa. We were rejected. Uh Oh! The Houston consulate is one of the strictest and we didn't have enough of the right paperwork. Don't worry though, AFS sent us the paperwork and we're driving back on August 1st to get my visa. I also attended my pre departure orientation shortly after that. I got to meet students going to The Netherlands, Turkey, and Switzerland. I was also fortunate enough to meet a girl that had just returned from her year in Brazil! Sarah was awesome and answered so many questions. For example, it takes about 3-4 months to become fluent and don't worry about school, you're not expected to do great. She also taught me a bunch of Brazilian hand gestures and shared funny stories from her trip. At the orientation we discussed things we are worried about such as making friends, learning the language, and fitting in. I had a great time and it only made me more excited to go.

 This week I finished up my shopping for gifts for my host family and for things I'll need while there like converters. It's just starting to occur to me that I leave in a few days and I expect to start panicing any moment. Well that's all for now. Tchau!